Eastern Europe
Parimatch partners with UESF for the Ukrainian Esports Championship of CS: GO and Dota 2
The Ukrainian Esports Federation is thrilled to announce the largest newest CS: GO and Dota 2 esports championship—the UESF Parimatch Championship of Ukraine with a total competition prize pool worth UAH 1,500,000.
UAH 1,000,000 will go to competition winners as will another UAH 250,000 but in the shape of game devices from the tournament partners, and the remaining UAH 250,000—also made up of game devices, monitors, and game PCs—will constitute the prize draw for tournament spectators and UESF subscribers on social networks.
The online part of the competition from UESF, Parimatch, and Eldorado will take place from July 17 to October 3, 2021, and the Grand Final of the Championship of Ukraine will take place in Kyiv’s WePlay Esports Arena in mid-October 2021 (exact date to be announced later).
Competition matches will be broadcast on TV with the support of the Megogo media service.
Format of the Championship of Ukraine in stages
In the first qualifying round, the matches will be held in a Best of One (BO1) Round-Robin format. The total number of registered competing teams will be divided into 16 groups.
In the second qualifying round, matches will again be played according to the BO1 Round-Robin system. Based on the results of the groups in the first qualifying stage, the TOP-4 teams will be invited to 4 groups (A, B, C, D); 16 teams will be competing in each group.
The main stage is the last qualifying stage before the playoffs of the Championship of Ukraine. It will be held according to the BO2 Round-Robin match format. The main stage consists of two leagues: League A and League B. The teams that took the first 6 places groups A and B are invited to compete in League A, while the top 6 teams from groups C and D receive invitations to League B.
In addition, the Organizing Committee of the Ukrainian Esports Federation invites another 4 teams to compete in this stage— two teams in League A and two in League B.
Hatemania, EC Dnipro, Purple Pills, and BlackSea have been invited to the semifinal stage of the CS: GO Championship of Ukraine.
The semifinals consist of playoffs in Leagues A and B and are held according to the single-elimination system with the BO2 match format—8 teams in each playoff. The teams that take the first 6 places in League A and B compete in this stage. In addition, the Ukrainian Esports Federation also invites 4 teams to perform at this stage—2 each from League A and League B.
Akuma, Esports Club Kyiv, Marlian Esports, and TBA have been invited to participate in the semifinals of the CS: GO Championship of Ukraine. And Burning Fire, BackStreetBoys, Cascade Esports, and PayForWin will take part in the semifinals of the Dota 2 tournament.
The 8 teams competing in the final, Super Playoffs, stage will be the TOP-4 teams from the playoffs of both League A and League B. The matches will be held according to the double-elimination system with the BO3 match format.
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Blask Awards
Endorphina’s Hell Hot 100 Crowned “Ukraine Game of the Year” at the Blask Awards
It’s getting hot in here! Hell Hot! Yes, Endorphina has only gone and won “Ukraine Game of the Year” in the prestigious Blask Awards with our fun and fiery Hell Hot 100!
Spicy, spirited fruit, flame-play, Hell Hot 100, which ignites the devil in all, demonstrates that we persist in achieving our objectives in expanding marketing frontiers, with increasingly inventive high-quality gaming experiences, and establishing new benchmarks in an iGaming sector that never rests.
This illustrates that the mechanics behind securing this award highlight Endorphina’s growing power in the market, particularly in terms of game promotion. To achieve victory, we needed to raise this game to be the leading contender by showtime, featuring the greatest number of operators in Ukraine.
In other words, the choice depended on market presence and the extent to which the game is accessible on operator websites in the nation.
This affirmation from Max Tesla, CEO and co-founder Blask, says: “Congratulations to Endorphina’s “Hell Hot 100” on winning Ukraine Game of the Year. This award isn’t about hype or a single campaign. It’s awarded to the game that achieved the widest real-market footprint, being featured by the highest number of operators in Ukraine as of 1 January 2026.”
“Reaching that level of distribution means your title proved itself where it matters most: in operator lobbies, day after day, at scale.”
By achieving yet another significant milestone, Endorphina strengthens its status as a top award-winning game developer in iGaming engineering, recognized for its innovative creations and profound insight into player preferences. Awards aren’t merely for appearance; they demonstrate our commitment to fulfilling our promises and recognize the daily dedication and talent of our team, along with the trust from partners and operators globally, in continually elevating standards across all our activities.
Instances like this demonstrate significant admiration from the industry, motivating us to strive further, envision more, and produce titles that not only engage but also ignite the audience’s cheers.
