Industry News
How European Tax Changes Are Reshaping iGaming Media Budgets in 2025
 
																								
												
												
											
Throughout 2025, European iGaming markets have faced a new layer of complexity: shifting tax and licensing rules that directly impact marketing costs. Governments continue to increase gross gaming revenue (GGR) tax rates and impose stricter reporting standards.
As of July 2025, these changes have become a critical factor in how operators and agencies plan, distribute, and optimize user acquisition budgets. RockApp analysis indicates that tax policy is fundamentally reshaping the planning process for performance marketing across Europe.
European Tax Environment in 2025
Several major European markets have introduced or expanded gambling tax rules over the last 18 months:
- Germany: GGR tax increased from 5.3% to 7% in mid-2024. By Q2 2025, operators are recalibrating CPA targets and revising bonus strategies to preserve margin.
- Netherlands: New compliance requirements implemented in January 2025 include enhanced KYC/AML reporting, adding operational costs and slowing onboarding funnels.
- Eastern Europe: Romania and Poland are reviewing GGR tax bands, with planned 1–2% increases included in government budgets for H2 2025.
These changes raise per-user acquisition costs and reduce flexibility on pricing incentives. Media buyers now need to plan budgets and creative strategy with greater precision to maintain efficiency.
RockApp data, drawn from over 120 active campaigns in 2025, demonstrates how these pressures translate into real shifts in buying behavior and budget allocation.
Budget Impact on Media Buying Strategies
Analysis of campaign performance in 2025 reveals several clear trends:
- Shift to Tier-2 GEOs: Markets with lower tax pressure (such as CIS, Balkans, and LATAM) are seeing 30-40% more acquisition budget allocation compared to 2023.
- CPA Adjustments: Average first-time-depositor CPA in regulated Western European markets has risen from ~€120 in 2023 to €145–160 in 2025, driven by increased taxation and competitive auction dynamics.
- Creative Cost Pressures: Bonus-focused creatives now demand tighter payout modeling to balance user appeal with higher GGR liabilities.
As a result, buying strategies have moved away from broad, high-volume campaigns toward segmented, CPA-focused plans with more granular GEO targeting.
Budget Impact on Media Buying Strategies
Tax policy changes don’t just influence operator balance sheets. They force a recalibration of the entire media buying strategy.
RockApp data from over 120 active campaigns in 2025 shows clear budget trends:
- Shift to Tier-2 GEOs: Markets with lower tax pressure (e.g., CIS, Balkans, LATAM) now see 30-40% more acquisition budget allocation compared to 2023.
- CPA Adjustment: Average first-time-depositor CPA in regulated Western Europe has climbed from €120 in 2023 to €145-160 in 2025, driven by both taxation and competitive auction prices.
- Creative Cost Pressure: Bonus-focused creatives need tighter payout modelling, balancing marketing appeal with GGR realities.
For media teams, the result is a move away from broad, high-volume campaigns toward precisely segmented, CPA-optimized buying with robust GEO-targeting logic.
GEO Diversification as Strategic Response
For many brands, geo diversification has become the simplest and most effective hedge against rising tax costs.
According to Appsflyer’s mid-2025 install cost benchmarks, CPIs in markets such as Brazil, India, and select African countries remain stable or are falling – averaging $0.60–$1.20 per pre-install, compared to $3+ in Western Europe.
RockApp’s planning data shows clear reallocation trends:
- LATAM budgets up ~35% year over year.
- Eastern Europe spending stable, with modest CPA increases.
- Western Europe budgets flattening or declining, with more investment going toward targeted retargeting and high-value lookalike segments.
Diversifying GEO strategy is emerging as a necessary planning approach to balance premium Tier-1 acquisition costs with Tier-2 scale opportunities.
Tactical Media Buying Adjustments in 2025
In response to new taxation and compliance demands, advertisers are refining their acquisition tactics. Effective strategies seen across European campaigns this year include:
- Hyper-segmentation: Adapting CPA targets at the micro-GEO, channel, and audience level.
- Creative Flexibility: Developing multiple bonus tiers and transparent CTAs designed for localized regulations.
- Source Tiering: Prioritizing verified, high-retention traffic sources over pure volume channels.
- Automated Bidding Rules: Aligning bid pacing and budget allocation with region-specific margin goals and user lifetime value curves.
RockApp analysis suggests that these shifts are helping operators maintain acquisition efficiency in the face of rising costs and regulatory complexity.
Advice for Q3 and Q4 Planning
With peak acquisition season approaching, several planning considerations stand out:
- Leverage Q3’s traditionally lower competition to test new channels and creative variations cost-effectively.
- Prepare Q4 budgets for elevated CPA levels, using segmented bidding strategies and clear ROI targets.
- Integrate compliance checks and fraud-control measures early in creative production to avoid approval delays and wasted spend.
RockApp data indicates that campaigns investing in upfront planning and testing see more stable CPA performance even in high-demand periods.
Conclusion
European tax changes have become a defining variable in iGaming growth strategy. These aren’t simply operational details – they now shape how marketing teams approach channel selection, creative design, and budget allocation at the most fundamental level.
RockApp continues to monitor these shifts across campaigns and regions, helping operators and agencies adapt media buying systems to maintain acquisition efficiency in a more complex regulatory environment.
The post How European Tax Changes Are Reshaping iGaming Media Budgets in 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
7 Fire Dice
Amusnet Releases 7 Fire Dice
 
