Latest News
iGaming Licenses Exposed: What Kahnawake, Anjouan, Tobique, and Curaçao Are Really Offering
The European online gambling market is set for significant growth, with projections indicating an increase from $52.30 billion in 2024 to $88.16 billion by 2029, reflecting an annual growth rate of 11.01%. Curaçao has long been a key player in this market and has recently undergone regulatory changes. Meanwhile, alternative jurisdictions such as Kahnawake, Anjouan and Tobique are increasingly drawing the attention of operators.
Regulatory changes in Curaçao
Many operators have traditionally opted for a Curaçao licence due to its accessibility and straightforward process, especially during the initial stages of operation. However, with the recent overhaul of the Curaçao licensing system, this ease of access has diminished. Operators now face a more rigorous licensing and monitoring process by the Curaçao Gambling Control Board, which is increasingly prioritising safe and responsible gambling practices.
Legal challenges for Curaçao-licensed operators in Europe
Recently, several operators licensed in Curaçao faced lawsuits in European countries, with some being ordered to refund losses to players. For instance, Dama N.V. was ordered in Austria and the UAE to repay €816,852. Another Curaçao licence holder was similarly ordered to refund players’ losses in Germany and Austria.
Both companies warned that these rulings posed a threat, as they created a “risk-free gambling” environment for players, allowing them to place bets with the option to sue for refunds if they lose. In a few European countries, such as Austria, where the gambling market is heavily regulated and monopolised, any bets placed on offshore platforms are deemed illegal and void for both operators and players. Recently, Austria required a player to return their winnings to the operator after placing bets on an offshore platform, to discourage opportunistic lawsuits.
Curaçao court’s response
In the cases of Dama N.V. and other operators., the Curaçao court chose to uphold the judgments of the European courts. The Curaçao court declared that, since the licensed operators were not paying their debts to the players, they were in a state of ceased payment and declared them bankrupt. However, Dama N.V. later succeeded in overturning this judgement by proving to the Curaçao court that it was “financially healthy.”
Meanwhile, Malta has taken a different approach with the promulgation of Bill No. 55, which protects its licensees from foreign court interference. If a European player sues a Maltese-licensed operator, Maltese courts will uphold the operator’s licence, provided it complies with Maltese law, effectively blocking foreign judgments.
Given the growing number of claims, the European Court of Justice is now set to determine whether German and other European bettors can legally claim refunds for their losses from offshore operators.
Alternative licences in Kahnawake, Anjouan, and Tobique
Kahnawake, Anjouan, and Tobique have emerged as appealing alternatives to more well-known jurisdictions.
Kahnawake: Located in Canada, Kahnawake is one of the oldest jurisdictions and has been issuing gambling licences since 1996. It is known for its stringent regulatory framework and legal resistance to opportunistic litigation. Operators licensed in Kahnawake can expect a stable and predictable legal environment, which helps minimise costly legal issues.
Anjouan: Anjouan, part of the Union of the Comoros, offers favourable conditions for online gambling operators, including the absence of a requirement for a physical presence in the jurisdiction. This allows operators to avoid direct oversight by local courts, reducing the risk of unfavourable rulings. Anjouan’s flexible business conditions and reliable legal protections make it an attractive option for those looking to minimise legal risks.
Tobique: Also based in Canada, Tobique provides a unique licensing environment characterised by flexible management and a stable legal framework. Like Anjouan, Tobique does not require operators to have a physical presence, and offers strong protection against lawsuits. This makes Tobique an appealing choice for operators seeking a secure and stable licensing base.
What to look for when considering alternative jurisdictions
These alternative jurisdictions offer several key advantages for operators:
– Protection against opportunistic lawsuits: These three jurisdictions often provide strong safeguards against frivolous or opportunistic lawsuits, reducing the risk of costly legal battles.
– Flexible jurisdiction management: Many alternative licences do not require a physical presence in the licensing jurisdiction, allowing operators to avoid direct local court oversight.
– Stability and predictability: By choosing a jurisdiction with a stable and predictable legal environment, operators can better protect their businesses from legal uncertainties.

Latest News
G2 Makes First Entry into ‘Traditional’ Sports with the Launch of G2 Football Club in Kings League Germany
- G2 will field a football team in the newly announced Kings League Germany, marking the organisation’s first entry into traditional sports, a major milestone for the club. The team is set to compete in the Kings World Cup Qualifiers in Germany ahead of the Kings World Cup in June.
- 2025 is G2’s 10 year anniversary and as the organisation looks ahead to the future, a key focus area is blurring the lines between esports and traditional sports in a way that makes sense for its young community.
- Kings League and G2 have a shared vision of entertainment, innovation, and fan engagement, blending traditional sports, esports, and entertainment in a way that appeals to multigenerational audiences.
- G2 is the first esports team to join Kings League in Europe.
- The strategic move will harness digital innovation, shaping a future where sports and esports coexist and thrive together.
- The move is an expansion of G2’s competitive DNA, rather than a shift away from esports.
