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Slovakia: How iGaming sites can build traffic (second part)

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Let’s look at how the typical marketing strategies employed by iGaming firms can be applied to Slovakia.
Marketing strategies for operators and affiliates who want to apply for licence
If the laws do get changed, and you apply and receive a licence, then you will have access to the standard advantages.

These are:
The possibility to use Google Adwords PPC campaigns. I have found one of the top affiliates which is using Adwords on google.sk, and they seem to have complete control of this market right now. There are a lot of big keywords which they don’t even try to cover, so PPC could be worth exploring.
Greater advertising choices. Most of the big local sites use display advertising, and you must negotiate with the site directly (not with a network). If you can show you have a licence, then you will have a better chance of being accepted, as the site won’t have to worry about any advertising fines.

Similarly, a lot of the big native and display advertising networks do accept gambling adverts but often want to see a local licence before accepting them.

Marketing strategies for operators who don’t want/can’t wait to get a Slovak licence
With so many international operators seeming not to care about the potential fines, and Slovak ISPs and banks seemingly not blocking sites or payments, there will be a temptation for operators (and affiliates) to not bother waiting for a licence. This is especially likely with a proposed tax on revenue of 23% and considering the unstable political climate.
For those in this position, here are some strategies to gain a share of the Slovak market.

SEO
No good strategy in a market like Slovakia would be complete without some good old-fashioned SEO.
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Aside from building quality on-site content in the Slovak language, operators and new affiliates would obviously need to build links from quality local sites to their pages, to challenge the top spots.
Acquiring links from existing Slovak sites might be difficult, because of the potential €250,000 fine that the site owner might face. Foreign operators in Malta might not feel threatened by such fines, but a small amateur site owner in Bratislava is likely to take these threats very seriously. The situation for link-building in Slovakia is likely to be very similar to the one in Finland right now.
Slovakia therefore looks like the kind of market where you may need to run a quality Private Blog Network (PBN) to build rankings.

A potential PBN strategy for Slovakia

I would recommend a multi-tier structure, with the bottom tier being made up of expired .sk domains with positive metrics.
The content on these sites should be recreated as much as possible using the waybackmachine downloader tool. A new landing page would then be created with casino content in Slovak, and a link from that page to the upper tier sites.
These upper tier sites would be made up of expired .com or .eu domains, with positive metrics. The content would be changed to iGaming content in the Slovak language, with links to the money sites.
This mix would protect against the .sk sites being confiscated by Slovak authorities at any future stage, while still allowing for some local TLDs.
.sk domains no longer require to be registered to a Slovak business address, but anonymous ownership is not allowed, although some registrars will allow you to use their details. You can buy expired .sk domains at Webhouse.

Top keywords for your SEO strategy

Keyword research of the Slovak market shows that poker is still a popular subject in the country, as is roulette.
The data below is pulled from SEMRush and Google Trends, and shows the following suggested keywords to focus on (where available, monthly search volume is given).

Kasino: 1000
Poker Online: 880
Ruleta: 1000
Ruleta online: 210
Poker: 14800
Online Ruleta: 20
Kasino online: n/a
Hracie automaty: 15 – 100
Hracie automaty online: 0- 100
Online kasino: n/a
Hraj v online kasine: n/a
Online kasina: n/a
Hraj online: n/a
Stavky online: n/a
Online stavky: n/a
Stavkuj online: n/a
Online stavkovanie: 0 – 90
Vyhraj v online kasine: n/a
Ako vyhrat v online kasine: n/a

Right now, the top keywords seem to be mostly informational in nature, reflecting the newness of the Slovak market. The user intent seems to be about learning more about how to bet online, and not about which is the best casino.
Building landing pages with content focusing on satisfying these user intents seems to be the way to go for now. It might not convert immediately, but building trust is an important step at the top of any sales funnel.
There’s no surprise about who dominates the social network scene in Slovakia, with Facebook and Instagram both the most prominent.

