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European Gaming Q1 2024 Meetup: Exploring Innovation, Marketing, and the iGaming Industry Hubs
HIPTHER’s staple Quarterly Meetups for the Gaming industry have officially returned for 2024! The European Gaming Q1 Meetup 2024 took place on February 28 online, featuring an incredible lineup of speakers, including Ilya Machavariani, CEO and Senior Partner at 4H Agency, Krysta Muscat and Kevin Perks, International Recruiters at Van Kaizen, Jekaterina Dubnicka, Marketing & Communications Manager at Slotsjudge, Eberhard Dürrschmid, CEO at Golden Whale Productions, and John Chyriwsky, Head of Marketing at Fincore Ltd. HIPTHER’s Co-founder and Host-Extraordinaire, Zoltan Tuendik, moderated the panel discussions.
The Meetup sessions explored the gaming and technology industry, focusing on various topics such as the importance of innovation and transformation in the sector, strategies to combat offshore gambling, the emergence of Malta and the Isle of Man as iGaming industry hubs, potential future hubs for the gambling industry, marketing strategies in the gaming industry, and innovation in the gaming with a particular emphasis on personalization.
Gaming and TECH: Future Journey and Fight Against Offshore Gambling
The meeting kicked off highlighting the importance and intersection of gaming and technology industries, which will be explored at the upcoming MARE BALTICUM and Prague Gaming & TECH Summits by HIPTHER. Our first guest, Ilya Machavariani, CEO and Senior Partner at 4H Agency delved further into technology and the latest strategies in the global fight against offshore gambling.
Ilya discussed strategies to combat offshore gambling, proposing a separation into active and passive instruments. He suggested that governments should legalize all verticals of the industry and ensure operators obtain licenses. Ilya also emphasized the importance of transparent and sensible regulations and the role of technology in identifying and preventing access to offshore gambling sites. He highlighted the challenges of regulating and blocking websites from a governmental perspective and the need for international cooperation.
The discussion ended with a focus on improved consumer protection measures and the importance of educating consumers about potential risks associated with illegal gambling activities.
Gaming Industry Hubs: Malta, Isle of Man and Beyond
For the 2nd Session of the European Gaming Q1 Meetup, we welcomed Krysta Muscat and Kevin Perks, International Recruiters at Van Kaizen, to discuss iGaming hubs and hotspots of the Gaming Industry. Kevin introduced their global headhunting company that primarily serves the gaming sector, recruiting for approximately 140 businesses. The discussion revolved around the factors contributing to Malta and the Isle of Man emerging as hubs for the iGaming industry, with Krysta highlighting Malta’s modernized infrastructure and highly regulated environment, and Kevin pointing out the supportive government and dedicated government agency in the Isle of Man, along with its tax breaks. Both islands were found to have a skilled workforce and a multilingual population. Kevin also discussed the benefits of living on the Isle of Man, emphasizing the slower pace of life, the island’s 40% open space, and its status as one of the safest places in Europe. The discussion ended on the topic of the government’s efforts to promote the island and attract businesses, with a focus on recruitment strategies for gaming companies in competitive markets.
The session concluded with a discussion on potential future hubs for the iGaming industry, with Krysta and Kevin emphasizing on the US, Canada, Spain, Portugal, the UK, and Bulgaria, highlighting the significant interest and potential opportunities in these regions.
Marketing, Communication, and Community building in iGaming
In this first Marketing-focused session, Zoltan hosted our special guest Jekaterina Dubnicka – Marketing & Communications Manager at Slotsjudge. The conversation focused on marketing strategies in the gaming industry, with Jekaterina explaining the shift towards more interactive and immersive content by leveraging social media and video interviews, and focusing on SEO tools to gain insights into audience interests. She also provided insight into the role of community in the gaming experience, the importance of navigating strict regulatory environments while maintaining compliance and a strong brand voice, the importance of innovation in content creation and delivery, and emerging trends in the gaming industry.
Innovation and Personalization in Gaming Industry
The last panel discussion focused on innovation in the gaming industry, with a particular emphasis on personalization. Eberhard Dürrschmid, CEO at Golden Whale, and John Chyriwsky, Head of Marketing at Fincore Ltd joined us to discuss innovation in iGaming and Sports Betting. John highlighted the potential for improvement in the area of personalization and user experience, suggesting that platforms should “step up” to respond better to user needs. Eberhard pointed out the industry’s flexibility and the importance of meeting customer expectations, while John emphasized the need to enhance customer experience, suggesting the use of real-time data to create personalized experiences. He cited examples of successful companies that prioritize customer experience, such as Amazon and Uber. Eberhard also discussed the potential of AI and machine learning in the industry. The conversation concluded with a group exercise where participants shared their hopes for technology implementation in the gaming industry by the end of 2024.
Coming up Next:
Watch the recording of the European Gaming Q1 Meetup on HIPTHER TV, and keep an eye out for our next European Gaming Quarterly Meetups!
Apple
IBJR hails App Store approval as a milestone in the fight against illegal betting in Brazil
The Brazilian Institute for Responsible Gaming (IBJR) considers Apple’s decision to allow the distribution of regulated sports betting and online gaming applications on its Brazilian App Store a key milestone for the consolidation of a transparent and integrity-driven sector.
This measure strengthens regulation by making it easier for users to clearly identify operators that are duly authorized to operate in compliance with national rules.
Following Google’s decision, made less than a year ago, to authorize the distribution of sports betting apps on the Play Store in Brazil, this initiative acts as a powerful cybersecurity filter and helps protect consumers from the risks of the illegal market.
