Asia

AESF Seals MoU with South Korea’s Game Ratings and Administration Committee (GRAC)

Published

5 years ago

August 4, 2021

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Games Ratings and Administration Committee of South Korea (GRAC) which will further bolster the preparations for esports at the AESF Game Title Selection Pool Program for future Esports events.

This MoU which comes into effect on 29th of July 2021 will remain valid for the next three years.

Known by many to be the birthplace of esports, the Korean esports scene is highly regarded to be at the forefront of the industry and the official organization tied to the Korean government and affiliated with the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) is responsible for providing approval of games for local use while playing a significant role in shaping the gaming industry and esports culture in Korea.

In 2017, GRAC signed an agreement with the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC), making it the newest and only rating authority in Asia to participate in the global rating system for digital games and mobile apps.

This puts GRAC on-par with the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) in North America, PEGI in Europe, ClassInd in Brazil, USK in Germany and the Classification Board in Australia in utilising the streamlined IARC system to ensure that today’s digital consumers have consistent access to established and trusted age ratings across game devices.

Along with the GRAC, early this year the AESF has formed an internal Task Force to oversee game selection called the ‘Game Title Selection Pool Program.’ Composed of industry experts and professionals, the Task Force is formed to ensure fairness, accessibility, legitimacy of contents and transparency in selection of esports titles played at all AESF-sanctioned tournaments in the future.

By working closely with industry experts and relevant stakeholders, this Task Force aims to uphold the integrity and maintain the high professional standards of esports.

Through this agreement, the GRAC, represented by Chairperson, Mr. Lee Jae Hong, will share its knowledge and expertise and act primarily as reference for the matters pertaining to game contents evaluation of all applied titles for the ‘AESF Game Title Selection Pool Program’ in the future. The evaluation process will be mainly related to the suitability of content for esports in accordance with established criteria for game contents assessment.

With the aim of creating a transparent and fair outcome, the games selection process for future AESF and Olympic competitions will also adhere to the highest standards introduced and implemented by the AESF and Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).

Commenting on the momentous occasion, GRAC Chairperson, Mr Lee Jae Hong said “We are very excited to be part of this initiative which plays a huge role in ensuring the integrity of esports at future competitions. Alongside our counterparts at the AESF, I look forward to a fruitful collaboration which will, in the long term, pave the road for esports in being recognized on-par with other traditional sports on the biggest sporting stage.”

“We will cooperate with AESF to create a healthy esports culture and invigorate this scene for many years to come. We will also try to enhance our national status and extend the collaboration fields in game related ecosystems by promoting the international standardization of game rating classification,” he added.

AESF Director General, Mr. Sebastian Lau echoed the sentiment, saying “This partnership with GRAC is in-line with our focus in ensuring the highest standard for all continental and regional esports tournaments under the administration of the AESF. Not only does it show transparency in the esports titles selection, but it also hopefully sets a benchmark which all future tournaments follow.”

Esports have experienced a massive growth in Asia through official participation in various regional sporting events, most notably as a demonstration game at the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, and at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. In 2019, at the Southeast Games in Manila, esports was included as a full-fledged medal sport. The momentum continues as Esports will feature as an official medal sport at the 2021 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Thailand and the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China PR.

Asia

Groove joins SiGMA Asia panel on resilience of Asian iGaming licensing

Published

4 days ago

May 15, 2026

Wladimir P.

groove-joins-sigma-asia-panel-on-resilience-of-asian-igaming-licensing

Groove will take part in a regulation-focused panel at SiGMA Summit Asia, with CEO Yahale Meltzer attending and Business Development Director Giusy Campo speaking on the session titled “Jurisdiction Jungle: Who Rules Asia’s iGaming Empire?”.

According to the company, the panel will examine whether Asian licensing regimes can hold up under enforcement, cross-border scrutiny, banking pressure and rising compliance requirements. Topics slated for discussion include audit readiness, payment disruption, tax enforcement, evolving AML expectations and geopolitical shifts.