Facebook’s targeting tools are second-to-none, but they require a big advertising spend before they will allow you to run gambling ads. In a small country like Slovakia, it probably isn’t going to be worth it.
However, gambling fan pages that aren’t too pushy should work well.
I see three basic ways of getting traffic from social media in Slovakia:

– Find a local influencer on FB or Instagram and get him or her to endorse your brand
– Start a FB group where people can swap tips, bonus offers etc.
– Start an Instagram account and send out a mix of funny gambling-related pictures/quotes, and offers such as welcome bonuses

Partner with existing Affiliates

Operators looking to gain a quick foothold in the Slovak market will naturally turn to the affiliates who are dominating the google.sk SERPs.
The current reluctance for these affiliates to partner with licenced local operators means there could be room for some negotiations.

Use Adwords even if you don’t have a licence
I have heard that some clever PPC ninjas use cloaking to display adverts in countries where they don’t have a licence. It sounds really risky to me, but if you have plenty of accounts that you don’t mind sacrificing, and don’t put landing pages directly on the money sites, then it might work.

Display

This form of banner advertising dominates the top local sites. Most of the big media sites will probably turn down gambling content because of the fear of fines.
That said, I know that one of the big names on the blacklist uses display advertising on one of the top 50 sites in Slovakia. I won’t name names, to protect both parties, but this shows it is possible.

Adult

Several of the top 50 sites are adult-themed and are part of the Trafficjunky network. The targeting options on Trafficjunky are excellent, allowing you to target even to the city level.
This could be useful in a diverse country like Slovakia. For example, Google Trends data shows that the hracie automaty (online slots) keyword is much more popular in the east of the country than the west. Similarly, you can target by gender, so you could perhaps offer games popular with women on the ‘female-friendly’ adult niche.
If you want to try the adult channel, you should know that visitors who are there for the free content tend to have low conversion rates. That could be a problem on a CPM model (as Trafficjunky is) as you might have to burn through a lot of cash to see results.
However, premium adult subscribers tend to convert a lot better, and Trafficjunky have several sites which offer these customers, making this network the perfect place to experiment.

Native

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last few years, you probably have been exposed to native advertising.
In contrast to display ad banners which leave no doubt they have a commercial intent; native ads aim to blend in with other articles on a site. Here’s an example of native advertising from the Times of Malta recently, alongside some classic display banners.

This form of advertising has become very popular in the English-speaking markets in recent years, especially on informational websites like online news, forums and other places where users come to consume information. However, it’s pretty new in Slovakia and not many publishers have signed up with the big networks (yet).
Native works well for binary options and other such financial niches. People are always on the lookout to make some money, and if you can create native adverts which claim to spill the secrets that the casinos don’t want you to know about, then this could be the perfect way to tap into the Slovak customer’s hunger for information.

The MGID ad network allows gambling content, and doesn’t specifically prohibit it in Slovakia, but you should check with them before trying this out.
Anybody thinking of entering the Slovak iGaming market will need to be flexible to deal with unstable and unreliable laws and regulations.

Written by: Ivana Flynn for Calvinayre.com. Ivana is a Malta-based SEO Consultant dedicated to helping iGaming operators and affiliates improve their organic search rankings. Her biggest professional passion is using SEO to break into new and tricky markets. In her spare time, she bakes, works out and plays with her cats.

Source: Latest News on European Gaming Media Network

George Miller (Gyorgy Molnar) started his career in content marketing and has started working as an Editor/Content Manager for our company in 2016. George has acquired many experiences when it comes to interviews and newsworthy content becoming Head of Content in 2017. He is responsible for the news being shared on multiple websites that are part of the European Gaming Media Network.

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Team Vitality accelerates global growth with acquisition of Bigetron Esports

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The acquisition will see Team Vitality continue to forge its path to becoming one of the only truly international esports organisations, by entering the mobile gaming market in new regions and markets

Leading esports club, Team Vitality, is proud to announce the acquisition of Indonesian esports organisation, Bigetron Esports, following a deal with one of the most powerful mobile gaming esports brands globally. The move will strengthen Team Vitality’s presence in the mobile gaming market as well as extend the brand’s reach further into the Southeast Asian region, continuing to forge its path to become a truly global, multifaceted presence across all elements of esports.

Bigetron by Vitality: A strategic move into Southeast Asia and mobile gaming

The acquisition places Team Vitality in a strategically important gaming market – Southeast Asia. With a population of over 270 million, and more than 30% of whom are under 30, Indonesia represents a vibrant and highly engaged audience for esports. The country is home to over 100 million gamers, making it the fourth-largest gaming market in the world. Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia, is also one of the fastest-growing regions for mobile gaming, with a remarkable 20% year-over-year revenue growth.

