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European Gaming Q1 2024 Meetup: Exploring Innovation, Marketing, and the iGaming Industry Hubs

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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!

 

Booming Games

Booming Games targets South American dominance with major investment, flagship partnerships and exclusive Ronaldinho content

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Booming Games, the award-winning game development studio known for its entertainment-first approach and deep market reach, has announced a major strategic push into South America, targeting one of the world’s fastest-growing online gaming markets.

With the Latin American online gambling market projected to exceed $10 billion annually by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 11.9%, and Brazil’s fully regulated gambling launch in 2025, Booming Games is executing a multi-pronged strategy to establish market leadership across the continent.

Max Niehusen, Founder of Booming Games, said:
“Brazil is the market that will separate the leaders from the rest. Players demand relevance, entertainment, and connection — that’s where we excel. Our goal is to challenge the status quo, partner with top operators, and create experiences that truly resonate. Getting Brazil right sets the stage for global success.”

A Market-Defining Opportunity

South America represents a generational growth opportunity, with 440 million people, 84% internet penetration, and an estimated 100 million online casino players in Brazil alone. Booming Games is investing in high-value operator partnerships, specialist talent, and a fully localised content roadmap to dominate the region.

Strategic Operator Partnerships

Booming Games has secured collaborations with Betano, Betnacional, 7K Bet, Cassino Bet, Brazino, H2 Bet, Esportes da Sorte, Bet365, SportingBet, and SuperBet, ensuring broad market access while delivering tailored player experiences.

Its flagship Brazilian portfolio includes: Fortune Surge Series, Inferno Fortune Instastrike, Fortune Paw, 7 Fruits of Riches, and Monkey Charm, all designed for maximum accessibility, commercial impact, and customisable white-labelling. A growing range of instant games is scheduled for Q2.

Craig Asling, Director of Games, said:
“Brazil is more than a market — it’s a culture. Our games are built to connect deeply with players through localised storytelling, data-driven insights, and real player preferences.”

Exclusive Ronaldinho Content

A cornerstone of Booming Games’ South America strategy is an exclusive content partnership with football legend Ronaldinho, one of Brazil’s most iconic figures with 150 million global social media followers.

Building on prior successes like Ronaldinho Spins and Ronaldinho Scores: Shoot To Win, Booming Games is launching two major new titles:

  • Ronaldinho’s Streetball Bonanza – a 6×5 scatter-pay slot inspired by Brazilian street football, featuring the Street Skill Meter and continuous high-energy gameplay.
  • Bruxo da Sorte – a fast-paced 3×3 slot casting Ronaldinho as “The Wizard,” offering x10 multipliers and high-frequency wins.

Dan Paleu, COO of Booming Games, said:
“Ronaldinho bridges global appeal and local relevance. He’s instantly recognisable worldwide, yet deeply rooted in Brazilian culture, allowing us to create games that feel personal to players and commercially scalable.”

Platinum VIP Lounge at SiGMA BiS South America

At SiGMA BiS South America (6–9 April 2026, São Paulo), Booming Games will host the Platinum VIP Lounge, an immersive, custom-built space inspired by Ronaldinho’s Streetball Bonanza. The Lounge offers senior industry networking, premium hospitality, exclusive merchandise, and direct access to Booming Games’ leadership, highlighting bespoke partnership opportunities and next-generation content.

The post Booming Games targets South American dominance with major investment, flagship partnerships and exclusive Ronaldinho content appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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Betfred

Betfred Enters into Partnership with BR-DGE

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BR-DGE, the independent payment orchestration provider, has partnered with Betfred, one of the UK and Ireland’s fastest-scaling betting operators, to support high-performance payments.

Betfred is using BR-DGE as its payment orchestration layer to manage both pay-ins and pay-outs through a single integration. Now live in the UK, with additional markets to follow later, the partnership is already delivering strong conversion rates, improved speed and resilience, as well as an enhanced player experience at the checkout. At the recent Cheltenham Gold Cup – Betfred’s most successful to date – BR-DGE processed over one million transactions as part of Betfred’s book, over the 4-day event.

As well as gaining simpler connectivity to multiple PSPs and payment methods (including cards, bank-to-bank payments and digital wallets) Betfred will also benefit from layered pre-and post-authorisation real-time fraud and identity decisioning, with a specialist partner integration via BR-DGE. This will support Betfred’s fraud prevention teams in keeping fraud levels in check, while maintaining smooth checkout process for genuine customers.

During major sporting events, when transaction volumes can spike dramatically, Betfred’s payments infrastructure can now scale effortlessly to meet demand — ensuring players experience no slowdowns or payment restrictions at the moments that matter most.

