Latest News
A New Star Is Born: Ukraine’s Role in the Future of the CIS and Eastern European Markets
International betting and gaming industry event organizer SBC launches a brand new in-person conference and exhibition for the CIS and Eastern European markets. Presented by Parimatch, SBC Summit CIS brings together regional market leaders, national state authorities, and international partners to discuss the future development of the region.
Holding an event of this magnitude in Kyiv confirms Ukraine is becoming a significant new player on the gambling industry map. On the summit panels, state authorities and business representatives discussed the prospects for the region’s development as a gaming hub for Eastern Europe and the increased interest in the Ukrainian market from global players.
The participation of the Olympic gold medal-winner and First Deputy Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Youth and Sports, Zhan Beleniuk, who opened the summit, served as a powerful reminder of the strong connection between sport, government, and the entertainment industry.
Oleksiy Kucher, Head of Executive Body, State Regulatory Agency of Ukraine:
“It’s our firm position that regulation needs to be simple, transparent, and understandable for business. The state approves such a positive goal as the step out from the shadow of the gambling business, but it can fail at the stage of implementation. If we do not regulate relations between clients, businesses, and regulators, gambling may step into the shadows again. We do not want this, and we will not let it happen. Gambling in Ukraine is doing well now, and it will be even more accessible, so keep it up and develop.”
Besides the latest developments in Ukraine, the conference sees renowned expert speakers examine the scale of the opportunities in other markets in the region and the potential impact of the latest technological developments that will filter through into next-generation iGaming products, and how could we forget the region’s leading suppliers who came to demonstrate their latest innovations.
Maksym Liashko, co-CEO at Parimatch Tech, said:
“The legalization of the market has opened up many opportunities for the development of the industry, attracting international capital and benefits for the state. The betting and gaming industry brings innovative technologies, high-tech jobs, and increasing technical expertise among Ukrainian specialists, thanks to the legalization. Proof of this was evident in the showcases presented at the exhibition. And this is just the beginning of Ukraine unleashing its potential.”
Another integral part of the in-person SBC Summit CIS was responsible gambling. The development of responsible gambling became essential in Ukraine to establish a legal market and comply with international industry standards.
Paul Dent, Gambling Therapy Manager:
“Gambling Therapy is very pleased to be working in partnership with Parimatch, the first of its kind in Ukraine to develop and progress more responsible gambling. Through Gambling Therapy, an online and international service offered by Gordon Moody, we will be offering free practical and emotional support to those struggling with gambling as well as supporting affected others. This will take the form of a helpline available in Ukrainian and Russian with access to highly experienced counselors, along with native-speaking groups and forums available 24 hours a day.”
Rostyslav Maikovich, Chief Analytics Officer, leader of the Parimatch’s Responsible Gambling Project:
“Responsible gaming is a significant part of Parimatch’s business development and caring for customers. We take experiences from successful world practices and European countries in this area: Parimatch’s Responsible Gambling Project is being implemented in development, analytics, and communications with clients. For example, the absolute world heavyweight boxing champion and gold medal-winner of the 2012 Olympics, Oleksandr Usyk, joins Parimatch brand as the Responsible Gambling ambassador. Oleksandr helps us to highlight the values of responsible gambling to audiences around the world.”
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Casino Hi Five
EGT installs PH 50 V AWP cabinets at Hi Five Casino in the Netherlands
The Berg en Dal venue adds single-screen AWP units supplied with EGT’s Bonus Prize Collection multigame.
EGT has expanded its footprint in the Dutch AWP market with a new installation at Hi Five Casino in Berg en Dal. The venue has added PH 50 V AWP cabinets supplied with the Bonus Prize Collection multigame.
According to EGT, this is its first installation of single-screen AWP cabinets in the Netherlands. Yuliana Ilieva, Director of EGT Netherlands, said: “This is the first time we have installed single-screen AWP cabinets in the country. The operator, as well as the players, are impressed by the aesthetics and overall design of the cabinets, perfectly blending eye-catching outlook and maximum comfort. The combination with titles such as Mighty Sparta and Amazons’ Battle is a guarantee of a captivating gaming experience, and the results shown so far are eloquent proof. I am confident that we will see more installations of these products very soon.”
