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Swedish online casino shutter would cause instant ‘black-market boom’, says BonusFinder MD

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Government considers ‘extreme measures’ as activity rises amid COVID-19 restrictions but closures would drive more players to unlicensed sites instead of protecting them

9th April, 2020 ­­– The Swedish government’s threat to temporarily shut down licensed online casinos would have a disastrous effect on the industry and drive thousands more players to the black market, BonusFinder.com has warned.

The minister in charge of gambling policy, Ardalan Shekarabi, this week warned that “extraordinary measures” would be implemented if operators do not take action to slow the increase in igaming activity seen in the last two weeks, as people are told to stay at home because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

According to new data from Sweden’s gambling regulator, Spelinspektionen, there has been a 33% increase in registrations and logins to play online casino games with 17 of the 60 licensed operators in the country in the last 14 days.

Last month, Swedish market research carried out by BonusFinder.com found that almost a third of Swedish online casino players are searching for ‘unlicensed casinos’, with growing numbers turning to black-market brands due to the market’s restrictive gaming regulations, introduced in January 2019.

Instead of protecting players, a shutdown of online casino brands, however, is likely to lead to thousands more players searching for and depositing funds on unlicensed sites, as well as causing further financial damage to licensed operators, according to BonusFinder.com.

Fintan Costello, Managing Director, Bonusfinder.com, said: “The Swedish government will make a colossal mistake if it chooses to temporarily close down online casino sites in an attempt to protect players. As our research has shown, almost a third of online casino players are already looking to the black market for a more attractive offering since restrictive rules were imposed in January 2019. These latest plans would create an immediate black-market boom.

“Swedish legislation requires operators to have strict responsible gambling procedures in place, therefore the right measures are already there. The focus should instead be on ensuring these are adhered to rather than taking a knee jerk reaction to close down all legitimate brands and forcing even more players to unprotected sites.”

 

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QTech Games goes Orbital with rising star studio

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QTech Games, the leading game aggregator for emerging markets, has announced another progressive partnership with emerging force supplier, Orbital Gaming – a cutting-edge casino game development studio, focused on delivering innovative content that blends creativity, fairness, and technical precision.

Integrating content from such a forward-thinking studio, whose portfolio already boasts over 20 games, adds yet more creative muscle to QTech Games’ burgeoning platform, which is taking the widest range of online games to emerging territories with established names, such as Evolution and Blueprint Gaming, sitting alongside the industry’s most exciting up-and-coming providers. The games made available to QTech partners via the deal are comprised of Orbital’s trademark Original PF (Provably Fair) content, with all games designed in-house from the ground up. Every game features custom-built math models, modern mechanics, and striking visual styles that keep players engaged and entertained across crash games, slots, and fast-paced instant-win formats. All titles are lightweight, and optimized for seamless performance across emerging markets, guarding against technological barriers to engagement, such as handset-quality limitations, restricted access to fast networks, or high data costs.

Valerian Chanchibadze, CEO of Orbital Gaming: “Teaming up with QTech represents a fantastic opportunity to strengthen our product distribution across emerging territories and deliver our great games to a range of top-tier partners. This deal immediately improves our reach across emerging territories, and we can’t wait to watch how our titles capture the imaginations of a swathe of new players across emerging markets.”

Philip Doftvik, QTech Games’ CEO, said: “Orbital Gaming instantly took our eye, thanks to their flair for crafting simplicity out of complexity, alongside elevating top-class game design. These are values we share. We look forward to seeing how these games perform across a spread of new markets for Orbital – showcasing their fresh, engaging content to a growing network of players, and generating more revenues for our partners.”

The post QTech Games goes Orbital with rising star studio appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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Blask Awards 2025: Betano, Bet365, Betway and others lead global iGaming

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The global results of the Blask Awards 2025 mark a decisive shift in how leadership is defined in the iGaming industry. Instead of juries, submissions or sponsorship packages, the awards rely entirely on data, measuring real demand, competitive strength and scalable performance across regulated markets worldwide.

At the center of this year’s global rankings stands Betano, which emerged as the most consistently dominant licensed operator across multiple continents. But the broader picture is more complex: a market where leadership fragments by region, speed of growth matters as much as scale, and games increasingly outperform brands in cross-border reach.

“Data is the jury,” said Max Tesla, co-founder and CEO of Blask. “In Blask Awards, brands don’t compete with those who submitted a form, they compete with the entire market”

Global operator rankings

Across worldwide categories, Betano claimed a commanding share of top honors:

  • Leader of the Blask Year, awarded to the operator with the highest total number of Blask Awards in 2025
  • Top CEB Performer, recognizing the strongest aggregate revenue baseline across regulated markets
  • Blask Index Leader, reflecting the highest cumulative demand across licensed geographies
  • Demand Surge of the Year, for the single largest 30-day demand increase recorded globally

Other global distinctions highlight how varied leadership has become:

  • Fastest-Growing Brand: MrQ, posting the strongest year-over-year growth in demand
  • Baseline Breakout: LakiWin, delivering the fastest increase in revenue baseline
  • Top #1 Footprint: betPawa, holding the largest number of #1 market positions globally
  • The Monopolist: Singapore Pools, achieving the single highest market power concentration in a regulated market

Together, the results show that global leadership is no longer defined by size alone. Momentum, efficiency and consistency increasingly matter as much as footprint.

