Yaroslav Soloshenko, ELA Games’ Business Development Team Lead, will participate in the panel discussion titled “Boosting the appeal of live casino to next-gen players” at the upcoming SBC Digital Conference 2025 on April 17, 2025.

The online full-day conference will gather the iGaming industry’s influential leaders to host in-depth conversations on the most relevant and talked-about topics in the online casino and slots space.

Yaroslav will be part of a three-person panel to discuss the future of online gaming and how live casino features can capture a modern audience. He will highlight how ELA Games’ titles, such as Cash Crab, have a crucial role in inspiring business success for operators with social gamification mechanics while providing a fresh gaming experience for players.

Advertisement

Yaroslav Soloshenko commented, “It’s a pleasure to represent ELA Games at the upcoming SBC Digital Conference, where I’ll join influential panelists to explore how live casino features can evolve to accommodate the next generation of gamers. Our studio has witnessed firsthand how games like Cash Crab, with real-time social and gamification mechanics, can help operators drive engagement and acquire new players in a competitive market. I’m excited to discuss this topic further and provide relevant insights for all attendees.”

Konami Gaming Inc. and Solverde Group announced the official European premiere of Konami real-money online slots. Online players at Solverde.pt, Portugal’s largest online casino, became Europe’s first to wager on Konami slots via smartphone, tablet and desktop, with player-favourites from the casino including All Aboard, Cobra Hearts, Chili Chili Fire, and more. For more than a decade, guests at traditional land-based casinos across Europe have enjoyed Konami slot games, known for rewarding bonus events, memorable hero characters, high-volume free games and rich quality graphics. Konami aims to expand those same experiences across European iGaming markets, beginning with this historic launch in Portugal.

“Solverde Group is leading the market with this milestone, becoming the first in Europe to offer Konami real-money online slots to Solverde.pt online players. It is the first of many new iGaming partnerships we hope to build across Europe, as a key strategic market for expanding Konami’s online slot offering to more players,” said Steve Sutherland, president and chief executive officer at Konami Gaming Inc.

This launch makes way for a continuous pipeline of Konami online content, proven in quality and recognised by players. For years, casino players in Portugal have enjoyed Konami slots at Solverde Group’s five casino gaming destinations, including the nation’s first casino resort, Hotel Algarve Casino. Now players on Solverde.pt can enjoy a variety of Konami slot entertainment online, from anywhere within Portugal.

Advertisement

“As the Portuguese online casino with the widest portfolio, we are excited to lead all of Europe in debuting Konami real-money online slots across the country. This month’s debut games are the first of many popular Konami slots we look forward to publish on Solverde.pt for our players to enjoy,” said Manuel A. Violas, Board Member at Solverde Group.

“Considering our longtime partnership in the traditional land-based space, Konami is especially pleased to congratulate Solverde.pt on this high-profile iGaming launch, at the forefront of the entire region. Through Konami’s owned remote gaming server, there is a wealth of proven quality slot content that we’re ready to expand to more of Europe’s leading online operators very quickly,” said Eduardo Aching, vice president of international gaming operations at Konami Gaming.

The Swedish Gambling Authority, Spelinspektionen, has released a new report detailing the current situation of online gambling that takes place outside the licensed market in Sweden. It contains a survey of the key players who engage in illegal gambling and their methods of reaching Swedish players.

The assessment is that the supply of unlicensed online gambling is large and relatively easily accessible. The Swedish Gambling Authority has developed methods to identify unlicensed gambling sites where Swedes play. It is a relatively small group of players, probably fewer than 5% of the total number of players, who demand games that do not have a Swedish gaming license.

Under current legislation, the Swedish Gambling Authority cannot intervene against all gambling sites that do not have a Swedish gambling license. According to the so-called targeting criterion, the authority can currently only intervene against gambling sites that target gambling customers in Sweden through, for example, marketing or that have gambling sites that are designed for the Swedish market.

Advertisement

“We welcome the ongoing investigation into the expanded scope of application, which is to be reported no later than 17 September this year. Despite the problems with the current scope of application, we believe that our interventions, where possible, are important and have an effect. It is therefore important that we continue our work to combat illegal gambling even during the ongoing investigation of the regulations,” said Spelinspektionen’s Director General Camilla Rosenberg.