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A new report from the casino guide Casino.se: How the new gaming law has affected the Swedish gaming industry

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5 years ago

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A new report from the casino guide Casino.se highlights how the Swedish gaming industry has been affected since January 2019, when the government introduced a licensing market for gambling. The report reveals, among other things, that about 50,000 Swedes have used the self-shutdown service spelpaus.se, as well as a dramatic reduction in visitor traffic to the Swedish licensed companies. In addition, criticism is directed at the government’s recent legislative proposals with additional gaming regulations, which, according to the report, risk driving players to unregulated international gambling sites.

Casino.se, Sweden’s leading casino guide, today presents a new report on how the new gambling law from January 2019 has affected the Swedish gaming market and its players. The report, prepared by Casino.se together with the owner company XLMedia, highlights, among other things, changes in consumers’ gaming patterns, government revenues and expenses, as well as the growth of the private industry players, which are today part of Sweden’s regulated gaming market. The report also analyzes the future of the industry, as well as the risks associated with the government’s recent legislative proposals on lower maximum limits for deposits and bonuses, with the primary aim of countering gambling abuse during the corona crisis.

The new gambling law

The new Gaming Act from January 1, 2019, meant that Sweden was granted a licensing market for gambling, with the aim of excluding all the actors that are non-licensed and don’t pay tax in Sweden. According to Spelinspektionen, 98 companies today have active gaming licenses, where of as many as 71 are online. Among other things, the law requires that the companies on their site, clearly offer players three main opportunities to limit their gambling, in the form of the measures spelpaus.se, game limits and self-testing. The companies that do not comply with the rules risk, among other things, having their license revoked for up to two years.

Of the three measures mentioned above, spelpaus.se, which enables self-suspension from virtually all gambling in Sweden, has meant the most important change. In March 2020, according to the Gaming Inspection, nearly 50,000 Swedes had registered on spelpaus.se, of which 76 percent were men and 24 percent were women.

The economic development of the gaming industry

During the third quarter of 2019, the new gaming law had a noticeably negative effect on the Swedish gaming market as a whole. The total return for online gaming operators with Swedish licenses was SEK 3.35 billion, according to statistics from the Gaming Inspectorate, which was a decrease of SEK 120 million compared to the second quarter and SEK 70 million compared to the first quarter of the same year. 2019 was a relatively weak year for the gaming industry, with a total turnover of SEK 24.79 billion, which was only a modest increase from the previous year.

Reduced visitor traffic

New statistics from Casino.se and Google Trends reveal that several of the Swedish licensed gaming companies had significantly less visitor traffic to their sites in 2019 than in previous years. All in all, however, the Swedish licensed companies have so far been mostly satisfied with the development since the new law came into force.

“By having a regulated market, long-term sustainability and industry profits are secured. It benefits both consumers and operators,” says Stuart Simms, CEO of XLMedia, which runs Casino.se.

New bill risks driving players towards the unregulated gaming market

However, a cloud of concern has flared up now in May. It concerns the government’s new bill to introduce a maximum deposit limit of SEK 5,000 a week and a bonus ceiling of SEK 100 to limit gambling, especially during the corona crisis when many are sitting at home. The proposal has generated a massive protest storm from leading industry players, which has been noted in both international and Swedish press. One of the detractors is Gustaf Hoffstedt, Secretary General of the Industry Association for Online Games (BOS), who believes that these new regulations would counteract its purpose and harm the Swedish gaming industry.

“I react with surprise and consternation. All of these regulations, which may have honest ambitions to strengthen consumer protection, drive players away from the licensed market, ”Hoffstedt said in the report.

To read the full report, please click here.

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Olympian Legends: Galaxsys’ New Slot Game Inspired by Ancient Myths

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April 30, 2025

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Galaxsys, the award-winning games developer, is proud to announce the launch of Olympian Legends, a new slot game that brings the power and majesty of ancient mythology to life.

More than just a tribute to ancient mythology, Olympian Legends combines breathtaking visuals, innovative features, and dynamic gameplay, promising players an unforgettable journey through the myths of Olympus. As players progress and reveal mythic features, they face the power of ancient gods. With cascading symbols and exciting bonuses, the game delivers a dynamic adventure that’s truly worth exploring.

This marks the third slot title that Galaxsys has announced over the last two months, following the launches of Funny Faces: Hoglet-Moglet and El Dorado.

What Makes Olympian Legends Special
Olympian Legends stands out by blending rich narrative elements with innovative slot mechanics. The progress bar on the right side of the grid consists of five elements. Each time a winning combination is formed, the progress bar fills from bottom to top, triggering a mythical feature when an element is completed. Additionally, the Buy Bonus option allows players to take fate into their own hands, enabling them to access the bonus game at any time they choose.

Dynamic animations and sound design ensure every encounter with Zeus, Poseidon, and more characters feels like stepping into an epic saga rather than playing a traditional slot.

