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The Lithuanian Gaming Control Authority (LPT) has completed its inspection: Olympic Casino has been fined almost 8.4 million euros

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The company Olympic Casino Group Baltija (OCGB) did not take sufficient steps to identify the origin of Šarūnas Stepukonis’ losing funds, and the monitoring of his financial transactions was only formal and ineffective. Such violations were identified by the Gaming Supervisory Authority, which conducted an inspection of OCGB’s activities in Lithuania. The company was fined almost 8.4 million euros.

The Gaming Supervisory Authority (LPT) investigated the actions taken by OCGB in response to Š. Stepukonis’ transactions on the company’s gaming website from December 2016 to the end of June 2021. The law obliges gaming operators to ensure that customer funds are not obtained from criminal activities or through participation in such activities. It is also mandatory to verify the origin of the funds. LPT found that the measures applied by OCGB were poor and insufficient, and the monitoring of Š. Stepukonis’ transactions was formal.

Gambling organizers must report suspicious transactions to the FNTT. Š. Stepukonis’ transactions had obvious signs that should have raised suspicions for the gambling organizer. However, the FNTT was not informed about this.

During the inspection, evidence was also collected that Š. Stepukonis’ gambling was irresponsible. The gambling company should have noticed this, especially since the client was assigned a personal manager who saw all of his transactions.

“Instead of finding out whether Š. Stepukonis had a gambling problem or informing the supervisory authority, Olympic Casino encouraged him to gamble even more. An individual incentive package was prepared for him. A total of 1.3 million euros was allocated for this. This “bonus” could only be spent on gambling. Other incentives were also allocated,” – comments on the results of the inspection by LPT Director Virginijus Daukšys.

Since mid-2021, gambling companies in Lithuania have no longer been allowed to offer incentives to their customers that they would later lose. Just before this tightening came into effect, Š. Stepukonis’ virtual gambling was moved from Lithuania to Estonia, where it was still allowed to encourage gamblers.

In this way, it was possible not only to maintain incentives for gambling, but also to avoid supervision by the LPT. If an ordinary gambler from Lithuania tried to go and register on the Estonian Olympic Casino website, he would be redirected to the Lithuanian website. However, in the case of Š. Stepukonis, the redirection was not carried out. These circumstances are part of the pre-trial investigation.

During the inspection, a total of five violations of the provisions of the Law on the Prevention of Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism and the Law on Gambling were identified.

The law allows for a fine of up to twice the amount of damage caused. The damage was determined to be 6.4 million euros – the amount Š. Stepukonis lost at the Olympic Casino in Lithuania. When calculating the fine, an aggravating circumstance was taken into account – the company did not cooperate during the inspection.

According to V. Daukšys, after this story came to light, steps were taken to prevent similar cases from recurring. The most important change is the law, proposed by the LPT, which obliges gambling companies to take action upon noticing irresponsible gambling and to provide information about it to the LPT.

“Until now, there was no such obligation. Therefore, the LPT did not have information that would allow it to take preventive actions in advance,” says V. Daukšys.

The new Gambling Law will come into force in November this year. Its aim is to reduce the accessibility, attractiveness and potential harm to personal health of gambling.

LPT also reviewed its procedures, adjusted internal procedures, allowing for more frequent scheduled inspections of the activities of gambling companies. In addition, the Ministry of Finance conducted an audit of LPT’s activities. No significant operational deficiencies were identified during the audit. LPT took into account the audit recommendations and allocated more human resources to money laundering prevention functions.

 

Source: Gambling Supervisory Authority under the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania

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Baltics

DATA.BET Now Powers Esports for Entain NCE Across Baltics & Nordics

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DATA.BET, a leading sportsbook solution supplier, has signed a content deal with Entain NCE, to strengthen the esports betting offer of their brands (Optibet and Klondaika) across the Baltics and Nordics – with Estonia as a key rollout market.

Through the collaboration, Entain and its portfolio of brands will receive DATA.BET’s premium esports coverage. The package includes a comprehensive Odds Feed, Risk Management, Bet Builder and a suite of engagement Widgets – Pitch Tracker (interactive 2D map), Scoreboards (visual representation of player statistics), live Video Streaming, Statistical Widgets (team history and game stats) and a Multi Widget that unites all these tools within one screen. The partnership is designed to help Entain brands and their clients increase profitability in esports by combining precise pricing and risk controls with engagement tools that lift turnover and margin.

With the deal, Entain’s customers get access to DATA.BET’s 30+ disciplines and over 10,000 monthly events, delivered with a down-to-the-second bet delay across leading titles such as Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, Valorant, League of Legends and others. A phased expansion of additional disciplines and features will follow to meet Entain’s demand.

“This partnership sets a high bar for product excellence. Our role is to power that ambition with an esports layer that’s rich in content and strong on risk, enabling consistent margins and a best-in-class customer experience. We’ve aligned on a clear roadmap to scale, with more Entain brands scheduled to join the rollout next,” said Otto Bonning, Head of Sales at DATA.BET.

