Industry News
OPAP strengthens its position in online sports-betting in Greece through the acquisition of Stoiximan Group’s Greek and Cypriot business
OPAP S.A., (“OPAP”), SAZKA Group’s Greek and Cypriot subsidiary, has today announced (i) the receipt of regulatory approvals for its previously announced acquisition of 51% of Stoiximan Group’s Greek and Cypriot business (“SMGC”) and (ii) the acquisition (subject to regulatory approvals) of a further stake in SMGC as a result of which OPAP will have a total shareholding of 85% in and sole control of SMGC.
OPAP’s announcement and presentation can be found here.
Robert Chvatal, SAZKA Group CEO, commented: “Today’s announcement marks an important step forward for SAZKA Group and for OPAP, as OPAP gains a leading market position in yet another gaming vertical. OPAP, with SAZKA Group’s support, has achieved a milestone that will significantly strengthen its position in the online sports-betting market. In recent weeks, we have been working in anything but a standard business environment. And yet under these extraordinary circumstances our joint teams brought this transaction to fruition. Here my thanks must go specifically to the management team led by Mr. George Daskalakis”.
In 2019, Stoiximan Group (under the parent company TCB) generated revenues (GGR) of €245 million and EBITDA of €38 million. SMGC generated revenues (GGR) of €197 million, corresponding to 80% of Stoiximan Group’s total revenues, and EBITDA of 44 million.
OPAP:
OPAP is the leading gaming company in Greece. The company, founded in 1958 as the country’s national lottery operator and listed on the Athens Exchange in 2001, is the exclusive licensed operator of numerical lotteries (7 games), sports betting (4 games), Video Lottery Terminals (VLTs) and horse racing in Greece. It also operates exclusively, as a controlling shareholder (83.5%) through a joint venture, the passive lotteries and instant (scratch) games in Greece. OPAP is one of the largest charitable donors in Greece, operating under World Lottery Association (WLA) and responsible gaming standards.
About SAZKA Group:
SAZKA Group is one of the largest pan-European lottery operators. Its businesses run lotteries in all the major continental European countries where lotteries are privately operated, including the Czech Republic, Greece, Austria, Italy, and Cyprus. Its businesses focus on the lottery segment, including numerical lotteries (draw-based games) and instant lotteries (scratch cards), while also providing complementary products in sports-betting and digital-only games. They sell their products both through extensive retail networks and digital platforms. All its lottery operators are members of the World Lottery Association and the European Lottery Association and operate in accordance with their codes of practice.
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BetBlocker
New Turkish-language tool from BetBlocker extends service to 90 million additional people
Gambling harm prevention charity BetBlocker today reveals the extension of their award-winning assistance into Turkish.
In 2025, BetBlocker saw a tremendous increase in support, with more than three hundred thousand individual users initiating a block throughout the year. This significant level of engagement has been made possible by the diverse array of languages into which the charity has translated its assistance.
Yesilay, the main Turkish support service, reports that requests for help with gambling are now surpassing those for alcohol, drugs, or tobacco, alongside significant uptake and harm among youth, making the launch of Turkish language support timely and relevant.
Founder and Trustee for BetBlocker, Duncan Garvie, offered these comments: “BetBlocker is genuinely excited to roll out our second language expansion of 2026.
We’ve experienced phenomenal uptake of the service over the last 12 months and figures hare steadily rising. One of the biggest drivers of that growth has been improving the accessibility of our support by meeting users where they are and offering support in the language that they’re most comfortable accessing in.
Alongside Turkey itself, there are substantial Turkish speaking communities across Europe, the Middle East and North America. It is our hope that this evolution of BetBlocker will ensure that a deeper level of support is available more widely across the Turkish diaspora.
BetBlocker would like to offer our deepest thanks to Fatmatuz Zehra Pehlivan, a Clinical Psychologist and researcher, who volunteers Green Cresent in the field of addiction treatment. Fatmatuz volunteered her time to help translate our app, and every Turkish language user we support owe her their thanks for the donation of her time and expertise.
As with many of the communities BetBlocker now supports, we would not be able to reach so many people without the kindness and generosity of field experts like Fatmatuz.”
The post New Turkish-language tool from BetBlocker extends service to 90 million additional people appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Anastasia Rimskaya Chief Account Officer at Aviatrix
Aviatrix Launches New Loot Boxes to Deepen Progression and Reward Paths
Aviatrix has launched a new Loot Box feature for its premier crash game, presenting collectible rewards, free bets, and progression bonuses aimed at boosting long-term player engagement.
Loot Boxes are granted through a daily rewards mechanism, with players obtaining them according to their in-game actions and advancement. Every box holds a variety of rewards, such as aircraft skins, complimentary bets, and aviation experience points.
The feature enhances Aviatrix’s developing loyalty system, providing players with fresh options to personalize their aircraft and earn rewards through continuous engagement.
Anastasia Rimskaya, Chief Account Officer at Aviatrix, said: “Loot Boxes are part of our wider vision for Aviatrix as a connected multi-game universe. As we expand our iGaming Metaverse, features like Loot Boxes add another meaningful layer to how players build their profile, customise their aircraft and earn rewards across the ecosystem.”
Unveiled in February, the Aviatrix iGaming Metaverse signifies the supplier’s shift from a standalone crash game to an integrated multi-title ecosystem.
Starting with the imminent debut of Aviatrix Second Chance and continuing with upcoming titles like Aviatrix Fruits and Aviatrix Mines, every game will utilize a single integrated player profile, progression system, and rewards and achievements framework.
The post Aviatrix Launches New Loot Boxes to Deepen Progression and Reward Paths appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Alec Gehlot Chief Executive Officer at PlaySignal
PlaySignal Debuts: Alec Gehlot’s New Sophisticated Responsible Gaming Platform
Alec Gehlot, previous senior executive at Optimove, has introduced PlaySignal, a responsible gaming platform aimed at assisting operators in identifying and addressing player risk promptly.
PlaySignal employs a traffic-light system featuring green, amber, and red signals to steer player conduct and indicate when behaviors start to enter higher-risk areas. The platform seeks to minimize avoidable exclusions by offering operators enhanced visibility of rising risks, while simultaneously giving players more understanding of how their actions are evaluated.
Leveraging behavioural analytics, PlaySignal tracks player actions during gameplay and displays information as distinct signals. This allows teams to act earlier and react more appropriately as risk evolves.
The product connects with current operator systems to assist responsible gaming, CRM, and compliance teams by providing a unified view of activities, encouraging a more uniform strategy among teams as regulatory demands grow in important markets.
Building on his time at Optimove, where he collaborated with operators on segmentation, retention, and user engagement, Gehlot recognized a demand for innovative tools to enhance player protection as regulatory and tax pressures mount in regulated markets.
The company launched PlaySignal at ICE earlier this year, where it was a contender in the Innovators Challenge, and initiated talks with operators in various markets. The initial launch will concentrate on the UK prior to global expansion.
Alec Gehlot, Chief Executive Officer at PlaySignal, said: “Regulation and taxation are only moving in one direction, and operators need new tools to adapt. Player protection can no longer be treated as a compliance obligation; it has to become a competitive differentiator.
“Regulated operators are under real pressure, particularly in the UK, and we believe giving them earlier visibility of risk is essential not just for protection, but for long-term sustainability.”
The post PlaySignal Debuts: Alec Gehlot’s New Sophisticated Responsible Gaming Platform appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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