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Behind the Success of the Growing European Online Gambling Market

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Due to all types of restrictions on social gathering and physical attendance in many brick-and-mortar businesses, the global online gaming and gambling markets have ballooned in 2020. As gambling becomes more and more of an online activity, markets such as the European Union are projected to grow at about 10% per year, and increase to nearly US$35.5 billion by 2022, up nearly 32% from its 2018 numbers. Globally, the online gambling market is projected to reach US$160 billion by 2026. The European market is seen as far more regulated than any other, with the Western side catching up to the Eastern market revenue-wise. But for a diverse group of developers and their platforms, there are companies already licensed to operate in the EU that are reaping the rewards of their market position on the continent, including Bragg Gaming Group, Glue Mobile, Activision Blizzard, Century Casino Inc., and Enthusiast Gaming.

Through its subsidiary ORYX Gaming, Bragg Gaming Group recently announced its entry into the lucrative Swiss market, after signing a content deal with leading operator mycasino.ch by Grand Casino Luzern.

It’s worth noting that as recently as 2019, online gaming was illegal in Switzerland, and all access to unlicensed sites and apps were to be blocked. But a new gambling law from July 2019 enabled land-based casinos to launch online operations.

Since then, the Swiss regulated online market quickly gained traction. The latest official figures from the country’s regulator showed that online gaming licensees generated CHF23.5M (more than US$26 million) in just the first partial year of being live.

It’s notable that ORYX/Bragg’s partner Grand Casino Luzern‘s brand mycasino.ch generated CHF8.9M (nearly US$10 million) in revenues in 2019—accounting for nearly 38% of the total Swiss online gaming market.

“We have had a strong start to our online operations and are constantly looking for fresh and exciting content to enhance the experience for our growing customer base. We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to collaborate with ORYX moving forward,” said Wolfgang Bliem, CEO of Grand Casino Luzern. “Our main objective is to provide our Swiss players with pure entertainment at the highest level, and we believe ORYX’s portfolio of games can help us achieve just that. We are pleased to be the first operator in the country to offer the games through ORYX and are confident that the games will be huge hits with our players.”

Through ORYX GAMING, Bragg is licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), as well as the Romanian National Gambling Office (ONJN) and is compliant, certified, or approved in 18 other major jurisdictions.

“The Swiss online market is one that we have had an eye on since the new legislation entered into force in 2019 and we are thrilled to finally make our debut,” said Matevz Mazij, Managing Director of ORYX Gaming. “Grand Casino Luzern makes a perfect partner for us as one of the most established operators in the market with a strong online brand and we look forward to working together to build our presence in the country.”

Prior to the Swiss announcement, Bragg Gaming Group announced an exceptional revenue growth of 72% in Q3 2020. Bragg continued to focus on expanding its global footprint, onboarding 14 new customers in the quarter alone. Beyond Switzerland, they’re also in advanced discussions with new customers across multiple other licensed jurisdictions in Europe and Latin America.

Built upon its portfolio of assets that includes the ORYX Gaming subsidiary, Bragg Gaming Group is positioned as an innovative B2B online gaming facilitator, providing turnkey solutions including an omni-channel retail, online, and mobile iGaming platform to clients such as Grand Casino Luzern. Bragg’s games are played and enjoyed in countries around the world, and the company is set to sponsor this year’s prestigious World Gaming Executive Summit (WGES)—one of Europe’s most exclusive iGaming conferences.

At another virtual conference held on Dec 9, Glu Mobile (NASDAQ:GLUU) will be sending its CEO and COO to participate in one-on-one meetings and a fireside chat at the UBS Global TMT Virtual Conference.

Unlike online casino games, Glu Mobile’s primary assets are “freemium” mobile games—games that are free to download, but incentivize players to spend more money for downloadable content and upgrades. The business model has proven quite successful, as shares of Glu Mobile have risen 43.88% over the past quarter, and are up 76.88% in the last year. The company’s revenue reached a record high US$158.50 million, beating the estimate of US$136.30 million, resulting in a year-over-year growth of 48%.

Much like Glu, Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ:ATVI) saw its revenues grow in 2020, by an expected rate of 28%. This year’s lockdowns and increased time at home has given Activision Blizzard its biggest base of engaged players to date. The company expects that its next major Call of Duty release will only add more to the bottom line—and push sales in Q4 to $2 billion, and net bookings of $2.7 billion.

“There are few entertainment franchises that generate over $1 billion in annual net bookings,” said Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard. “And today, we operate three of them: Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and Candy Crush. And each has clear opportunity for sustained growth.”