G2, one of the world’s leading esports and entertainment brands, has announced it will be fielding a football team (G2 FC) in the new German division of Kings League, a 7-a-side global football league, founded in 2022 by Gerard Piqué, former professional player for FC Barcelona and the Spanish national team, in collaboration with other football personalities and streamers.
Kings League features teams from around the world, with domestic leagues in Spain, Americas, Brazil, Italy, France, and the newly announced German league. On April 12, Kings League Germany will launch with a qualification series for the Kings World Cup, where 8 teams will compete for one of 2 slots to represent Germany in the upcoming World Cup in France. On March 25th, Kings League Germany was announced, with Bastian Schweinsteiger as President, unveiling 6 teams in the league, with a surprise 7th and 8th team. G2 can now confirm today, it’s one of the surprise teams to join the league.
G2 FC is based in Berlin, with 2 Berliner footballers appointed as Team Manager and Coach. Ron Stublla, with a background in Sports Management and played in the Youth Bundesliga, joins as Team Manager alongside new Coach, Malik Hadziavdic, who was a member of the German National Futsal team and played for FC Liria Berlin in the Futsal Bundesliga. The team recently completed tryouts with footballers at the Adidas SPORTS BASE BERLIN, and a full roster reveal is coming soon.
Kings League leverages streaming to maximize its reach, allowing each club to broadcast games directly to their fans through dedicated co-streams. G2 has partnered with German influencers Reeze and Rumathra as their content creator duo, and the pair will co-stream all G2 FC games on Twitch.
G2 is one of the most successful esports organisations in the world, with 40 million fans globally and over 100 first-place finishes across all teams. G2 is known for its consistent competitive success, with the most-awarded League of Legends team in Europe, the best VALORANT team in America, one of the best Counter Strike teams, and the most successful women’s esports teams in the world. G2 is also the most entertaining brand in esports, its raw, unfiltered approach to content and community with a key focus on narrative building and storytelling has enabled the organisation to rise above its competitors, setting the bar high for the industry.
2025 is G2’s 10 year anniversary, and over the past decade, it has grown into a defiant powerhouse in esports, with successful teams across the globe and long-standing partnerships with mainstream global brands including Mastercard, Red Bull, Ralph Lauren, Herman Miller, Spotify, and Oakley. As G2 looks ahead to the future with plans to continue and diversify its expansion, entry into traditional sports is a key exciting pillar for the organisation. Kings League is a completely new way to experience football, combining sport, entertainment and digital innovation, and G2 is ready to take on this challenge to bring something fresh and fun to the next generation of sports fans.
Alban Dechelotte, CEO of G2 comments: “When G2 was created 10 years ago, the dream was to build the ‘Real Madrid of esports’. We wanted to be known as a disruptive brand that’s not only competitively successful, but also has a great personality that knows how to entertain and captivate our fans through storytelling and community building. Now, 10 years later, we are the ‘Real Madrid of esports’, so it’s time for us to go one step further and become the ‘G2 of sports’. Esports has a unique way of connecting with and engaging our passionate fanbase and now it’s our opportunity to show traditional sports how we do things, the G2 way.”
G2 is the first esports organisation to enter Kings League in Europe, and showcases G2’s commitment to shaping its future by blurring the lines between esports and traditional sports, and bringing expert knowledge of new-age digital communities to the next generation of sports fans.
The post G2 Makes First Entry into ‘Traditional’ Sports with the Launch of G2 Football Club in Kings League Germany appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Latest News
Vibra Group achieves ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification
Strengthens its commitment to corporate information security
Vibra Group, a regional holding company dedicated to developing software and content for the online gaming industry, has been awarded the ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification by TÜV Rheinland, a globally recognized certification body. This achievement reinforces Vibra Group’s commitment to the highest standards of information security.
The certification covers key processes including the design and development of online casino games, their distribution through a proprietary platform, and integration with third-party platforms. It also includes the provision of online casino platforms and technological solutions that ensure secure, efficient, and compliant operations in regulated markets.
This milestone supports Vibra Group’s ongoing goal of continuously improving its processes, practices, and standards. It reflects the Group’s constant effort—through its multiple verticals—to generate synergies and strengthen capabilities to offer a comprehensive ecosystem of products and services tailored to the Latin American market.
“ISO 27001 certification marks an important step in our journey to evolve and enhance the way we work. It is part of Vibra Group’s commitment to delivering secure and reliable solutions, and to continuing our responsible growth in regulated markets,” said Ramiro Atucha, CEO of Vibra Group.
The post Vibra Group achieves ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Latest News
PR-fueled iGaming strategies lead to 30% higher conversion post-privacy shift
With third-party cookies on their way out and user-level tracking becoming less reliable by the month, iGaming marketers are being forced to rethink how they build performance.
The shift has exposed deep cracks in traditional acquisition strategies. Attribution models are fading. CACs are climbing. And data-driven targeting no longer works the way it used to. As a result, one trend is taking center stage: performance works better when awareness comes first.
Across the iGaming industry, growth teams are rediscovering that PR, media buying, and brand-building aren’t vanity plays. They’re clean, compliant, and increasingly essential levers that drive real conversion – especially when user-level data is off the table.
At RockApp, we’ve seen this shift play out across multiple markets and verticals.