The PH 50 V AWP cabinet is powered by EGT’s Exciter IV platform and features a 50-inch vertical monitor, ergonomic functions, and enhanced video and audio capabilities, the company said. Bonus Prize Collection includes 10 games and features including Cash Heat, Epic Cash, Prize Multipliers, and Wild bonuses.
Micha van Bochem from Casino Hi Five said the machines have been live for a month. “EGT’s new cabinet for the Dutch market has been a big hit so far. The machines have been running for a month now and are being enthusiastically received by players. They look beautiful and innovative, with a large screen—and hopefully, in the future, with games that feature expanding reels —that would be absolutely fantastic on such an elegant cabinet. So far, it’s been nothing but positive, and we’re looking forward to the future.”
The post EGT installs PH 50 V AWP cabinets at Hi Five Casino in the Netherlands appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Betting and Gaming Council
BGC Responds to Gambling Commission’s Announcement on FRAs
The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has responded to the UK Gambling Commission’s decision to introduce Financial Risk Assessments (FRAs) in stages.
Grainne Hurst, Chief Executive of the Betting and Gaming Council, said:
“We are deeply disappointed and frustrated that the Gambling Commission has decided to press ahead with Financial Risk Assessments despite the significant concerns raised over the last 18 months by the BGC, operators, racing, parliamentarians and customers.
“The fact that the Gambling Commission has delayed implementation, raised thresholds and abandoned its original timetable is a clear recognition that the concerns raised by the BGC and others were well founded. Unfortunately, the central issues around reliability, consumer impact and the practical operation of these checks remain unresolved.
“The Commission has failed to address the fundamental issues identified during its own pilot. It has not demonstrated that the data underpinning these checks is accurate, reliable or consistent enough to support regulatory decisions affecting customers.
“The pilot exposed inconsistencies in the information returned by credit reference agencies, with the same customer potentially receiving different outcomes depending on the provider. Customers risk being wrongly identified as financially vulnerable based on a system that remains unproven. That is not a sound basis for regulatory intervention.
“The Commission has yet to publish a full evaluation of the pilot, so neither the industry nor the public has seen the evidence needed to justify introducing these checks.
“These checks cannot be described as genuinely frictionless if they produce unreliable outcomes, lead to unnecessary account restrictions or ultimately result in customers being asked to provide documents or open banking information.
“While the Commission has announced implementation groups, it has given no indication that they will resolve the outstanding questions around reliability, consumer impact and how the system will operate in practice.
“We support evidence-led, proportionate regulation that protects vulnerable people while allowing the 22.5 million adults in Britain who bet each month to do so safely. But until the Commission can demonstrate these checks are accurate, consistent and genuinely frictionless, our fundamental concerns remain, including the risk of driving customers towards the growing illegal gambling market.”
The post BGC Responds to Gambling Commission’s Announcement on FRAs appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Latest News
The Malta Gaming Authority Publishes its 2025 Annual Report and Financial Statements
The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has published its Annual Report and audited Financial Statements for the financial year ending 31 December 2025. The report outlines the performance of Malta’s land-based and online gaming sectors during the year, while detailing the Authority’s key regulatory activities and developments. It also provides a forward-looking perspective on the gaming industry, examining emerging trends, regulatory shifts and market dynamics expected to shape the sector in the years ahead.
Key Highlights from 2025
Authorisation Activities
• Between January and December 2025, MGA received 38 applications for new gaming licences and issued 19 licences. In addition, the Authority received a further 10 gaming licence renewal applications from operators to renew their gaming licence which was bound to expire during the twelve-month period of 2025 and issued eight licence renewals.
• As part of the oversight of low-risk gaming activities, MGA issued 2043 permits for non-profit tombola, 22 permits for non-profit lottery and 118 certificates for commercial communication games.
• As part of MGA’s application assessment process, the Authority carried out 1266 due diligence screening checks on authorised persons, persons holding qualifying interest, directors, key persons, and any third-parties providing funding or otherwise exercising control over an authorised person from both the land-based and online gaming sectors.
• Applications of a more complex nature were escalated to the Fit and Proper Committee. It assessed findings relating to 20 entities and 38 individuals. In seven cases, the Committee determined that the criteria to be considered as fit and proper were not satisfied.
