Central Europe
Sale of WestSpiel Group initiated
• EU-wide procurement procedure started on 18th December 2020
• Prospective buyers can apply now
On 18th December 2020, a Europe-wide tender procedure for the sale of the shares in the WestSpiel Group was launched by Warth & Klein Grant Thornton AG Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft as the lead transaction advisor. As a state-licensed casino operator, WestSpiel Group currently has 900 employees and runs four casino locations in Aachen, Bad Oeynhausen, Dortmund-Hohensyburg and Duisburg, holding the exclusive casino monopoly in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. WestSpiel Group, consisting of several legal entities, will be sold in its entirety. The shares in the WestSpiel Group are currently held by NRW.BANK, the North Rhine-Westphalian federal development bank.
Call for competition launched
The government of the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia decided on 8 May 2018 to privatise the WestSpiel Group. The Act on the Licensing of Public Casinos in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (‘SpielbG NRW’), which came into force on 3rd June 2020, created an essential precondition for the privatisation. For the first time since then, casinos in North Rhine-Westphalia were permitted to be operated under private ownership. Prospective buyers from Germany and abroad can now qualify for the forthcoming bidding and negotiation phase in a call for competition. The respective tender documents can be accessed via the link quoted in the contract notice as announced in the EU Official Journal (https://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:615286-2020:TEXT:EN:HTML&src=0) or directly via the tender marketplace NRW (Vergabemarktplatz NRW: https://www.evergabe.nrw.de/VMPSatellite/notice/CXPNYH5D573/documents).
Sound and profitable performance
The WestSpiel Group generated a gross gaming revenue of around €117.2 million in the 2019 financial year attracting around 900,000 visitors in total. This represents a significant growth of almost 27% compared to the previous year (gross gaming revenue 2018: around €92.3 million).
The group’s casinos offer around 80 gaming tables and 900 slot machines in total. The casino operated by WestSpiel Group in Duisburg is currently the most successful casino in Germany in terms of number of visits and gross gaming revenue achieved. In January 2020, the F.A.Z.-Institute nominated WestSpiel Group as Germany’s most future-proof company in the casino industry.
Excellent prospects and considerable development potential
The WestSpiel Group holds the exclusive casino monopoly in North Rhine-Westphalia, the economically strongest and most populous federal state in Germany.
Compared across Europe, the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia is one of the six economically strongest economies, even ahead of Belgium, Poland and Sweden.
The group’s position in this impressive market has been secured long-term by the amended SpielbG NRW and an exclusive 15-year concession. Furthermore, the new SpielbG NRW principally allows the future owner to also establish two further casino locations in North Rhine-Westphalia with attractive catchment areas each. The presence and availability of casinos in North Rhine-Westphalia is still relatively low for the 18 million inhabitants of the federal state when compared to other federal states. The WestSpiel Group therefore offers considerable potential for further successful growth.
A decision on what form previously unregulated, and thus illegal, online casino gaming will be developed on the basis of the 2021 State Treaty on Gambling has not been made yet. Subject to the structure under state law, WestSpiel Group therefore may have the opportunity to obtain a concession for online casino gambling which, however, has not been regulated to date.
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BC.GAME
BC.GAME Wins “Best Crypto Casino” at SiGMA Central Europe Awards 2025
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Global crypto entertainment brand BC.GAME has been named “Best Crypto Casino 2025” at the SiGMA Central Europe B2C Awards, held this year in Rome. The result has been published via SiGMA’s official channels and industry media, with BC.GAME listed among the winners in the cryptocasino operator category.
As part of the SiGMA Central Europe 2025 event in early November, the B2C Awards focused on operators that have shown notable performance in online entertainment and sports betting over the past year. The “Best CryptoCasino 2025” category is specifically dedicated to platforms built around crypto assets as a core feature of their offering.
According to award-related communications and public review sources, BC.GAME’s recognition is linked to its integration of crypto payments, multi-vertical product line-up and ongoing development in Web3-oriented use cases. Several third-party reviews have highlighted BC.GAME as a representative example of a platform that supports multiple cryptocurrencies, combines casino and sports content, and designs features with on-chain users in mind.
BC.GAME noted that the award serves as a form of interim feedback on the platform’s long-term commitment to the crypto segment. The company plans to continue improving the user experience around crypto payments, cross-device product performance and content operations, while expanding sports and esports-related partnerships in markets where such activities are permitted by local regulation.
As a crypto-native operator, BC.GAME incorporates mechanisms such as provably fair verification into its product design and combines these with a native token and promotional structures to deliver an integrated casino and sports experience for crypto community users. With continued nominations and awards within the SiGMA framework and other international programmes, BC.GAME is increasingly regarded as a long-term player in the crypto entertainment vertical.