“We are thrilled to partner with DATA.BET who are renown for being the leading Esports provider and who share the same passion and commitment for Esports as we do. DATA.BET’s deep understanding of the esports ecosystem and its growing influence among modern audiences makes the collaboration a perfect fit. Together, we aim to elevate esports and deliver the best experience and entertainment to the fans across Baltics and Nordics regions,” said Hendrik Ahuna, Director of Sportsbook at Entain NCE.

The post DATA.BET Now Powers Esports for Entain NCE Across Baltics & Nordics appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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SYNOT Games Announces Strategic Partnership with Boost Casino

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In a move that further reinforces its footprint across regulated European markets, SYNOT Games has announced a new partnership with Boost Casino, a prominent platform in Estonia. The collaboration brings certified SYNOT titles, including some of the studio’s latest and most innovative releases, to the casino’s rapidly growing grid.

Players on Boost Casino can now enjoy brand-new titles such as the mystical Respin Multi Joker, 40 Coins of Chance, or Rio Mystery Night. These additions expand Boost Casino’s offering with a spectrum of engaging mechanics, premium design, and mobile-first performance, ensuring the highest-quality entertainment for the Estonian audience.

The agreement is part of SYNOT Games’ strategic initiative to solidify its presence in licensed, regulated markets, providing innovative content through partnerships with established and trusted regional operators.

Martin Krajčí, Chief Commercial Officer at SYNOT Games, said: “We are excited to bring our portfolio to Estonian players through this strategic alliance with Boost Casino. Estonia represents a market with great potential and an audience that appreciates quality, variety, and innovation. Boos Casino’s agility and commitment to delivering premium entertainment make them an ideal partner for our continued Baltic expansion.”

Boost Casino, known for its user-centric approach and cutting-edge platform, views the addition of SYNOT Games content as a key enhancement to its offering and a testament to its mission of hosting best-in-class gaming experiences.

Janis Bariss, Head of Gaming, Entain Baltics & Nordics at Boost Casino, said: “Teaming up with SYNOT Games is an exciting opportunity to enhance our content library with vibrant, engaging titles that truly connect with today’s audience players. Their blend of storytelling, striking visuals, and proven game performance perfectly complements our vision for the future of digital gaming in Estonia.”

This collaboration not only empowers Boost Casino to further differentiate its portfolio but also underscores SYNOT Games’ long-term commitment to regulated growth, responsible gaming and working exclusively with trusted local operators—a model increasingly valued by players and regulators.

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Introducing the newest testing tool for AI-boosted customer engagement

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Is AI technology really at the point where it can truly add value to customer engagement? Tugi Tark’s new sandbox environment allows operators to find out. 

Tugi Tark, the Estonian-based international AI customer service company, has launched its sandbox this week with the aim of giving operators the ability to explore how AI could work for their players, using their specific casino policies and player profiles, all in a real-world scenario.

By testing an unlimited number of situations wherein players interact with AI agents, the sandbox allows operators to experience how conversations and escalation flows would work if they implemented Tugi Tark as their customer service solution.

Harpo Lilja, CEO of Tugi Tark, explains: “The sandbox is essentially a controlled environment we’ve created where operators can test the AI agent capabilities against their own needs. They can configure the sandbox to their specific casino policies and adjust the agent’s tone of voice  — which gives them a first-hand preview of how our AI agent can serve their players.

He continues: “One reason we built the sandbox is that we know from conversations with operators that people are still hesitant about whether AI solutions have reached a point in customer service where the impact is worth implementing – or if AI technology is still at a level where it risks alienating players due to poor quality. And people don’t want to commit if they don’t really know what they’re getting, which is often the case, as companies usually don’t provide enough testing to do so.

What does the sandbox allow operators to do?

Tugi Tark’s sandbox can mimic everything operators need to see how it actually works, including:

  • player frustrations

  • technical troubleshooting

  • KYC concerns, bonus requests

  • payment issues, and more.

Casinos can manually add synthetic player data without integration, which showcases how well the AI agent can handle player inquiries when it has access to both policy documentation, player data, and gaming history.

Tugi Tark’s hybrid AI model blends operational automation with human oversight, focused on compliance, emotional intelligence, empathy, service mindset, and player safety. And now, that’s available for operators to test fully using their own unique circumstances.

The testing environment allows manual casino player profile inputs, such as name, account creation date, birthday, KYC status, account limits, player segment, available bonuses, transaction and game history, and a brand’s all policies.

Using intuitive automation, the AI agent is contextually appropriate for each conversation – there are no drop-down menus or prompts, but rather, ‘natural’ language that mimics how humans communicate. For example, if users misspell, abbreviate, or use slang, the agent will understand, and if not, it will ask follow-up questions until it does.

Another feature that was integrated for customer comfort is that if a player is a little vague, rather than return the classic AI chatbot “I didn’t understand your inquiry”, the agent can check all the KYC documentation, including status, player history, exact amounts and date, so it can ask intuitive follow-up questions and arrive at a solution more quickly and thoroughly.

“With the sandbox up and running, any operator in dozens of languages and geos is able to test how Tugi Tark’s AI  agents will work, on their site, within their player base. That means without having to endure lengthy sales pitches or commit to a product, operators are able to test exactly what it’s like having our technology work for them,” concludes Lilja. “And the great thing is that the entire process has a setup time of 30 minutes.

The post Introducing the newest testing tool for AI-boosted customer engagement appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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