Since only operators licensed by the SPA are allowed to offer services to iOS users, the process of channeling traffic into the regulated environment is further strengthened.
However, for the measure to be fully effective, continuous enforcement is required, as several illegal apps can still be found on major platforms.

Data from Instituto Locomotiva, in partnership with LCA Consultoria, indicate that the illegal environment—much of it controlled by organized crime—moves around R$40 billion per year in Brazil and generates an estimated annual loss of R$10.8 billion in tax revenue.
In this context, actions that help distinguish legal operators from unauthorized ones are essential.
The presence of applications on both the Play Store and Apple Store reinforces the commitment to Responsible Gaming, as they integrate functionalities required by legislation and audited by the platforms.
These include strict age verification to prevent access by minors under 18, clear risk warnings related to gambling, and self-exclusion tools.
The post IBJR hails App Store approval as a milestone in the fight against illegal betting in Brazil appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
Black Label
Pragmatic Play signs Latam Agreement with Black Label
Pragmatic Play, a leading content provider to the iGaming industry, has strengthened its reach in the regulated Latin American market through a multi-product deal with platform provider Black Label.
The partnership will see Pragmatic Play’s premium portfolio, including Slots, Live Casino, and Virtual Sports, integrated into the Black Label platform, enabling regulated operators across LatAm to seamlessly access the supplier’s content.
Pragmatic Play titles, including multi-award-winning slots such as Gates of Olympus and Sugar Rush, as well as popular crash games like High Flyer and Spaceman, are now available to Black Label’s partners in the region.
Black Label, a 360‑degree online gaming experience, serves as an end‑to‑end integration platform for launching or scaling online casinos.
Built with a deep understanding of Latin American players and offered in Spanish, it provides locally aligned solutions for one of the fastest‑growing regulated markets in the industry.
Victor Arias, VP of Latin America at ARRISE, a global iGaming software and services leader and a key partner to Pragmatic Play, said:
“Latin America remains one of the most dynamic and fast-growing regions in the industry, and partnering with Black Label allows Pragmatic Play to further boost its reach across the market.
“Combining Pragmatic Play’s award‑winning content with Black Label’s locally aligned platform to support operators and players across the region is another positive step, and one that further cements Pragmatic Play’s status in Latin America.”
Roberto González, general manager at Black Label, added: “Pragmatic Play is a globally respected supplier, and integrating its multi–product portfolio is a major milestone for Black Label.
“Our platform is built specifically for the needs of Latin American operators, and adding Pragmatic Play’s high‑performing content further strengthens the value we deliver to our partners.
The post Pragmatic Play signs Latam Agreement with Black Label appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
Advanced Compliance Technology
Advanced Compliance Technology partners with the Soccer Federation of Rio Grande do Norte
ACT has been selected to collaborate in building integrity programs of Brazil’s football leagues through its independent, real-time Sports Integrity monitoring technology and specialized education programs to strengthen Brazilian Sports Integrity.
Advanced Compliance Technology (ACT), a leader in compliance, sports integrity and risk solutions for the global regulated betting and gaming industry, has entered a partnership with the Soccer Federation of North Rio Grande, a regional member of the national Brazilian Soccer Confederation (CBF).
The agreement signifies an important step forward in Brazilian football’s vision for the future as it adapts to the needs of the country’s new sports betting regulations, with an equal focus on safeguarding the integrity of competitions and protecting the athletes.
Under the agreement, ACT will conduct a comprehensive analysis of the current status of the leagues’ needs operating within Brazil’s emerging regulated market.
ACT will also deliver educational programs tailored to the Brazilian sports markets, drawing on its expert sports leadership team, who share decades of experience and who have identified some of the largest match-fixing incidents in the United States.
The ACT team will combine their knowledge of sports betting, insider trading, and specialized analytics to address the growing need for sports integrity monitoring across Brazilian leagues. This will include the application of advanced technology through ACT’s proprietary online monitoring platform, the only real-time technology of its kind that is independent from betting operators and trading services.
Susan Bala, Co-Founder and Director at Advanced Compliance Technology, and former Delegate for the U.S. Commerce Department in Central and South America said:
“We are entering a new chapter in global sports with the introduction of legalised sports betting in Brazil. The country has an incredible and proud history in soccer, producing many of the game’s greatest athletes.
ACT is very pleased to collaborate with the leadership of the Soccer Federation of Rio Grande do Norte league in their mission to build a strong future through education and application of the most advanced technology solutions to safeguard the sport.”

Felipe Silva, Acting President of the Soccer Federation of Rio Grande do Norte, and José Silva, Vice President of the Brazilian Soccer Confederation, said:
“We are extremely pleased to be working with ACT on this initiative. We recognise the importance of educating our athletes and protecting the sport we love. It is our mission through this work to contribute to the future success of Brazilian football.
About Advanced Compliance Technology (ACT)
Advanced Compliance Technology is a leading provider of regulatory technology solutions for compliance and integrity monitoring in the global betting and gaming sector.
ACT’s all-in-one platform delivers the most advanced technology tools to help leagues, operators and regulators meet their complex compliance requirements with an independent expert service and real-time performance.
The company’s technology combines advanced geolocation intelligence, identity verification, advanced anti-fraud mechanisms, sports integrity and behavioural analytics to prevent circumvention, strengthen market integrity and support player protection.
The post Advanced Compliance Technology partners with the Soccer Federation of Rio Grande do Norte appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
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