Between Fragmentation and Opportunity: A Strategic Assessment of the CEE Market
Central and Eastern Europe continues to be a focal point for operators seeking growth, but the region remains one of the most complex to navigate effectively. Success here is not guaranteed by simply entering a market; it requires a deep understanding of the tension between increasing regulatory pressure and the diverse expectations of local players across the Balkans, Baltics, and Central Europe.
Xanthos Ioannou, Director at Sevenex Solutions Ltd, offers an aggregator’s perspective on the current CEE landscape. In this interview, she outlines where genuine opportunity lies, how regulation is reshaping operator behaviour, and why technical flexibility is the only way to scale sustainably across such a fragmented region.
How do you view the Central and Eastern European (CEE) region as we head into the final weeks of 2024?
The CEE region remains a high-potential market but it is one that demands a much more selective strategy than it did even twelve months ago. While player demand remains strong across Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and the Balkans—particularly on mobile—the regulatory environment is now the primary factor shaping how operators can realistically grow.
From the Sevenex Solutions perspective, the era of “growth at any cost” in CEE is over. It has been replaced by a need for purpose-driven expansion. This means choosing markets carefully, managing the technical overhead of local compliance, and building aggregation models that can adapt to the wildly different operating conditions found across the region.
Regulation is often cited as a hurdle in the Baltics. How is that environment influencing the market right now?
The Baltic states have adopted some of the most restrictive regulatory frameworks in the region, particularly regarding reporting, certification, and responsible gambling. While these measures create a stable environment, they also increase compliance costs and limit an operator’s ability to experiment with new content. It is essential that operators choose platform providers that can navigate these challenges.
This shift, therefore, has forced a focus on operational efficiency. In the Baltics, content decisions carry more weight because there is no room for underperforming titles—within such a tax-heavy and regulatory-weighted market, there is no room for waste. This is why we prioritise modular, adaptable technology at Sevenex Solutions. When regulation restricts your offering, the ability to fine-tune mechanics and features to fit the local framework is what ensures a portfolio remains profitable. It is imperative that operators pay close attention to the underlying groundwork of their platform and aggregation provision; otherwise, they will fail.
Romania is frequently highlighted as a standout market in the region. What makes it so resilient?
Romania is a cornerstone of our regional roadmap because it offers a rare combination of scale and maturity. The regulatory clarity there allows operators to stop focusing on basic survival and start focusing on performance and portfolio strategy.
While many haven’t paid attention to it yet, in our view, it is a market that rewards stability and data-driven decision-making. Players in Romania are sophisticated and engaged, which means content is judged quickly on its results. It is not a place for unproven, experimental concepts; the market demands consistency and a deep understanding of local volatility preferences. Furthermore, as some may already know, Romania has some of the fastest internet speeds in Europe, so the quality of the gaming experience cannot be ignored. It is essential that you offer some of the best games possible to entertain players.
The Balkans are often grouped together, but are they as uniform as they seem?
On the contrary, the wider Balkans region is highly varied and far less uniform than markets further west. Jurisdictions such as Serbia and Croatia are evolving at different speeds, with regulation tightening gradually. This creates a window of opportunity, but it also carries the risk of being caught off guard by sudden legal shifts.
At Sevenex Solutions, we emphasise futureproofing. We help our partners build integrations that aren’t locked into rigid, legacy setups. In the Balkans, the flexibility you build into your platform today will determine how easily you can scale when the regulatory environment inevitably catches up with Western European standards. Not only that, but you cannot underestimate the strength of retail in the likes of Croatia and Serbia; just like with Italy, it is imperative to offer a reason to migrate from the land-based experience over to online.
With a younger, tech-heavy demographic in CEE, what trends are you seeing in terms of game verticals?
There is a definitive appetite for faster, more responsive content. Verticals like crash games and instant-win mechanics have resonated strongly because they align with the digital habits of a younger audience. These players expect immediate feedback and clean, mobile-optimised interfaces.
However, traditional slots still provide the backbone of the industry. The key is to integrate these newer formats as a differentiator rather than a replacement. We advise our partners to introduce these verticals gradually, ensuring they complement a core offering of proven content. Crossovers from sports betting are also essential—you need to find a way to persuade the market’s sports fans to give online casino a try for the first time.
Looking ahead to 2025, what will separate the leaders from the laggards in the CEE region?
It will come down to discipline. The region is already saturated with content, so simply adding more volume won’t solve an operator’s challenges. The winners will be those who curate their portfolios based on local performance data and who maintain the technical agility to pivot as regulations change. Success in 2025 will be defined by those who can do the fundamentals well, consistently, across every border. Personalisation, we predict, will be key in the years ahead—and the faster you integrate that ability, the more chance you have of leading the market.