The lack of physical traffic in Europe appears to be hurting groups such as Century Casino Inc. (NASDAQ:CNTY), which cited its casinos in Poland having a softer Q3 2020. While casinos in smaller cities around the country (drawing more local patrons) are doing well, their two larger casinos in the Polish capital of Warsaw are being softened because of the lack of tourists and business travelers. However, the global casino entertainment company has already begun to move on internet sports betting, such as in October partnering with Tipico for gaming in Colorado. Tipico originally started in Europe in 2004, and is the leading sports betting provider in Germany.

The popularity of online gaming and esports continues to be aided by the work of the world’s largest social network of communities for gamers and esports fans, Enthusiast Gaming (TSX:EGLX). With a reach of over 300 million gaming enthusiasts on a monthly basis, and hosts of the largest mobile gaming event in Europe, Pocket Gamer Connects, Enthusiast Gaming has seen strong growth in 2020—including 36% growth of total advertising revenue, including programmatic advertising revenue growth of 28%.

Because of the nature of their business, Enthusiast’s events have not been as harmed as the more brick-and-mortar centered groups, such as Century Casino. Its latest EGLX 2020 online gaming festival was watched by over 12 million fans, while streaming a total of 53 hours of content over four days from November 10-13.

As the European online gaming and gambling markets continue to grow, companies like Bragg Gaming Group look to be in a good position to take advantage of the gains.

SOURCE Microsmallcap.com

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Law enforcement officers from Kazakhstan eliminated the organized financial criminal group organized by Vadim Gordievsky, Larisa Ivchenko, and Alyona Suvorova from Ukraine

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The law enforcement agencies of Kazakhstan have effectively eliminated the organized criminal group created by Vadim Gordievsky from Ukraine and his accomplices, Larisa Ivchenko and Alyona Suvorova. Even though the law enforcement agencies managed to block accounts and payments of the Marginplus Company, key employees and management are still hiding.

According to the media, just a few days ago, the Financial Monitoring Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan revealed a large-scale shady scheme of cross-border transfers that involved numerous payment organizations and providers. The funds were disguised as legal transactions and withdrawn to the accounts of online casinos. The total volume of illegal transactions exceeded more than $1 billion.

According to law enforcement authorities in the Republic of Kazakhstan, the key organizer of the miscoding scheme, which involved bookmakers, online casinos, payment organizations, and bank employees, is Vadim Ivanovich Gordievsky from Ukraine, who was born in 1974. He was the leader of the organized criminal group and used the local Marginplus Company for these purposes (official website: marginplus.kz). In addition to companies from Kazakhstan, Gordievsky also worked with illegal Russian online casinos while helping them to facilitate illegal payments.

According to new information from law enforcement agencies in the Republic of Kazakhstan, banks and bookmakers, including the local PIN-UP bookmaker, have already terminated all cooperation with Gordievsky’s Marginplus company.

According to informburo.kz, the local licensed Pin-Up.Kz bookmaker (legal entity: Bonami LLP) declares that it has nothing to do with transactions carried out by individual payment organizations. Judicial and criminal proceedings have already been initiated against these structures, and the company itself is fully cooperating with law enforcement agencies to establish all the circumstances and identify fraudulent, shady schemes.

According to unofficial information, the Pin-Up management provided the law enforcement agencies of the Republic of Kazakhstan with all the data related to the Marginplus company belonging to Vadim Gordievsky.

As of today, all financial activities of Marginplus have been paralyzed. In addition, large amounts of money have been blocked in its bank accounts. This money should have been paid to partners, contractors, and providers, including the local Parimatch betting company. Ordinary employees of Vadim Gordievsky’s company are already looking for new work while its management, including Larisa Vladimirovna Ivchenko (listed as the head of Gordievsky’s FC Alta Capital from Ukraine), is still hiding. Alyona (Elena) Suvorova has already closed and renamed her social media profiles a few days ago. In addition, she does not respond to messages and is trying to evade responsibility.

We would like to remind the audience that Alyona Suvorova positions herself “as an entrepreneur, investor, and a crypto trader with 5+ years of experience.” According to Suvorova herself, she has been developing payment technologies in the field of FinTech for 10 years. In 2021, she opened her own business for international crypto transfers. In addition, she is the founder of the Lemoncoin Crypto Academy.

According to investigators, Gordievsky’s partner, Mikhail Kovalev (Mykhaylo Kovalov), who is a citizen of both Ukraine and Israel, as well as an owner of a number of companies in the EU, in particular, in Poland, and who has a residence permit in Spain, was closely working with Gordievsky. By using the STABLEX SOLUTION Sp. z o. o fictitious company (official website: solvexs.pl) in Poland, he was engaged in illegal payments and withdrawal of cryptocurrencies into fiat money.