As part of the move, Bigetron Esports’ brand identity will change to ‘Bigetron by Vitality’, to show respect to the club’s local legacy while allowing Team Vitality to integrate the brand authentically and exclusively into all future mobile gaming activities. Bigetron Esports CEO, Edwin Chia, alongside Team Vitality’s Co-Founder CEO, Nicolas Maurer and Corporate Director of Global Operations, Danny Engels, will work together as the respective leads for Vitality’s mobile gaming entity.

This acquisition marks a significant step in Team Vitality’s expansion into mobile gaming, following the 2024 acquisition of Bigetron’s Women’s Mobile Legends: Bang Bang roster. Prompting a deeper exploration of the mobile esports space, Bigetron represents a fantastic addition to help introduce and grow the Vitality brand within this fast-growing and dynamic segment of the industry.

Bigetron Esports has built a formidable reputation in the mobile gaming world, with an impressive social media presence across multiple platforms, totaling over 6.8 million followers across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and WhatsApp. As part of this acquisition, all Bigetron social media channels will be rebranded to align with Team Vitality as ‘ Bigetron by Vitality’, integrating seamlessly into the broader Team Vitality network.

Bigetron is one of the few Southeast Asian organisations with an established footprint in four key mobile gaming titles, a strong competitive track record, and existing partnerships with gaming industry leaders Moonton and Tencent. Following the deal, Team Vitality will be represented by the organisation’s existing key rosters and talent including:

  • Men’s Mobile Legends Bang Bang Team: Competing in the Mobile Legends Bang Bang Professional League Indonesia (MPL ID), the organization recently secured 3rd place in the highly competitive league operated by game publisher Moonton, with a notable peak viewership of an astonishing 4 million.
  • PUBG Mobile Team: With total prize winnings exceeding $1.2 million, Bigetron has made multiple World Championship appearances, including the 2024 World Championship, and holds World Championship titles from 2019 and 2020.
  • Free Fire Team: Champions of the Free Fire World Series (FFWS) Indonesian Fall 2024. The team also earned a spot in the Free Fire World Series Grand Finals 2024.
  • Honor of Kings Team: The Honor of Kings team recently triumphed in the Indonesian Qualifier for the HoK Invitational Season 3 and became a partner team in the newly established Professional Honor of Kings League in Indonesia.
  • Women’s Mobile Legends Bang Bang team: Following acquiring the team in 2024, Bigetron will offer additional support, resources and infrastructure to further support the roster ahead of the Esports World Cup in 2025.
  • Additionally, Bigetron has assembled a lineup of Southeast Asian brand ambassadors with a combined social media following of over 27 million, all of whom will further amplify the clubs partnership with Team Vitality throughout the region

All of the above teams that qualify for the Esports World Cup will represent Team Vitality and compete under the Team Vitality banner and team name. Following this, teams competing in Mobile Legends, PUBG Mobile, Honor of Kings, and Free Fire tournaments will do so as Bigetron by Vitality, marking the full integration of Bigetron into the Team Vitality network.

TEAM VITALITY IN FIGURES

After Bigetron Esports acquisition

  • +170 employees in 3 different offices in Paris, Berlin and Jakarta (+50 employees)
  • 19 teams (+5 teams)
  • 15 games (+3 games)
  • 10 million owned followers worldwide (+6.8 million)

Ambitious international plans for 2025

With ambitious plans for international expansion, Team Vitality is setting its sights on reaching new heights in esports throughout 2025. This year, the organisation is focused on securing victories, strengthening its legacy, and pioneering the esports industry into the new generation. This commitment not only supports Team Vitality as one of the world’s leading esports powerhouses but also contributes towards the broader success of the organisation on a global scale.

“We are thrilled to announce our acquisition of Bigetron Esports.” said Nicolas Maurer, CEO of Team Vitality “As the popularity of mobile gaming continues to soar, particularly with younger generations growing up on mobile games, Team Vitality is proud to support shaping the long-term future of mobile gaming esports together with the Bigetron leadership team. This acquisition marks an important step in our internationalisation as well as becoming the best gaming organization in the world.”

“The merger was driven by our shared vision with Team Vitality to inspire and empower gamers to achieve greatness through innovation, collaboration, and relentless dedication to excellence. We believe alongside Team Vitality, we can continue achieving greatness and showcasing the stellar Indonesian esports talent on an expansive international stage.” commented the CEO of Bigetron Esports, Edwin Chia.