• The Supervisory Council considered gaming licence applications referred to it for review, including applications for new licences and licence renewals. These figures reflect the Council’s decisions on applications during the reporting period and therefore may differ from the number of licences ultimately issued during the same period. During 2025, 17 new gaming licence applications were approved, while two applications were rejected following the completion of the “Minded Letter” process, on the grounds that the information or submission made to the Authority was found to be false, misleading, inaccurate, or materially incomplete. In addition, 10 gaming licence renewal applications were reviewed and approved.
Supervisory Activities
• In 2025, MGA concluded 15 full-scope compliance audits, which were complemented by 109 thematic reviews across compliance, player protection, and sport betting integrity.
• As part of MGA’s efforts to safeguard players and promote responsible gambling, the Authority resolved a total of 3718 requests for assistance, including cases carried forward from 2024.
• Between January and December 2025, MGA received 1757 player funds reports and carried out 14 data extractions to support the safeguarding of player funds.
• As MGA continued to strengthen its efforts to identify unauthorised URLs linked to unregulated gaming activity, the Authority reviewed a total of 109 URLs, and 42 were found to contain fraudulent references to the Authority or its licensees. These were subsequently added to the publicly available list on MGA’s website.
• The Commercial Communications Committee made six decisions regarding possible breaches of the Gaming Commercial Communications Regulations.
• During 2025, 21 AML/CFT compliance examinations were initiated by the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU) or by MGA on its behalf, while 21 such compliance examinations were concluded.
• A total of 30 closure letters were issued to licensees to either formally conclude examinations carried out by the MGA or the FIAU, or to formally conclude the remediation process where findings were not deemed serious or systemic. Additionally, MGA have also issued two potential breaches letters as a formal notification to licensees of potential non-compliance with AML/CFT obligations, where further clarification, explanation, or remediation was required before these could be treated as confirmed breaches.
• The FIAU imposed a remediation measure and/or administrative penalty amounting to just under €26,500.
• MGA also conducted 29 interviews on prospective MLROs to ensure that candidates meet the required standards of knowledge and awareness of the Maltese AML/CFT legal framework.
• During the reporting period, MGA carried out a total of 7903 inspections on Gaming Premises (including Casinos and Commercial Bingo Halls), Controlled Gaming Premises, National Lottery Outlets (including National Lottery Outlets – Controlled Gaming Premises), and Non-Profit Tombola.
Enforcement Actions
• Between January and December 2025, MGA issued a total of 35 cease and desist letters, 22 warnings and 30 administrative penalties amounting to €162,520. The Authority also suspended one licence and cancelled two.
• During 2025, one appeal was lodged, which remains pending, while eight appeals lodged in previous years were withdrawn.
National and International Cooperation
• Between January and December 2025, MGA received 280 suspicious betting reports from licensees. As part of its continued efforts to fight against match-fixing and malicious betting, MGA shared 192 alerts on suspicious betting with licensees, following enhanced risk-based filtering, and participated in 66 investigations across the globe.
• The MGA also collaborated with enforcement agencies, sports governing bodies, integrity units, and other regulatory authorities on 56 requests for information and participated in 85 instances of data exchanges.
• The MGA received 66 requests for international collaboration from other regulators, and it sent 12 requests. These requests received were primarily related to generic requests for cooperation or requests for background checks as part of authorisations process.
• The MGA issued 58 official replies to provide feedback on the regulatory good standing of its licensed operators to other regulatory and industry stakeholders requesting this information.
• During the reporting period, MGA collaborated with local regulating authorities and governing bodies on 200 requests for information.
“The challenge facing regulators today is not to regulate more, but to regulate better,” CEO Charles Mizzi said.
“Throughout 2025, we refined the way we regulate – strengthening our risk-based approach to oversight, improving engagement, streamlining processes, and making better use of data and technology to focus our efforts where they matter most. That is how we strengthen confidence in the Maltese licence, safeguard players, and support the long-term sustainability of Malta’s gaming sector.”
The post The Malta Gaming Authority Publishes its 2025 Annual Report and Financial Statements appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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