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The Latest Polish Casino News and Online Gambling Regulations

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Every industry has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, and the Polish gambling industry has been no exception to this. Century Casinos, which has a number of land-based facilities across Poland, has been ordered to temporarily close as Poland, along with many other countries on the continent, battle an upsurge in Covid-19 cases. In the following article, we are going to take a closer look at this shutdown before taking a look at the Polish online casino scene and their gambling regulations.

The Shutdown Period at Century Casinos

The Colorado Springs based gaming operator announced that its Polish casinos, of which there are 8, will be shut to the public from March the 19th until April the 9th. However, if the number of cases has not started to decrease by then, there is a very good chance that the shutdown will be extended further. This is not the first shutdown that they have been forced to have as all casinos in Poland were ordered to close on the 28th of December 2020, and they were not allowed to open again for close to two months.

This news will be pretty frustrating for casino players across Poland as the Polish love to gamble, but at the end of the day the Polish government needs to put the health of its people above the wealth of its people.

When it does open up again, it is likely that strict regulations will be in place to try and contain the spread of Covid-19. At the time of writing, facemasks are compulsory across Poland when out in public, except for when you are able to keep a 1.5 metre distance from others. Therefore, face masks are not mandatory when out in the countryside or in National Parks and forests. As a result, when Century Casinos finally get given permission from the Polish government to open up again, it is likely that anyone who enters will have to wear a mask at all times.

It is also likely that they will only be allowed to let in a certain number of people at once and that they will have reduced opening hours so that they have time to sanitize the tables and slot games to decrease the chances of patrons catching the virus.

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The Polish Online Casino Scene

As we said above, the Polish love to gamble and the closure of land-based casinos across the country will be frustrating to many casino players. However, all is not lost as the Polish have access to a great and ever-growing online casino scene. Although the online gambling market is small if you compare it to the online gambling scenes in the United States or the United Kingdom, there is one thing that is for certain and this is that the Polish online gambling scene is growing at a steady pace.

This growth started back in 2017 when the Polish government decided to amend the Gambling Act to make regulations less strict. They are still some of the strictest around (more on this below), but they are not as strict as they used to be, and this has had a big impact on the country’s gambling revenue. To give you an idea as to just how much the Polish online gambling scene has grown, in 2015 a mere €0.11bn was generated from it. However, in 2018, according to the casino experts from kasynopolskaonline.com, the industry was worth €1.82 billion. Now, in 2021, it is estimated to be worth somewhere in the region of €5 billion.

Now, we know that there is some way for it to go before it can put itself at the same level of the UK gambling market, but it is clear for everyone to see that Poland’s online gambling market is definitely on the right trajectory. If it keeps growing at the rate that it is, we see no reason why they cannot hit the €10 billion mark within the next 5-10 years.

Polish Gambling Regulations

Based on the numbers that we just gave above, it is clear that Polish online market is doing really well. However, like we said, Polish operators and players still need to adhere to strict gambling rules.

At the time of writing, Polish online casino players are only able to participate in types of gambling that are regulated and licensed by Act on Gambling Games, which was amended in November 2019. This includes slot games, table games, bingo, sports betting, and lottery.

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So, where does this leave the online gambling scene in Poland? Well, truthfully, it is a complicated situation. In fact, Totalizator Sportowy is the only state-owned operator that is permitted to offer casino games and sports betting in Poland. Now, this is not recent news as this is an issue that has been impacting the Polish gambling market in the European Union for years. Polish casino players had hoped that some new laws would be put in place in 2017 to allow other operators to provide their services in the country, but that did not materialize.

However, when all things are considered, the situation is not too bad for Polish players. For example, there are no rules that declare that Polish gamblers cannot open an account with an offshore gambling site. There are now plenty of offshore online casinos that are happy to accept players from Poland. However, they have to be in possession of a valid gambling license from a legitimate gambling regulator, such as the Malta Gaming Authority or the UK Gambling Commission, and Polish players have to be 21 or older in order to sign up.

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B.F.T.H. Arena Awards’24 Partners with Ortak for an Unprecedented iGaming Experience

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BetConstruct is thrilled to announce that the B.F.T.H. Arena Awards’24, in collaboration with Ortak, is poised to set a new standard in the iGaming industry. This prestigious event will showcase innovative gaming solutions and welcome leading names in the industry, including Platin Gaming, Evoplay, Espresso Gaming, ensuring an exciting lineup of new games and significant developments. The event also marks the approach of the submission deadline on May 31, setting the stage for a competitive and vibrant showcase.