What comes next in Endorphina’s continuously expanding pipeline? Just keep watching and find out! Maintain your volume at the highest setting as we aim for even greater achievements to conquer in the upcoming days!
The post Endorphina’s Hell Hot 100 Crowned “Ukraine Game of the Year” at the Blask Awards appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Compliance Updates
Romanian National Gambling Authority Pushes for Urgent Overhaul of Self-exclusion Rules
The Romanian National Gambling Authority (ONJN) has formally urged the Ministry of Finance to introduce emergency measures aimed at strengthening the country’s self-exclusion system. ONJN President Vlad-Cristian Soare said the regulator has submitted a draft emergency ordinance (OUG) designed to close loopholes in existing legislation and bolster player protection.
The ONJN launched Romania’s gambling self-exclusion platform in 2020 under legislation GD no. 111/2016, Art. 130. However, there have been discussions for some time over the shortcomings of the programme, and industry groups such as the EGBA have been vocal in proposing improvements.
Last year, the ONJN ordered gambling operators to apply a “single account principle” for self-exclusion, meaning that self-exclusion requests automatically apply across all platforms. That clarification closed a loophole that allowed players who had self-excluded with one operator to switch to another and continue to gamble, but issues remain.
Soare assumed leadership of ONJN in May 2025 following the resignation of his predecessor after a damning audit report. He said: “I promised self-exclusion would not remain a project that only exists on paper like how I found it when I took office. It will be implemented in three stages: operation under the current framework (already achieved), legislative amendments to fix dysfunctions, and the rollout of a modern IT solution (now underway).”
In a post on LinkedIn post, Soare said the priority measures would include:
• A centralised and simplified self-exclusion network covering both online and land-based gambling providers.
• Defined exclusion periods: Players would be able to select from fixed durations, including indefinite bans from gambling, with mandatory cooling-off periods to prevent premature withdrawal from the programme.
• Deposit recovery: Operators would be required to refund deposits if self-excluded players were mistakenly allowed to gamble.
• Stricter penalties: Breaches of self-exclusion rules could trigger fines ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 lei (€9800–€19,600). Repeated or severe violations could lead to licence suspensions.
• Improved visibility: Clearer terminology, mandatory self-exclusion information on gambling websites and QR codes in gambling halls linking to national resources would make the system more accessible.
Soare also signalled plans to involve Romanian police in enforcement and collaborate with the National Institute for Research and Development in Informatics. The goal is to build a modern, cost-efficient IT infrastructure capable of supporting a fully integrated self-exclusion regime.
The post Romanian National Gambling Authority Pushes for Urgent Overhaul of Self-exclusion Rules appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Eastern Europe
GameTimeTec Set to Access Emerging Markets Through QTech Games
QTech Games, the leading game aggregator for all emerging markets, has continued to maintain the momentum in its content pipeline, thanks to its latest deal with rising star supplier, GameTimeTec, a casino developer consistently producing dynamic content across slots, arcade, crash, dice, and card genres.
GameTimeTec’s ShowTime portfolio of slots and arcade-style games always brings something fresh, with popular titles now including Lucky Clover (Hold and Spin), Glory of Olympus (Unlocked), Air Gold (Miles Jackpot), Vikings Thunder, Chimon, SpinTop, Fortune Avengers, Sugar Love, and Celtic Bash. All these games ride on the back of exceptional maths modelling that varies the volatility spectrum, helping to foster some truly engaging gameplay.
The deal organically broadens GameTimeTec’s international footprint, unlocking unmined jurisdictions for diversified growth from Asia to Africa and Eastern Europe to Latin America.
CJ Shaw, CEO at GameTimeTec, commented: “We’re naturally thrilled to have teamed up with QTech Games to improve our distribution across emerging regions, seamlessly offering our fantastic games to a range of untapped operators.”
“It’s all about delivering more high-performing games, appealing to a broader range of players across the igaming spectrum – notably, slots, arcade, crash, dice, and card games. We strive to deliver balanced gameplay mechanics, varied volatility and sophisticated maths models, giving our games global appeal.”
Philip Doftvik, CEO, QTech Games, said: “GameTimeTec’s content brings a level of energy and engagement that we’re delighted to share across our sprawling network for emerging markets. Like us, they know that localised solutions comprise the key to success across this patchwork quilt of opportunities.”
The post GameTimeTec Set to Access Emerging Markets Through QTech Games appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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