Performance Doesn’t Happen in a Vacuum
The traditional approach to iGaming performance marketing is ruthlessly optimized: creatives A/B tested down to pixel placement, traffic sources ranked by ROI, and every conversion event tracked. But in today’s data-fragmented ecosystem, even the best-optimized campaign can stall if users don’t recognize or trust the brand behind the offer.
That’s where earned media – and strategic media buying – start pulling their weight in new ways.
According to Think with Google, users exposed to both brand-building ads and performance campaigns are 2x more likely to convert than those who see only one or the other. In our experience, the effect is even more pronounced in privacy-restricted environments, where brand trust becomes a conversion lever, not just a UX concern.
The Awareness-Conversion Loop
In multiple campaigns RockApp has supported for iGaming brands entering new markets, we’ve observed a consistent pattern: strategic media exposure – whether through earned coverage, sponsored content, or thought leadership – primes audiences and lifts downstream performance.
To validate this trend, we recently conducted an internal study comparing two iGaming operators – Brand A and Brand B – both entering the same market with near-identical user flows: similar registration forms, interface logic, site structure, and acquisition funnels.
Brand A had active media presence in the region: ongoing PR coverage in vertical media, sports sponsorship deals with local clubs, and participation in relevant offline events. Brand B, although an established name in other regions, had no media activity or brand presence in the local market at the time of launch.
The performance delta was striking.
- Brand A achieved a registration-to-deposit (reg2dep) conversion rate of 48%
- Brand B reached just 26% – almost half
The only significant difference: Brand A was visible, trusted, and familiar to the audience – Brand B wasn’t.
“We consistently see that performance campaigns supported by active PR in the target region outperform standalone campaigns by at least 30%,” says Khanikian Dmitriy, CMO at RockApp. “This becomes especially evident in mid-funnel metrics like reg2dep, where user hesitation can make or break profitability. When users recognize the brand – because they’ve seen it in the media or associated with local sports – they convert faster and with more confidence.”
Sports sponsorships in particular proved to be a powerful lever. By aligning with culturally relevant teams and events, Brand A tapped into existing emotional loyalty, which translated into commercial action. These touchpoints created a steady flow of earned impressions that enhanced performance media, rather than competing with it.
Additionally, PR-led visibility drove a measurable increase in organic traffic. Branded search queries and direct visits rose during campaign peaks, indicating that users were not only clicking on paid ads – but also actively seeking out the brand. This broadens top-of-funnel reach and reduces dependency on high-cost user acquisition channels.
The takeaway: media exposure isn’t just about awareness – it’s an input into conversion.
From Vanity to Utility: Rethinking Media Buys in a Cookieless World
A common misconception is that media buying is just about impressions. In truth, when layered with performance goals, it becomes a strategic asset, especially in a world where deterministic tracking is fading.
Smart buys in content networks, programmatic placements in relevant environments, and even native sponsorships act as pre-conversion touchpoints. They reach users early, before they enter the performance funnel, and shape perception at moments attribution platforms can’t see.
A 2023 study by Pathmatics showed that iGaming brands investing consistently in upper-funnel media saw a 1.5x higher ROAS on performance campaigns compared to those that didn’t.
In a privacy-first market, the logic is simple: you may not be able to track every step, but you can influence every outcome.
What This Means for iGaming Marketers
As user-level tracking degrades and campaign measurement becomes less reliable, growth teams need to think beyond the click. PR and media exposure are no longer peripheral – they’re central to performance strategy.
At RockApp, we’ve adjusted our UA approach to integrate upstream planning with media and PR teams. The results: lower CAC, higher retention, and more resilient campaign performance across regulated and privacy-conscious markets.
So what can iGaming marketers do right now?
- Map your funnel touchpoints beyond attribution. Awareness matters even when you can’t track it.
- Align media buying and PR efforts with performance goals – not after the fact, but during planning.
- Invest in brand signals like sports sponsorships, thought leadership, and earned media. They work when pixels can’t.
In a privacy-first world, performance doesn’t start with a click – it starts with trust.
And trust is built upstream.
The post PR-fueled iGaming strategies lead to 30% higher conversion post-privacy shift appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
-
Latest News2 months ago
Sportradar’s Alpha Odds Receives Dual Honors at European iGaming Awards 2025
-
Latest News2 months ago
Fall in Love with Nature’s Greatest Romantics This Valentine’s Day at Springbok Casino and Claim 25 Free Spins
-
Latest News2 months ago
Swintt secured ISO 27001: 2022 certification
-
Latest News3 months ago
Award-winning platform that connects studios and online casino affiliates has improved its accuracy-checking capabilities through advanced AI technology
-
Latest News2 months ago
India’s Biggest Gamers, Including Techno Gamerz, GamerFleet & Mythpat – battle at PlayGalaxy Cup 3.0
-
Latest News3 months ago
BGaming Kicks off 2025 with Spanish Street Artist Collaboration in “When Art Meets Gaming” project
-
Latest News3 months ago
SOFTSWISS Game Aggregator Certified for Peru Market
-
Latest News3 months ago
Jonathan Gauci announces the launch of a new platform venture Elantil