 

The post Team Vitality accelerates global growth with acquisition of Bigetron Esports appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Kaizen Gaming named Latin America’s Casino and Sportsbook Operator of the Year at the SBC Awards Americas 2025

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Dual wins as ‘Casino Operator of the Year (LatAm)’ and ‘Sportsbook Operator of the Year (LatAm)’ affirm Kaizen Gaming’s leadership and product excellence across Latin America

Kaizen Gaming, one of the world’s biggest GameTech companies and owner of the Betano online sports betting and gaming brand, has been crowned ‘Casino Operator of the Year (LatAm)’ and ‘Sportsbook Operator of the Year (LatAm)’ at the highly celebrated SBC Awards Americas 2025 held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Wednesday 14th May.

The two wins recognise Kaizen Gaming’s strong focus and commitment to delivering an exceptionally high-quality product offering with customer experience and satisfaction at its core. They also signify the company’s sustained growth and accelerating momentum as a leading operator across the region and beyond.

Christos Tzalavras, Chief Product Officer, Kaizen Gaming, said: “We’re proud to be recognised for having the best sportsbook and casino products in Latin America, which is undeniably one of the most dynamic and exciting gaming markets in the world today. These awards reflect our team’s passion, the strength of our strategy, and our commitment to delivering innovative, high-quality, and responsible gaming experiences. Our main secret is prioritising the customer experience in everything we do. This is a milestone moment for our brand, but the ‘Kaizen way’ is one of continuous improvement, so we’ll keep raising the bar. Thank you to the whole team for your hard work and dedication in making this achievement possible.”

Kaizen Gaming was the first operator to be officially licensed in Brazil this January. Key highlights in 2025 to-date include the renewal of Betano’s partnership with F1 legend Felipe Massa, its continuing support for Supercopa Betano Rei 2025 and the Supercopa Feminina Betano 2025, and notably the recent start of its landmark long-term principal and front-of shirt sponsorship with Club Atlético River Plate. These milestones follow its rapid expansion into three new LatAm markets last year, its partnership with CONMEBOL Copa America 2024, and title sponsorship agreements with the Brasileirão Betano in Brazil and Torneo Betano in Argentina.

The inaugural SBC Awards Americas honour outstanding companies representing the gaming and betting industry across the region. With a hand-picked judging panel, the accolades recognise the achievements and accomplishments of operators, affiliates and suppliers from all the major disciplines including payments, marketing, platform providers and data.

The SBC Awards Americas took place at Pier Sixty-Six in Fort Lauderdale on the second day of SBC Summit Americas. The show brings together 10,000 industry professionals and over 400 exhibitors for networking, knowledge exchange, and growth opportunities across the casino and sports betting sectors in North, South, and Central America.

 

The post Kaizen Gaming named Latin America’s Casino and Sportsbook Operator of the Year at the SBC Awards Americas 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Red Rake Gaming expands its presence in New Jersey with Hard Rock Bet

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Red Rake Gaming, a leading provider of online casino content, has announced the launch of its games on the top-rated Hard Rock Bet platform via Aristocrat Interactive. 

With this launch, Red Rake Gaming continues to consolidate its growth in the United States after obtaining regulatory approval in New Jersey and other strategic markets. The availability of its most innovative and high-performing games on Hard Rock Bet reinforces the company’s presence in the region and reaffirms its commitment to providing high-quality content to top-tier operators.

Grant Williams, SVP Casino at Hard Rock Bet, commented: “We’re thrilled to Roll with Red Rake Gaming via Aristocrat Interactive and provide our players with an exciting new array of innovative gaming options. Their engaging portfolio will nicely complement the over 2,700 games available on Hard Rock Bet as we continue to elevate the online gaming experience for our players.”

Nick Barr, Managing Director of Red Rake Gaming Malta, added: “We are very excited about the addition of our games on Hard Rock Bet and the opportunity to further expand our presence in the U.S. market. Hard Rock is a globally recognized brand, and we are confident that our games will resonate with Hard Rock Bet’s players, offering a unique and immersive experience.”

 

The post Red Rake Gaming expands its presence in New Jersey with Hard Rock Bet appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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