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Amusnet has released 7 Fire Dice, the newest addition to its growing Online Casino portfolio. This skilled dice game sets the stage for a thrilling experience, blending strategy, anticipation and fiery rewards that keep the tension alive with every throw.
7 Fire Dice elevates the classic dice concept with a modern twist, combining dynamic gameplay and stunning visuals to create a truly immersive experience. Every roll brings the chance to uncover multipliers, unlock fiery jackpots and trigger mystery surprises that keep players engaged from start to finish.
At the heart of the game lies the Fire Treasure feature, where players can ignite fiery jackpots and unlock explosive rewards. Multipliers appear throughout the gameplay, boosting payouts and creating moments of pure adrenaline. For those eager to jump straight into the heat of the action, the Buy Bonus option instantly unlocks the game’s special rounds packed with even more opportunities to win big.
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The post Amusnet Releases 7 Fire Dice appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Asia Gaming Awards 2025
Spintec Showcases Award-winning Solutions and Innovations at G2E Las Vegas
 
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It was an honour for Spintec to exhibit at G2E Las Vegas this year, after being recognised with multiple honours across the world, including Best Performing ETG Product in LATAM and Western Europe (Eilers, 2025) and Best Electronic Table Game Solution at the Asia Gaming Awards 2025.
At G2E 2025, Spintec presented an exhaustive portfolio of products that have accrued so many awards: from different games and experiences to a surprising range of settings in the Charisma Series.
The solution that garnered the most attention was the Charisma Amphitheater that can accommodate a large number of players. They can share the same dynamic, multigame experience, enjoying Roulette, Sic Bo, Craps, Blackjack, or Baccarat across automated, virtual and live platforms. The action is constant and thrilling, not just because of the varied and exciting games, but also because of the expanded side bets, jackpots and simultaneous gameplay options.
This layout fosters a vibrant, tournament-ready atmosphere that is always a lot of fun. However, at G2E, Spintec showed that it can be upgraded even further with their latest innovation: the Spintec Tournament Experience. It comes with a visually striking LED-driven environment with real-time stats, live visuals and dynamic leaderboards that are designed to keep players immersed and energised.
At the other end of the spectrum are the circumstances where individual play is much preferred to a shared experience. In those, Charisma SVM (Stand-Alone Virtual Machine) is a perfect solution. It combines five table games into a sleek, space-efficient cabinet for individual players. It is designed for flexibility and fast play, allowing extremely smooth game transitions. It is compact yet powerful and delivers unmatched versatility for casinos of any size.
Visitors at G2E also got to experience two absolute rising stars from the Spintec portfolio. Galactic Spin, Spintec’s flagship game, is quickly becoming one of their most interesting introductions. It is a GLI-certified roulette-style innovation that amplifies excitement through free spins, multipliers and a three-level Galactic Jackpot, one of the most advanced and engaging progressive roulette systems worldwide.
The other undisputed star and a global bestseller from Spintec’s lineup is the Charisma Roulette with eight play stations. Its popularity comes from innovations such as Galactic Spin Roulette, Lucky Number Jackpot and HotSpot Roulette, which are all extremely reliable revenue drivers. The setting also offers exceptional visibility of the wheel from every seat with an elegant design enhanced by LED illumination and dual-sided animated signage.
