Asia
IESF Announces Speakers for First Day of World Esports Summit
The International Esports Federation (IESF) announced the featured expert speakers for the first day of the World Esports Summit, scheduled to take place from September 29 to October 2 at the Busan Esports Arena. IESF recently debuted a new visual identity and branding for the hybrid event that continues to unite the World Esports Family.
The WE Summit is supported by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Busan Metropolitan City and Busan IT Industry Promotion Agency. IESF has hosted the event every year since 2016 and is consistently advancing to best serve its members and as an exchange platform for key Esports stakeholders from around the world to promote discussion, evolution, and good governance.
Session 1: Spotlight on Asia’s Success Factors
The first panel will examine Asia’s Esports experience, identify key Asian success factors and determine considerations that could be emulated in other markets for accelerated Esports growth. Korea Esports Association International Relations Specialist Hyucksoo David Shin will serve as the moderator.
Panel Discussion:
Samart Benjamin Assarasakorn – Chief Executive Secretary, Thailand Esports Federation
H.R.H. Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud – President, Saudi Esports Federation
Hung Do Viet – General Secretary, Vietnam Recreational and Electronic Sport Association
Vlad Marinescu – President, International Esports Federation
Session 2: Streamlining Cooperation for Successful Competition
This panel is set to bring together athletes, publishers and other relevant Esports competition stakeholders to develop synergies, foster cooperation, and improve communications for a brighter Esports future, and will be moderated by EA Sports Senior Program Manager Byungho Kang.
Panel Discussion:
Tiffani Lim – Athletes Committee Chairperson, International Esports Federation
Paul Kim – Esports Business Development & KR Esports Lead, KRAFTON
Tiago Fernandes – Operations Director, GIRLGAMER Esports Festival
Session 3: The Unsung Heroes of Esports
The Unsung Heroes of Esports panel will shine a light on and tell the stories of the people behind the scenes that provide support systems for Esports leagues and competitions worldwide. Advance Learning Partnership Consultant Nesli Kolasinli will moderate the panel.
Panel Discussion:
Wolf Schröder – Esports Commentator, LCK
Verta Maloney – Chief Innovation Officer & Co-founder, the*gameHERs
Joanie Kraut – CEO, Women in Games International
Bora Hercicek – Competition Manager, University Esports Turkey
Session 4: Driving Growth Through Derivative Content
This panel will explore the expanding world of derivative Esports content and will include sharing success stories, evaluating trends and discussing opportunities for new and undiscovered markets, moderated by Women in Games Ambassador Lucy Chow.
Panel Discussion:
Baki Can Kadıoglu – General Manager, Futbolist LLC
Pelle Karlsson – Commercial Leader APAC, Nielsen Sports
Donald Yeo – Account Director, Esports, Octagon Singapore IPG DXTRA
Serhat Bekdemir – Country Manager Turkey, Amazon University Esports
Video highlights from the WE Summit will be available on IESF’s YouTube channel. Several featured panels and Q&A sessions will also be live streamed on YouTube.
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Asia
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.
Asia
Kazakhstan Orders Telecom Providers to Block Illegal Online Casino Payments via Mobile Balances
Kazakhstan authorities have moved to tighten controls on illegal online gambling payments after uncovering schemes that use mobile phone balances to fund unlicensed casino activity.
The Financial Monitoring Agency (FMA) issued instructions to telecom providers to strengthen monitoring and introduce systems to detect and block suspicious transactions.
According to the FMA, mobile operators including Tele2, Altel, Beeline, Kcell and Activ were called to a working meeting where regulators demonstrated how illicit payment flows to online casinos are being processed.
To verify the issue, the FMA carried out test purchases across 10 illegal online casino websites using services from all major mobile operators. The tests confirmed that payments via mobile balances were possible.
The agency stated that the goal is to cut off financial access to illegal operators and reduce public exposure to unregulated platforms. Further enforcement actions are expected as monitoring continues.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan is preparing to significantly tighten rules on the promotion of illegal gambling. A group of senators is advancing an initiative to introduce criminal penalties for influencers who advertise online casinos and organise “giveaways.”
In related developments, a Kazakhstani influencer has recently been arrested in Vietnam on suspicion of running an illegal gambling operation.
Furthermore, the country is also restricting citizens’ access to legal gambling options, indicating a broader anti-gambling stance towards locals while still pursuing gambling tourism.
Lawmakers introduced rules restricting access to casinos, slot machine halls and betting venues in several regions to foreign nationals only. The changes will take effect on 17 May.
In March, President Tokayev signed a law establishing four new gambling zones for foreigners in the country.
The post Kazakhstan Orders Telecom Providers to Block Illegal Online Casino Payments via Mobile Balances appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Asia
IGT Presents Powerful Combination of Gaming and FinTech Solutions at G2E Asia 2026
IGT has announced that it will present a dynamic portfolio of market-attuned gaming and financial technology (FinTech) solutions at G2E Asia 2026, May 12-14 at The Venetian Macao. Under the theme “TOGETHER – Built to Win,” IGT will showcase its momentum in multi-level progressive (MLP) linked content and its unique position to drive operator value through the combination of Everi,s FinTech product and the widely adopted IGT ADVANTAGE casino management system (CMS).
“As the region’s largest gaming technology showcase, G2E Asia 2026 is an opportunity for IGT to demonstrate how combining IGT systems product and Everi’s FinTech product can introduce incremental value to our customers in Asia and enhance the player journey. We will also present a localized portfolio of proven IGT games such as Rising Rockets, Money Gong and Cash Cove that reflect our focus on delivering high-performing content and helping our customers in the region diversify their gaming floors,” said Hector Fernandez, CEO of IGT.
Highlights within IGT’s G2E Asia showcase in stand #A801 will include:
Market-attuned linked MLP games: G2E Asia will be a showcase for IGT’s global MLP sensations Money Gong Link and new Rising Rockets base-game themes, Prince and Princess. Both titles will be demonstrated on the PeakCurve49 cabinet, along with the brand extension Cash Cove Lucky Catch Trio and the Asia-targeted three-pot game, San Xing Gao Zhao Link. G2E Asia will also be the global debut for the Firework Link game on the PeakDual27 cabinet. This explosively fun linked MLP includes two base game themes with distinctive math models, inventive mechanics and multiple, scalable bonuses.
Versatile cash-handling and promotional technologies: Everi cash-handling technologies and jackpot processing tools that are designed to seamlessly integrate with multiple CMSs will be a centerpiece of IGT’s G2E Asia showcase. The award-winning Everi Premium Cash Redemption Terminal (CRT) and the Everi Mini CRT bring friction-free transactions to the gaming floor and introduce convenient tap functionality. IGT will also exhibit Everi QuickDraw, a groundbreaking cloud-based promotional drawing tool, and Everi Jackpot Xpress, a module for tracking and efficiently paying out jackpot winnings that is customizable to meet individual property processes and procedures.
Next-generation systems architecture with IGT ADVANTAGE X: the Company will demonstrate how the IGT ADVANTAGE X CMS can drive operator value and player convenience throughout Asia. IGT’s Systems team will highlight IGT ADVANTAGE X’s new bus-based system architecture that helps improve network speed, stability, connectivity and uptime. This CMS enhancement allows data to quickly transfer to or from the gaming floor, enabling seamless system-wide upgrades, content downloads, service window content and more.
The post IGT Presents Powerful Combination of Gaming and FinTech Solutions at G2E Asia 2026 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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