Betfred also benefits from flexible, independent control over deposit and withdrawal flows, with the ability to apply tailored routing logic. This gives them stronger performance, better cost management and greater reliability across every stage of the payment journey — without the operational complexity.

PCI-DSS scope has also been significantly reduced for Betfred. By using BR-DGE Vault, sensitive card data is captured and stored entirely outside of its own environment. This simplifies compliance obligations and unlocks the freedom to route network tokens across multiple providers — complete with built-in failover protection — delivering higher approval rates and a seamless cashier experience for players.

Jacob Spencer, Chief Revenue Officer at BR-DGE, said: “Betfred operates at real scale, particularly during major sporting events, when transaction volumes increase rapidly and payment performance is put under pressure. This partnership gives Betfred the ability to handle those spikes without slowing or restricting transactions, while providing the flexibility and confidence to support future growth and new payment requirements.”

Nick Cockerill, Group Chief Product Officer at Betfred, said: “From the Grand National to a Saturday afternoon football fixture, our customers expect betting to feel easy and trusted. That includes being able to pay and get paid their winnings without delay. Working with BR-DGE helps us support that experience during our busiest periods, so payments don’t get in the way of the bet. Our business can continue to expand at speed, with the confidence that our payments infrastructure is in safe hands.”

This partnership adds to BR-DGE’s growing presence within the gaming and gambling sector, where operators are increasingly adopting independent orchestration layers to support scale, enhance payment performance and deliver excellent customer experiences.

The post Betfred Enters into Partnership with BR-DGE appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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BMM Innovation Group

BMM INNOVATION GROUP HIGHLIGHTS LEADERSHIP IN PRODUCT TESTING AND CERTIFICATION AT THE ITALIAN GAMING EXPO & CONFERENCE, APRIL 14–15 IN ROME

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BMM Innovation Group (“BMM,” “The BIG Group,” “BIG,” or “the Company”), a global provider of compliance testing, cybersecurity, and training solutions for the regulated gaming industry, has announced its participation as both an exhibitor and sponsor at the Italian Gaming Expo & Conference, taking place April 14–15 at the Salone delle Fontane, Stand No. 3. This presence underscores BMM’s ongoing commitment to supporting Italy’s regulated gaming market.

The Company is also shortlisted for two prestigious Italian Gaming Awards: the “Do the Right Thing” Award and “Best Executive Leadership” for Marzia Turrini, BMM’s Global President of iGaming & Cybersecurity. These nominations reflect BMM’s continued leadership in integrity, compliance, and innovation across regulated gaming markets worldwide.

At the Expo, BMM will showcase its comprehensive suite of services through:

  • BMM Testlabs – trusted testing and certification for suppliers, operators, and regulators.
  • BIG Cyber – advanced cybersecurity protection.
  • RG24seven Virtual Training – compliance-grade, BMM-certified employee education.

Marzia Turrini will also take part as a featured panelist on April 15:

  1. Women Empowerment in Gaming: Leadership, Skills and the Future of the Industry (11:05–11:50)
    Exploring the growing role of women in leadership and how new skills and perspectives drive a more innovative and inclusive gaming industry.
  2. Digital Transformation in Gaming: From Compliance to Growth (12:00–12:45)
    Examining how technology, compliance strategy, and modern operating models help gaming companies enhance performance and accelerate growth in regulated markets.

Turrini commented:
“We’re thrilled to support the Italian Gaming Expo and one of Europe’s most important regulated markets. With our office and test lab in Bologna, BMM helps safeguard and grow the industry through trusted testing and certification that enables faster time to market while maintaining the highest compliance and security standards. Our cybersecurity and training solutions empower organizations to innovate confidently in Italy.”

BMM Testlabs provides certification across Italy’s gaming ecosystem, including:

  • Land-based AWP and VLT machines and systems
  • Retail sports betting and horse racing platforms
  • Lotteries and instant gaming
  • Online casino, sports betting, and wagering technologies
  • Skill games with prizes

Combined with BIG Cyber’s cybersecurity services and RG24seven Virtual Training’s expert-led programs, BMM delivers a complete compliance and security solution, helping organizations meet regulatory requirements, enhance readiness, and build knowledgeable teams across Italy’s regulated gaming sector.

Expo attendees are invited to visit Stand No. 3 to learn how BMM continues to support Italy’s gaming industry with global expertise, local insight, and trusted compliance leadership.

The post BMM INNOVATION GROUP HIGHLIGHTS LEADERSHIP IN PRODUCT TESTING AND CERTIFICATION AT THE ITALIAN GAMING EXPO & CONFERENCE, APRIL 14–15 IN ROME appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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