SBC Eurasia Editorial Team is happy to present a quick recap of the gambling industry events, news, regulations, and partnerships that happened last week.
Dainis Niedra is a person whose career in the iGaming industry spans numerous transformations, challenges, and victories. Niedra answers 10 questions from SBC Eurasia about key moments in his career, challenges, and important lessons learned over the years.
Emily Thompson, Content Writer and Researcher at CasinoRank, compares the live betting and live casino sectors to outline how operators can capitalise on the growth these products offer.
SBC has revealed the shortlist for SBC Awards Americas, taking place this May during the highly anticipated SBC Summit Americas. The awards ceremony will spotlight the achievements of standout performers across North and Latin America. While SBC Summit Malta 2025 will include the organiser’s biggest-ever workshop programme, delivering hands-on, practical learning tailored for betting and iGaming professionals.
SBC Summit attendees will get a front-row seat to one of the most influential voices in modern business as Gary Vaynerchuk headlines the Super Stage on 17 September.
The legal gambling market in Ukraine continues to develop actively. In the first three months of 2025, the state budget received 5.4 billion UAH ($135 million) in taxes from the gambling industry, which is 20.4% more than in the same period of 2024. These figures not only reflect the growth of the industry but also confirm that the legalization of gambling can become an important source of revenue for the state budget.
At the end of March, Croatia announced new rules to increase taxation and licensing, as well as a set of new advertising restrictions. The move has faced criticism from some in the industry, who condemned the government’s actions for not having been notified in advance by the European Commission (EC). While a lawsuit initiated by a German player against Malta-based Lottoland has reached the halls of the European Court of Justice.
The EC has ruled that the decision to grant Ladbrokes virtual betting rights in Belgium does not constitute state aid, in a decision that ends more than five years of legal wrangling.
Despite the surge in visibility of golf’s big-budget newcomer tournament, LIV Golf, one of the traditional giants of the sport, The Masters, continues to peak bettors’ interest according to Entain.
Flutter Entertainment‘s Italian leadership ambitions took a step further this week as the multinational gaming group secured regulatory approval for its takeover of Snaitech. While Veikkaus, the state-owned gambling operator in Finland, has expanded the content available to players in the country after agreeing to a partnership with Thunderkick.
According to Bloomberg, the casino bill has been delayed in Thailand amid public discontent. Earlier, protests were held outside the parliament building in opposition to the bill and the legalization of casinos in the country.
The operator of the UAE Lottery, The Game LLC, has begun implementing geolocation technology in preparation for the upcoming nationwide launch of the lottery, scheduled for the end of the year. While Novomatic AG has secured a Gaming Related Vendor Licence issued by the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) of the UAE.
Leadership of Gentoo Media stated that the firm will pursue strategic acquisitions to build on a decent financial performance in its first year under a new structure and brand name. While STS Group has appointed Ivan Gojić as Chief Sportsbook Officer, aiming to enhance its position as Poland’s largest betting firm and to support expansion into further Central and Eastern European (CEE) markets.
The Ottawa Senators have partnered with ToonieBet, making the Ontario-focused online casino the team’s Official Online Casino Partner during the NHL playoffs. While 1xBet has signed a partnership agreement with Barcelona S.C., Ecuador’s most successful football club.
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