Games and providers: global reach beats local borders

If operator leadership fragments by geography, games tell a different story.

In provider and game categories, Pragmatic Play dominated the global rankings, driven by the extraordinary reach of Gates of Olympus 1000, which won: Operator Footprint Champion, Lobby Legend, Slot of the Year

Pragmatic Play also secured Largest Catalog Provider and Full-Shelf Takeover, reflecting unmatched breadth and distribution.

Other game-level winners highlight emerging dynamics:

  • Game Demand Leader: Chicken Road by InOut Games
  • Breakout Game of the Year: Roulette European by 7777 gaming
    Crash Game of the Year:
    Aviator by Spribe

Unlike operators, games increasingly scale globally, with player preferences converging across continents.

A different kind of award — and a long-term play

Blask Awards operate without applications, fees, sponsorships or jury voting. Winners are identified algorithmically, using Blask’s proprietary metrics — including Blask Index, BAP and CEB — across regulated markets only.

“This isn’t about trophies,” Tesla said. “It’s about creating a shared, verifiable language for the industry: one where anyone can open the data and see why a brand won. We’re not stopping here. Each year, the coverage gets wider, the benchmarks sharper, and the comparison fairer.”

The post Blask Awards 2025: Betano, Bet365, Betway and others lead global iGaming appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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Blask Awards 2025: Betano, Caliente, BetPlay, Betsson and others define Latin America’s iGaming landscape

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Year-long data across nine regulated countries show Betano dominating Latin America by demand and revenue baseline, while strong local champions define national markets.

Drawing on a full year of data from January 1, 2025, to January 1, 2026, Blask evaluated licensed operator performance across Latin America’s regulated online betting and casino markets. The conclusion is unequivocal: Betano emerged as the dominant force across the region.

A regional leader emerges

In the LATAM-wide rankings, Betano secured both of the region’s top distinctions:

  • America Operator of the Year, awarded for the highest cumulative Blask Index across the region
  • America CEB Leader, recognizing the strongest aggregate Competitive Earning Baseline (CEB)

The regional analysis covered nine regulated markets (Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Argentina, Paraguay, Panama, El Salvador, and the Dominican Republic) and included only locally licensed operators.

Operators: leadership is local, not regional

Brazil, Latin America’s largest and most closely watched iGaming market, reinforced Betano’s regional dominance. The operator claimed both Brazil Operator of the Year and Brazil CEB Leader, reflecting its unmatched share of demand and revenue baseline in a market that increasingly sets the tone for the continent.

Mexico, the Andes, and Central America: strong national champions

Beyond Brazil, the awards reveal a region shaped by powerful local leaders.

In Mexico, Caliente captured both Mexico Operator of the Year and Mexico CEB Leader, maintaining its position as the country’s dominant licensed brand.

Peru recognized Apuesta Total as both Operator of the Year and CEB Leader, while Colombia’s tightly regulated market saw BetPlay take top honors in both categories.

Argentina presented a more divided picture: Betsson led in demand as Operator of the Year, while Bet365 topped the country’s CEB rankings.

In smaller but fast-formalizing markets, leadership was equally clear. Aposta.La dominated Paraguay, Betcha led Panama, GanaPlay topped El Salvador, and Betcris secured both awards in the Dominican Republic.

Games: one clear regional consensus

At game level, the picture is very different. Across every regulated Latin American market tracked by Blask, the same franchise led player demand:

  • BrazilGates of Olympus 1000;
  • MexicoGates of Olympus Super Scatter;
  • ArgentinaGates of Olympus 1000

All top titles were developed by Pragmatic Play.

What this tells us about Latin America

Blask Awards data points to a clear regional insight:

  • Operators win locally — success does not easily transfer across borders;
  • Games win regionally — player preferences converge strongly around specific mechanics;
  • LATAM is structurally different from Africa, where both operators and games show more cross-market overlap

Measuring power, not noise

Blask’s awards are built on proprietary metrics designed to capture market power rather than short-term performance.

The Blask Index tracks real-time demand and attention share, while CEB (Competitive Earning Baseline) estimates the statistically attainable revenue range for a brand based on its competitive position. Together, they offer a standardized way to compare operators across countries with very different market sizes and regulatory histories.

Crucially, the Blask Awards exclude unregulated markets and offshore-only brands — a methodological choice that, in Latin America, significantly reshapes traditional perceptions of leadership.

Latin America in the global picture

The Latin American results arrive alongside Blask’s global rankings, where Betano also led multiple worldwide categories.

The post Blask Awards 2025: Betano, Caliente, BetPlay, Betsson and others define Latin America’s iGaming landscape appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

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