Integration with Ortak

This year, every game submitted to the B.F.T.H. Arena Awards automatically becomes part of the Ortak platform. Ortak represents a groundbreaking shift in the iGaming market, offering an innovative investment product that allows game creators to sell shares of their games as NFT-slots. These shares can be freely traded in self-determined quantities and prices, similar to an Initial Public Offering (IPO) for games.

How Ortak Works

Casino game developers can now list their games on the Ortak platform, making NFT-slots available for public purchase. This allows investors to buy shares, NFT-slots registered on the Bahamut blockchain, and become stakeholders in their favourite games. This model not only provides a new revenue stream for developers but also opens up unique investment opportunities for the gaming community.

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Ortak serves both established game providers and emerging stars in the industry. For veteran developers, it offers a platform to reach new audiences and enhance player engagement. For newcomers, it presents a viable financial strategy to fund major marketing campaigns and operations, helping them gain traction and scale quickly.

What to Expect at the B.F.T.H. Arena Awards’24

Scheduled from July 1st to July 4th, the B.F.T.H. Arena Awards’24 will feature an expanded lineup of categories and a substantial prize pool of over 3,333,000 FTN, aimed at showcasing the best games of 2024. With major operators participating, this year’s event promises to be a dynamic showcase of creativity and innovation, introducing groundbreaking new games from some of the industry’s most influential developers.

Building on last year’s success, which saw over 50 game developers participate, the awards will continue during the Harmony Meetup 4.0, drawing over 500 industry representatives to highlight and celebrate the winners.

This year’s competition includes a wider range of categories, including the new ones: Best Online Casino Game, Best Game Design, Best FTN Casino Game, Best Game Storytelling, Best Bahamut Game, Best DECA Game, Best Arcade Game, Best Game Achievement. Additionally, any game with an available demo will be eligible for public voting in the Players’ Game of Choice category.

This year, BetConstruct is dedicated to enhancing this legacy by increasing the prize pool, expanding the award categories, and hosting a grand ceremony to celebrate innovation and achievement within the gaming community.

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Promoting Winning Games

Winning titles at the B.F.T.H. Arena Awards’24 receive comprehensive promotional support, utilising advanced CRM tools such as the Wonder Wheel and tailored promotions. Supported by a global network of influencers from Latin America to Asia, this strategic marketing effort is crafted to significantly enhance the games’ visibility and, in turn, increase their revenue. By tapping into diverse markets and connecting with a broad audience, we ensure that each winning game attains maximum exposure and impact.

Looking Forward

More innovative updates are set to be released in June, enhancing the Ortak platform and providing further opportunities for engagement and investment in the iGaming sector.

The core of this year’s B.F.T.H. Arena Awards is the belief that innovation drives excellence. BetConstruct is dedicated to consistently expanding the limits of the iGaming industry. Through the B.F.T.H. Arena Awards and the Ortak initiative, the company is creating an environment where barriers are overcome, paving the way for significant advances and showcasing a future shaped by every innovation.

BetConstruct warmly invites game developers and investors to be part of this exciting new chapter in gaming history.

Join the B.F.T.H. Arena Awards’24 and experience the future of iGaming firsthand.

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The post B.F.T.H. Arena Awards’24 Partners with Ortak for an Unprecedented iGaming Experience appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Interviews

Exclusive Q&A w/ Richard Mifsud, Chief Vision Officer at XPRIZO

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Would you tell us about the idea behind the Xprizo fintech platform?

It’s a story that started several years ago when the founder was conducting business on the ground in several emerging markets. Xprizo was founded to respond to the needs of emerging market consumers and merchants, whilst also addressing the limitations of Western banking systems.

This full-service payments platform combines all functionality needed by merchants, with a product tailored to unbanked consumers, bringing this market together in one, seamless ecosystem. What’s more, we drive adoption and consumer education through a network of agents, supporting cash deposit and withdrawal in a way that our target audience is accustomed to.

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Xprizo’s mission statement is to ‘revolutionise the future of fintech’. What gaps in the market is Xprizo working to find solutions for and improve in the fintech space?

We are primarily targeting countries which have substantially large communities which are under served when it comes to fintech or banking. Therefore, we are operating in a challenging environment where we truly believe we can have a life changing impact connecting these people to several national and international services. We are delivering a comprehensive financial service where our clients are usually just served with either mobile money or cash and with the introduction of Xprizo our customers can benefit from p2p payments, card processing and full integration to the local mobile money ecosystem, debit cards, crypto and much much more.

 

How was the development process in building the platform? Were there particular challenges along the way and how long did it take to get the platform ready for market?