At the same time, as the source notes, the mentioned management and the people involved in the money laundering of Marginplus Company will be added to the wanted list of Interpol in the nearest future. The National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan has also announced that it’s going to closely monitor this case. According to local laws, participants of this shady scheme face up to nine years in prison. Information on Vadim Gordievsky’s companies and connections in other countries is also being checked.

After the initiation of criminal cases for financial crimes, fraud, and the announcement of his wanted list by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Vadim Gordievsky left Ukraine on forged documents. Before diving into the world of financial fraud, he was involved in land and property issues in the Kyiv region. As of today, numerous criminal cases have been initiated.

The post Law enforcement officers from Kazakhstan eliminated the organized financial criminal group organized by Vadim Gordievsky, Larisa Ivchenko, and Alyona Suvorova from Ukraine appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry Newsroom.

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The Top South African No-Deposit for 2025

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As online gambling continues to grow rapidly in South Africa, players are increasingly seeking reliable, transparent and trustworthy information to guide their choices. With new casinos launching and bonus offerings constantly changing, having a solid, expert-backed source is more important than ever. These are the top no-deposit online casinos for South African players in 2025, carefully selected for their reputation, player safety, and quality of offer.

Top No-Deposit Casinos in South Africa for 2025

Here are the no-deposit casinos that stand out this year, and what makes each of them good:

Casino What Makes Them Good
Springbok Casino Well-known brand with a strong track record in customer service and fast payouts. Its no-deposit bonus is attractive, and the game selection is broad, especially in slots and live dealer games.
Yebo Casino Exceptional localised experience — supports ZAR transactions, offers bonuses tailored to South African players, and provides strong mobile compatibility.
ZARbet Regulated and licensed, with solid game variety, clear terms and conditions, and no-deposit offers that are easy to claim.
10bet International pedigree, reliable software providers, frequent promotions, and a reputation for fairness and security.
Punt Casino Unique bonus structure, good welcome no-deposit offer, and a clean, user-friendly website interface.
Hollywoodbets Very popular in SA, known for its excellent sports betting offering and casino routines. No-deposit bonuses are backed by high trust and local support.
Silver Sands Casino Offers generous free spins or no-deposit bonuses, with attractive slot titles and smooth customer support.
Thunderbolt Casino Strong in game diversity and theme variety; no-deposit offers are well-promoted and integrate well with regular bonuses.
Lucky Fish Casino Light, fast-loading site with a good range of games; no-deposit promotions that don’t hide conditions, making them transparent.
Pantherbet Royal feel, premium software titles, reliable payment methods and a no-deposit bonus that works for real players (not just marketing).

 How We Vet These Casinos

At SouthAfricanCasinos.co.za, we use strict criteria to determine which casinos make the list. Our vetting process includes:

  • Licensing & Regulation: We only include casinos that are properly licensed and regulated by recognised authorities.
  • Safety & Security: Encryption, data protection, and fair gaming audits are essential.
  • Fairness of Terms & Conditions: No-deposit offers are checked for reasonable wagering requirements, transparent withdrawal rules, and clear bonus expiry.
  • Payment Methods & Localisation: Support for ZAR, local banks, and trustworthy deposit/withdrawal methods.
  • Game Variety & Software Providers: A rich selection of games, including slots, live dealers, table games—powered by reputable software developers.
  • Customer Support: Responsive, helpful support channels available during hours convenient for SA players.
  • User Reviews & Reputation: We monitor actual player feedback and complaints to ensure the casinos maintain good standing.

How Players Can Choose a Good No-Deposit Casino

When choosing a no-deposit casino, South African players should consider:

  • Reading the fine print on wagering requirements and withdrawal rules
  • Checking for transparency–-hidden fees, bonus expiry, and valid licence info
  • Verifying payment options in ZAR and ease of cashing out
  • Looking at game selection especially games you enjoy; diversity is a sign of quality
  • Testing customer support — good support often indicates how the casino treats its players

Expert Insight

“Our goal is to take the guesswork out of choosing a no-deposit casino in South Africa,” says Damien Valler, senior analyst at SouthAfricanCasinos.co.za. “We spend hours vetting each operator so players don’t have to. If an online casino makes our list, it means it has passed strict checks on fairness, security, and overall player value. South Africans can sign up with confidence knowing we’ve done the homework for them.”

