Eastern Europe
Parimatch Tech Expands Its Entertainment Portfolio and Secures the M&A Deals with PokerMatch and mr.fish Holding
The company’s two acquisitions are one of the world’s top 10 largest online poker rooms and a performance marketing holding.
Parimatch Tech, an international company that develops the Parimatch brand and provides tech and marketing solutions for the entertainment industry worldwide, has secured the M&A deals with a performance marketing holding, mr.fish, and Ukraine’s largest online poker room, PokerMatch. The deal offers mutually beneficial opportunities for all parties, allowing Parimatch Tech to expand its entertainment and marketing product portfolio further and providing mr.fish and PokerMatch with new global expansion prospects.
“Parimatch Tech is excited to join forces with PokerMatch and mr.fish to help achieve our big goal — exploring and expanding the entertainment possibilities our users experience by interacting with the Parimatch brand. We are certain that the synergy of our expertises will lead to strengthening of the brands of all parties involved. Our business philosophy and approaches are quite similar, and we are excited to join forces with mr.fish and PokerMatch to further build and expand our entertainment ecosystem”, commented Maksym Liashko, Parimatch Tech co-CEO.
PokerMatch is the value-added product, a leader of the online poker industry in Ukraine, and one of the world’s top 10 largest iGaming companies encompassing poker, casino, and board games. The acquisition will enhance the entertainment offering for end customers and add an asset to Parimatch Tech’s product portfolio. The company is a partner of the All-Ukrainian Sports Poker Federation and the title sponsor of the Ukrainian national sports poker team.
mr.fish acquisition will further strengthen Parimatch Tech’s MarTech expertise, considering that the holding is one of Eastern Europe’s leaders focusing on a wide range of digital services, including affiliate marketing, SEO, media buying, retention, reactivation, PR strategy, creative, design, and influence marketing. The company is home to multiple business units:
Digital Chain, an international marketing agency with deep expertise and extensive experience in iGaming, gambling, and sports betting.
Vadideo, an international CPM advertising network.
Papa Karlo, an international CPA network with deep expertise in affiliate marketing
NetCraft.Global, an international marketing agency that provides craft SEO solutions for complex businesses.
Copylancer, one of the biggest freelance copywriting websites in Eastern Europe.
The two new assets will be integrated into Parimatch Tech’s marketing and business strategy of entering the new global markets with the Parimatch brand.
“It’s an exciting day for all of us! Our companies share the same values and aspirations for global development. I am confident that the merging will be smooth, and we will begin working on our international plans soon”, said Ruslan Bangert, PokerMatch CEO.
“mr.fish started in one country and united two local companies. Over the last two years, we have expanded to 10 international companies operating in 12 countries and doubled the number of employees – from 120 to 250. Our cooperation on marketing projects with Parimatch Tech has been for many years. The merger became a logical step meant to strengthen our positions in the current markets and conquer new ones. We intend to create a symbiosis of marketing, technology, and product, and I have unwavering faith in my team and the new opportunities that opened for us”, said Yuri Titkov, mr.fish CEO.
The financial details of the deals are not disclosed.
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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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