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We wanted to build the platform from the ground up using local knowledge and tenants so we are working with people coming from Africa, India, Southeast Asia and also Latin America. To arrive at where we are it took several years actually and it is always developing. Having said that in the last 12 months the platform and the wallet took the shape it has today and we covered a lot of ground. Main challenges were the territory we operate in since we needed to make sure the platform can run smoothly with less than ideal infrastructure. One has to keep in mind that we are operating in a space where lack of electricity is the norm, interrupted internet is an everyday occurrence, regulatory matters are still very complex and more.

 

How does the Xprizo platform set itself apart from other fintech offerings? What can the service provide that others can’t?

As explained earlier, we build the platform from the people to the people. Most other offerings are a one-size fits all where they are adapted versions of what is available in the western world. Moreover, we are offering a truly comprehensive payment orchestration for users and merchants. One just needs to get on our platform and doesn’t need anything further. You can get the local payment methods, our own p2p, cards, etc.. No other service out there has such a complete  offering.

 

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Xprizo’s platform features a number of payment service providers such as M-Pesa, what benefits does this bring customers?

The idea is that our clients don’t need to use several systems to make their life or business. Using or integrating to Xprizo gives you a number of payment methods in one place where for the business side you would integrate one API and you can pick and choose what you wish to use.

 

How is 2024 shaping up for the business and what plans are in place to continue to develop the platform?

2024 is proving to be an incredible year for Xprizo. We are very happy to be overwhelmed with businesses that are recognising the benefits of using our system and we are having internal discussions to be integrated with very well known businesses and also by Tier 1 banks. Our ground reach though the agent network will also keep expanding month on month and the product offering will keep being a one of a kind setting the standard for other Fintech companies to keep up to.

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2024 will also see us expand our reach in Africa launching several other countries and more importantly we will be launching our first operations in South East Asia. We will be beginning with the Philippines in June with the goal of expanding our reach across the following months.

The post Exclusive Q&A w/ Richard Mifsud, Chief Vision Officer at XPRIZO appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Africa

EGT Tanzania consolidates its status as a leader in Africa with a major installation at Grand Leone Casino in Sierra Leone

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Euro Games Technology continues its fruitful collaboration with Gaming IQ in Africa. After the large-scale installation in Grand Palace Casino in Cameroon several months ago, the Bulgarian manufacturer of gaming equipment recently made another big delivery of more than 60 cabinets in the reputable Grand Leone Casino in Sierra Leone, the operator’s biggest establishment in Free Town. Thus, EGT became the main supplier of the casino, which currently has a total of 80 machines.

Its guests now have the chance to enjoy some of the most popular products in EGT’s portfolio. Among them are the top performers from Vega Vision Series, as well as the Premier Series bestsellers P 24-24 Up, P 27-27 St Slim and P 42V St Curved, which are among the most successful slot cabinets in the African markets. Super Premier also made its debut in the country, having demonstrated the same excellent performance as the other models. All machines are equipped with the well-known Collection Series multigames: Gold, Purple, Union, Orange, Green and Fruits Collection, featuring some of EGT’s most popular titles on a global level. The players’ experience is complemented by the opportunity to try their luck with the well-established in the local markets Lady’s Cards and Premium Link jackpots. At their disposal are also several S-line terminals connected to a live and an automated roulette wheel and offering the latest multiplayer software of the company: King 3 and 4, Multiplay and Royal multigame mixes.

EGT’s casino management system Spider has been installed in Sierra Leone for the first time. After the impressive results it showed at Grand Palace Casino in Cameroon, the operator decided to implement it here and it is already successfully assisting for the easy and efficient management of the daily activities in Grand Leone Casino as well.

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“With this installation, EGT became the leader in Sierra Leone with 60% market share,” commented Lilia Georgieva, CEO of EGT Tanzania. “We would like to thank our valued partners from Gaming IQ, who once again chose to provide one of their top gaming locations with our products. I highly appreciate that they place their trust in us and I believe that we will fully meet the high expectations they have for us.”

Delcho Petrov from Gaming IQ also shared his positive feedback regarding the new collaboration with EGT: “We are extremely happy and grateful for achieving this project at the beautiful and reputable property of Grand Leone Casino. The property now offers two VIP Slot Areas and various gaming spaces to accommodate each type of customer and has the highest footprint of slot machines in Sierra Leone. Our Collaboration with EGT has proven again a successful product delivery.  We continue to strive for delivering quality and modern products and to develop the African casino market. We look forward to our upcoming projects in different countries and expanding our footprint.”

The post EGT Tanzania consolidates its status as a leader in Africa with a major installation at Grand Leone Casino in Sierra Leone appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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