Giusy Campo, Business Development Director at Groove, said: “The conversation in Asia has matured significantly. Operators are no longer asking just about content volume or time-to-market. They are asking about structural resilience: how a platform handles a studio API failure without impacting player experience, what the data sovereignty protocols are, and whether the compliance architecture is defensive or reactive|”

Campo added: “In a region where banking pressure and regulatory expectations shift rapidly, the platforms that survive will be the ones that built integrity into their stack from the first line of code, not the ones scrambling to patch it in later.” Meltzer said: “The ‘Jurisdiction Jungle’ is not a metaphor for growth; it is a reality for every operator trying to scale across Asia’s fragmented regulatory landscape.” He added: “The mistake some make is treating compliance as a hurdle to clear. We treat it as a design constraint from day one. If your architecture is not built to generate verifiable, immutable audit trails for every transaction, you are not actually ready for Asia’s top tier. Our presence at SiGMA Summit Asia is about having serious conversations with operators who understand that trade-off.”

Groove said it has published a White Paper on navigating the Asian iGaming market, available on its website, and positioned its SiGMA Summit Asia attendance as part of a broader push in Asia following recent expansion moves into LatAm and Africa.

The post Groove joins SiGMA Asia panel on resilience of Asian iGaming licensing appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Asia

BMM Testlabs to Exhibit at SiGMA Asia Summit 2026

Published

5 days ago

May 14, 2026

Wladimir P.

bmm-testlabs-to-exhibit-at-sigma-asia-summit-2026

BMM Testlabs announced its participation in the SiGMA Asia Summit May 31-June 3 at the SMX Convention Center Manila.

Attendees can visit BMM Testlabs at Stand No. 2619 to learn how the Company supports suppliers, operators and regulators across regulated gaming markets worldwide through its comprehensive compliance and product certification services.

BMM will highlight its ability to test and certify gaming products to every regulator’s standard, anywhere in the world.

In the Philippines, BMM Testlabs is licensed to provide testing and certification services for slot machines, table games, electronic table games, iGaming, bingo, retail and online sports betting, poker and mobile gaming solutions.

BMM Testlabs’ Vice President, Business Development – Asia Jeffrey Fong said: “SiGMA Asia Summit continues to be an important event for the gaming industry across the Asia-Pacific region. We are proud to support suppliers, operators, and regulators with trusted compliance expertise that helps bring products to market efficiently and responsibly. Our global experience, combined with our strong regional knowledge, allows us to help our customers grow confidently in regulated gaming markets throughout Asia and beyond.”

BMM Testlabs continues to expand its support of regulated gaming markets worldwide through its global network of laboratories and technical experts, helping customers achieve faster market access while maintaining the highest standards of quality, security and regulatory compliance.

The post BMM Testlabs to Exhibit at SiGMA Asia Summit 2026 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Asia

BetConstruct AI Showcases AI-Powered Solutions at G2E Asia 2026

Published

1 week ago

May 12, 2026

Wladimir P.

betconstruct-ai-showcases-ai-powered-solutions-at-g2e-asia-2026

BetConstruct AI participates in G2E Asia 2026 (May 12–14, The Venetian Macao, Stands A1023 & A1029) — Asia’s most significant gathering for operators, innovators and industry decision-makers, and this year, the event puts AI and other emerging innovations at its centre.

The spotlight at the stands will be on the Best Sportsbook for the World Cup 2026: Special Bets, Powerfull and Bet on League form a ready-to-deploy tournament package that lets operators capture the full commercial weight of the world’s biggest sporting event — zero development cycles, zero platform risk.

For the World Cup activation – all at zero cost. New partners unlock a 50% platform setup discount applied immediately, plus 100% Core Suite Access — meaning the Sportsbook and the rest of BetConstruct AI’s offerings are completely free for the first 3 months (50% off for 4-12 months). Third-party tools come at 51% off for 3 months.

Layered on top at this event, the AI Suite — CRM AI, Umbrella AI, AI Game Recommendation System and Betting Mate — handles everything from churn prediction and risk management to real-time personalisation and conversational betting. Beyond all of this, we’re bringing the full picture: The Sportsbook Platform offers over 140,000 pre-match events and 12,000+ monthly esports live events, while the Casino Platform integrates 350+ providers via a unified aggregation API.

The Affiliate Ecosystem, with its Affigates sub-brand, offers 7000+ vetted affiliates and AI-based scoring, completing the acquisition side of the picture.

The post BetConstruct AI Showcases AI-Powered Solutions at G2E Asia 2026 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.