The visitors at the G2E Las Vegas also very much enjoyed the Baccarat and Craps setups. The Charisma Baccarat with five play stations showed authentic gameplay through its market-tailored squeeze feature and a variety of side bets with payouts up to 48x, including some exclusive side bet options unique to Spintec. The other solution that also invited a lot of attention was the Charisma Craps technology. It exhibited extremely smooth gameplay with exciting dice rolls and fast, accurate number reading, maintaining the thrill of traditional craps while enhancing efficiency. A standout element is the Shooter Button, a fun and interactive feature that assigns the shooter role in accordance with authentic live game rules. Charisma Craps also incorporates a proprietary solution that guarantees clean, fair rolls by preventing dice from becoming cocked or landing on top of each other.
All of Spintec’s solutions are extremely customisable with premium finishes, and a design that fits any casino floor.
The post Spintec Showcases Award-winning Solutions and Innovations at G2E Las Vegas appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Astromania Casino
Astromania Casino Announces International Launch Across Multiple Markets
 
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The international iGaming market is growing with the opening of Astromania Casino. The new platform will be a complete online casino and sportsbook, with a regulated and technologically enhanced platform available to players across multiple regulated international markets.
In the early phases, Astromania will target multiple regulated markets as a multi-geo brand. The project demonstrates a strategic desire to enter competitive, highly regulated markets with a product that is supposed to be of the highest standards of transparency and operational stability.
Astromania Casino provides an efficient and transparent platform that is developed on trust. It has more than 6000 games with international providers and a full sportsbook with all major sports.
“Astromania was created as a platform that prioritises performance, security, and fairness. Our objective is to provide users with an efficient, regulated product supported by transparent processes and dependable technology,” said the chief Executive Officer of Astromania.
The platform adapts to each region’s language, currency and regulatory standards. Payment methods cover cards, e-wallets, bank transfers and crypto, with regional options like GiroPay, PayID and Paysafecard.
All financial operations are protected through SSL encryption, real-time monitoring and AML/KYC verification in full compliance with European regulatory standards.
Astromania incorporates a comprehensive responsible gaming system designed to maintain player control and security. Users can configure individual deposit and time limits, apply self-exclusion measures and access multilingual support around the clock. Behavioural analytics tools allow the platform to detect and respond to irregular gaming patterns, reinforcing player protection.
“Compliance and responsibility are integral to Astromania’s operation. Our mission is to ensure that entertainment is delivered within a framework of safety and accountability,” said the Compliance Director.
Scalable cloud architecture is the technological basis of Astromania, which allows another cloud to run all of the performance without issues in the busiest periods. The modular design of the platform enables the quick adaptation to new regulatory settings and market-specific demands. The company is expanding across regulated regions, focusing on localised content and payment integrations for each market.
The company’s roadmap includes the release of exclusive proprietary content, native mobile applications for iOS and Android featuring biometric authentication and the expansion of coverage aligned with regional player demand.
The brand’s strategic goal is to combine large-scale content delivery with technological precision and full compliance with jurisdictional requirements.
“Astromania is not a short-term venture. Our objective is to establish a platform that defines long-term reliability and transparency within the regulated iGaming sector,” added the CEO.
The post Astromania Casino Announces International Launch Across Multiple Markets appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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