The post BC.GAME Wins “Best Crypto Casino” at SiGMA Central Europe Awards 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
ADMIRAL Pay
NOVOMATIC Italia Showcases Innovation and Responsible Growth at SiGMA 2025
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NOVOMATIC Italia played a key role at SiGMA Central Europe 2025, one of the leading international events for the gaming and digital technology industry, which was held in Rome from November 4 to 6. The Group showcased ADMIRAL Pay, the payment institution authorised by the Bank of Italy, and Quigioco, its online gaming brand, presenting an integrated and sustainable vision for the future of payments and digital entertainment.
The synergy between the Quigioco gaming platform and ADMIRAL Pay was at the heart of NOVOMATIC Italia’s presence at SiGMA Central Europe 2025 was. This integrated solution offers legal gaming operators a concrete response to the ongoing transformation of the market, particularly in terms of regulatory compliance.
The combined structure of Quigioco and ADMIRAL Pay ensures fully compliant financial flow management by providing operators with technologically advanced tools that are aligned with the latest Italian legislative requirements. This infrastructure represents an integrated payment system and a complete digital ecosystem that is designed to support operators in an increasingly regulated and competitive market. The model is complemented by B2C solutions, including APay E-Wallet and APay Card, which interface seamlessly with the B2B architecture to expand additional growth opportunities.
Driving the market with technology and security
The collaboration between ADMIRAL Pay and Quigioco marks a key milestone for the Italian market: by adopting integrated digital payment systems, online gaming platforms can now deliver increasingly personalized and secure experiences to their users.
ADMIRAL Pay technology enables rapid conversion between cash and digital currency, ensuring instant and secure transactions that meet the highest international standards. For PVRs (Punti Vendita Ricarica: venues authorised to sell recharges for online gaming) and operators, this means access to an advanced payment tool that simplifies operations and guarantees efficiency, even during peak periods.
Meeting new regulatory and market demands
The digital payments and gaming sector in Italy is now subject to increasingly stringent regulatory standards that are designed to ensure maximum security, traceability and transparency. The integration of Quigioco and ADMIRAL Pay fully meets these requirements, offering a unique solution that strengthens compliance while enhancing the customer experience. By managing financial flows in a compliant manner, operators can reduce risks and provide players with immediate and secure access to their funds. This model translates into trust and long-term loyalty, creating value across the entire supply chain.
Responsibility and leadership: the pillars of the future
SiGMA Central Europe 2025 was also an opportunity to highlight NOVOMATIC’s commitment to promoting responsible gaming and continuous product innovation. The target is to maintain industry leadership by investing in technologies that not only enhance the user experience but also ensure maximum player protection and operator transparency.
“Our goal is to extend the success and expertise that have always defined NOVOMATIC Italia in the land-based sector into the digital world. We want to offer operators and players an integrated ecosystem that combines technology, security, and innovation, reaffirming our Group’s leadership in online gaming,” said Markus Buechele, CEO of NOVOMATIC Italia.
This strategic vision was recognized when NOVOMATIC Italia received the “B2B Industry Leader Italy 2025” award at the SiGMA B2B Awards, in honour of the company’s excellence and ongoing commitment to an innovative, responsible and sustainable approach to development. The Group is not only addressing evolving market and regulatory challenges but also paving the way for a future in which innovation and sustainability move forward together.
Through ADMIRAL Pay, Quigioco and the major innovations showcased at SiGMA, NOVOMATIC Italia demonstrates how the convergence of digital payments and online gaming can drive growth, security, and long-term sustainability across the industry. By being built on innovation, responsibility and strategic vision, this model is positioning the company at the forefront of a tech-driven and sustainable future.
The post NOVOMATIC Italia Showcases Innovation and Responsible Growth at SiGMA 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Best Platform Provider
SoftGamings Wins “Best Platform Provider” Award at SiGMA Central Europe 2025 in Rome
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SoftGamings has been awarded the Best Platform Provider at the SiGMA Central Europe 2025 ceremony held in Rome. The award recognizes the company’s outstanding achievements in platform development, technical excellence, and continuous contribution to the growth of the global iGaming industry.
The recognition highlights SoftGamings’ commitment to delivering robust, scalable, and feature-rich platform solutions that empower operators to build successful online casino and sportsbook businesses. Through its unified API, the company offers seamless access to more than 300 licensed game providers, 150+ payment systems, and complete licensing and compliance support across multiple jurisdictions.
The SiGMA Awards are among the most respected distinctions in the gaming industry, celebrating innovation and quality among the leading companies worldwide.
Winning in the Platform Provider category underlines SoftGamings’ role as a trusted technology partner for operators looking to launch and scale their projects efficiently.
SoftGamings continues to set industry standards with its forward-looking approach, reliable infrastructure, and dedication to supporting clients through every stage of their iGaming journey.
The post SoftGamings Wins “Best Platform Provider” Award at SiGMA Central Europe 2025 in Rome appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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