Why SouthAfricanCasinos.co.za Is the Most Trusted Source for SA Players

SouthAfricanCasinos.co.za is fully focused on the South African market. We understand local regulations, banking systems, and what players here want from a casino. Our editorial team is independent and committed to giving accurate, up-to-date information. We frequently re-review listed real money casinos to ensure bonus terms haven’t become unfavourable, licences are current, and player feedback remains good.

For any question about online casino south Africa safety, no-deposit bonuses, or how to pick the right casino in South Africa, SouthAfricanCasinos.co.za is the go-to destination.

Contact:
SouthAfricancasinos.co.za
https://www.southafricancasinos.co.za/

The post The Top South African No-Deposit for 2025 appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry Newsroom.

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Law enforcement officers from Kazakhstan eliminated the organized financial criminal group organized by Vadim Gordievsky, Larisa Ivchenko, and Alyona Suvorova from Ukraine

Published

on

The law enforcement agencies of Kazakhstan have effectively eliminated the organized criminal group created by Vadim Gordievsky from Ukraine and his accomplices, Larisa Ivchenko and Alyona Suvorova. Even though the law enforcement agencies managed to block accounts and payments of the Marginplus Company, key employees and management are still hiding.

According to the media, just a few days ago, the Financial Monitoring Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan revealed a large-scale shady scheme of cross-border transfers that involved numerous payment organizations and providers. The funds were disguised as legal transactions and withdrawn to the accounts of online casinos. The total volume of illegal transactions exceeded more than $1 billion.

According to law enforcement authorities in the Republic of Kazakhstan, the key organizer of the miscoding scheme, which involved bookmakers, online casinos, payment organizations, and bank employees, is Vadim Ivanovich Gordievsky from Ukraine, who was born in 1974. He was the leader of the organized criminal group and used the local Marginplus Company for these purposes (official website: marginplus.kz). In addition to companies from Kazakhstan, Gordievsky also worked with illegal Russian online casinos while helping them to facilitate illegal payments.

According to new information from law enforcement agencies in the Republic of Kazakhstan, banks and bookmakers, including the local PIN-UP bookmaker, have already terminated all cooperation with Gordievsky’s Marginplus company.

According to informburo.kz, the local licensed Pin-Up.Kz bookmaker (legal entity: Bonami LLP) declares that it has nothing to do with transactions carried out by individual payment organizations. Judicial and criminal proceedings have already been initiated against these structures, and the company itself is fully cooperating with law enforcement agencies to establish all the circumstances and identify fraudulent, shady schemes.

According to unofficial information, the Pin-Up management provided the law enforcement agencies of the Republic of Kazakhstan with all the data related to the Marginplus company belonging to Vadim Gordievsky.

As of today, all financial activities of Marginplus have been paralyzed. In addition, large amounts of money have been blocked in its bank accounts. This money should have been paid to partners, contractors, and providers, including the local Parimatch betting company. Ordinary employees of Vadim Gordievsky’s company are already looking for new work while its management, including Larisa Vladimirovna Ivchenko (listed as the head of Gordievsky’s FC Alta Capital from Ukraine), is still hiding. Alyona (Elena) Suvorova has already closed and renamed her social media profiles a few days ago. In addition, she does not respond to messages and is trying to evade responsibility.

We would like to remind the audience that Alyona Suvorova positions herself “as an entrepreneur, investor, and a crypto trader with 5+ years of experience.” According to Suvorova herself, she has been developing payment technologies in the field of FinTech for 10 years. In 2021, she opened her own business for international crypto transfers. In addition, she is the founder of the Lemoncoin Crypto Academy.

According to investigators, Gordievsky’s partner, Mikhail Kovalev (Mykhaylo Kovalov), who is a citizen of both Ukraine and Israel, as well as an owner of a number of companies in the EU, in particular, in Poland, and who has a residence permit in Spain, was closely working with Gordievsky. By using the STABLEX SOLUTION Sp. z o. o fictitious company (official website: solvexs.pl) in Poland, he was engaged in illegal payments and withdrawal of cryptocurrencies into fiat money.

At the same time, as the source notes, the mentioned management and the people involved in the money laundering of Marginplus Company will be added to the wanted list of Interpol in the nearest future. The National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan has also announced that it’s going to closely monitor this case. According to local laws, participants of this shady scheme face up to nine years in prison. Information on Vadim Gordievsky’s companies and connections in other countries is also being checked.

After the initiation of criminal cases for financial crimes, fraud, and the announcement of his wanted list by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Vadim Gordievsky left Ukraine on forged documents. Before diving into the world of financial fraud, he was involved in land and property issues in the Kyiv region. As of today, numerous criminal cases have been initiated.

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