Vigen Safaryan, CPO at Galaxsys, commented: “Olympian Legends combines strong gameplay mechanics with a detailed and dynamic theme. Our goal was to deliver a slot that feels rewarding to play while offering players a more refined experience through mythology. We paid special attention to balancing the game’s features to ensure that the experience feels dynamic, without overwhelming the player. From the visuals and animations to the way the bonuses unfold, every element was designed to create a journey that feels both entertaining and authentic.”

Olympian Legends is now live and available for Galaxsys’ global network of partners.

The post Olympian Legends: Galaxsys’ New Slot Game Inspired by Ancient Myths appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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ESET Research

ESET Research analyzes tools from the China-aligned TheWizards group, with targets across Asia and the Middle East

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3 hours ago

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April 30, 2025

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ESET researchers have analyzed Spellbinder, a lateral movement tool used to perform adversary-in-the-middle attacks by the China-aligned threat actor TheWizards. Spellbinder enables adversary-in-the-middle attacks through IPv6 stateless address autoconfiguration spoofing, which allows the attackers to redirect the update protocols of legitimate Chinese software to malicious servers. Then the legitimate software is tricked into downloading and executing the malicious components that launch the backdoor WizardNet.

TheWizards has been constantly active since at least 2022 until the present and, according to ESET telemetry, targets individuals, gambling companies, and unknown entities in the Philippines, Cambodia, the United Arab Emirates, mainland China, and Hong Kong.

“We initially discovered and analyzed this tool in 2022, and observed a new version with a few changes that was deployed to compromised machines in 2023 and 2024,” says ESET researcher Facundo Muñoz, who analyzed Spellbinder and WizardNet. “Our research led us to discover a tool used by the attackers that is designed to perform adversary-in-the-middle attacks using IPv6 SLAAC spoofing to intercept and reply to packets in a network, allowing the attackers to redirect traffic and serve malicious updates to legitimate Chinese software,” explains Muñoz.

The final payload in the attack is a backdoor that we named WizardNet – a modular implant that connects to a remote controller to receive and execute .NET modules on the compromised machine. ESET researchers have focused on one of the latest cases, in 2024, in which the update of Tencent QQ software was hijacked. The malicious server that issues the update instructions is still active. This variant of WizardNet supports five commands, three of which allow it to execute .NET modules in memory, thus extending its functionality on the compromised system.

TheWizards and the Chinese company Dianke Network Security Technology (also known as UPSEC) – supplier of the DarkNights backdoor (also known as DarkNimbus), appear to be linked. According to NCSC UK, this malicious backdoor also has Tibetan and Uyghur communities among its primary targets. While TheWizards uses a different backdoor – the WizardNet, the hijacking server is configured to serve DarkNights to updating applications running on Android devices.

The post ESET Research analyzes tools from the China-aligned TheWizards group, with targets across Asia and the Middle East appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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Inaugural iGaming Event for Technology Leaders: Technology in Gaming Conference 2025

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April 30, 2025

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The iGaming industry is getting a dedicated space for its most forward-thinking technical leaders with the launch of the Technology in Gaming Conference 2025 (TiG 2025) — an exclusive new event created specifically for CTOs, CIOs, and senior technology stakeholders in the iGaming world.

Taking place on 1st July 2025 as part of London iGaming Week in partnership with iGB Live!, this specialist conference will bring together some of the most innovative minds in technology to explore the future of cybersecurity, infrastructure, artificial intelligence, compliance, and scalability. TiG 2025 is designed to give technical leaders a forum tailored to the real challenges and opportunities shaping iGaming today and in the years to come.

“I am delighted to see other organisers bringing their own events that meet the need of specialist verticals within the industry as part of London iGaming week. The team at iGB L!VE are pleased to be able to support this event, and encourage iGaming senior IT professionals to join what we know will be an event that offers excellent content and networking opportunities for them” said Naomi Barton, Portfolio Director at Clarion – Organiser of iGB Live!

Topics on the agenda include:

  • Scalable architecture & infrastructure
  • AI & machine learning in iGaming
  • Compliance & security in regulated markets
  • Future-ready platform innovation
  • Engineering teams, DevOps, and automation

“As an industry driven by technology I think it’s important to create a space that speaks specifically to the leaders developing and driving the change that has such a big impact on the growth and development of such an exciting sector” commented Shona ODonnell, Event Director. 

Pretty Technical, a leading provider of iGaming software and platform solutions, is proud to be named the headline sponsor of this inaugural event. The company’s commitment to innovation and modern architecture makes it a natural fit for an event designed to shape the next chapter of gaming tech.

“As a business that thrives on building technology designed for the next decade, not the last, we’re thrilled to support TiG 2025 and connect with the talented tech leaders shaping the future of iGaming,” said Emma Blaylock, CEO Pretty Technical.

The event is also sponsored by Claranet, experts in modernising and managing critical applications and infrastructure 24×7, and Marshall Wolfe, a dedicated hiring consultancy specialising in digital and technology sectors.

Registration is now open with tickets currently discounted by £200 until 31st May.

The post Inaugural iGaming Event for Technology Leaders: Technology in Gaming Conference 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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