Latest News
Speaking the Player’s Language: Promatic Group’s Take on Game Localization in CEE
The Prague Gaming & TECH Summit 2025 brought together some of the brightest minds in the iGaming and tech industries – and the conversation didn’t stop when the curtains closed. As this year’s General Sponsor through its Promatic Games brand, Promatic Group made a powerful impact on-stage and behind the scenes. In a dynamic keynote presentation titled “Localizing Slot Games: Does the Central European Player Need Localized Content?”, Maciej Makuszewski, iGaming Director, and Luka Oblak, Head of Product Design, explored how cultural nuances shape player engagement and game performance across regional markets.
Now, post-event, we caught up with Maciej Makuszewski to delve deeper into the topic of localization, player behavior, and what makes content truly resonate in Central and Eastern Europe.
Maciej, your keynote at the Summit offered compelling insights into how culture and language affect game engagement. What do you believe is the biggest misconception about localization in the iGaming industry today?
It is that it is enough to hire a translator of a game to deliver localized content. This is not the end of the road – on the contrary – this is just the beginning. This may sound like saying the sun rises in the east, but I still would say there can be a lot more attention paid to giving games a local touch.
But coming back to translations, nowadays, even at this basic level, we can observe so many pitfalls and mistakes that could have been avoided if people really had the player at the core of their strategy. I guess we are past this time in history of globalization that unified products and content simply entered new markets with no tailoring whatsoever and there was demand for them, because there hadn’t been much of a choice of anything else. We’d like to see companies try harder when they enter new markets. I hope we will become one that actually gets the hyperlocalization just right.
You and Luka presented some standout cases on localized content. Could you share one example that truly surprised your team – either by outperforming expectations or revealing a cultural insight you hadn’t anticipated?
I guess that would be the transformation of a simple fruit game launched as Red Hot Jackpot in Poland, into a rich animations theme game it became in Nigeria. The nigerian version of Red Hot Jackpot is called Naija Wheels and it is the exact the same math model and game logic as Red Hot Jackpot, but what makes it appealing to the local customers of slot halls in Nigeria is its hyperlocal theme. Naija Wheels is a funny story of things you see in Lagos traffic. So instead of a Cherry symbol you have a symbol of a police officer. Instead of a plum symbol, you have an okada driver from Lagos etc.
Very different game themes, same logics, same business effects – the game is a great performing slot in Poland and a superb hit in Nigeria.
In your view, what are the non-negotiables when designing localized slot content for Central and Eastern European markets? Are there elements developers often overlook?
There are so many local markets in the CEE that it is really hard to unify this. But in a nutshell – we know in our region, highly volatile fruit themed games are very popular. Having said that, it is not a surfire way to success. You may want to localize the content even further through cultural and humor references.
The ROI of local-branded slots is often debated. Based on Promatic Group’s experience, when does it make strategic and commercial sense to invest in hyper-local content – and when is it better to focus on broader appeal?
It all depends why you do this and how you measure the ROI. If you measure a single game ROI this might be a trap. It will very much depend on the math model and features of the particular game. Apart from revenue stream, there are also costs to be considered. If we’re talking about a “game reskin” then certification will be something you can optimize and so on. There are numerous ways to tackle this issue. Sometimes you can come up with a hyper local game and just launch it somewhere else to test if it works, which will boost your revenue stream and the total ROI. All in all we are very happy with our local approach and we intend to stick to it.
Let’s talk about the future. With shifting player expectations and tech advancements like AI personalization, how do you see the localization strategy evolving over the next 2–3 years at Promatic Group?
I would expect this hyperlocalization becomes a commodity in the industry. This will also require a lot of human factor so that it is done the right way. AI will speed things up, but I believe that the human touch will be key. We already have amazing tools, but using them the right way is what will make a great difference.
The post Speaking the Player’s Language: Promatic Group’s Take on Game Localization in CEE appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Latest News
IESF Announces 10th Presidential and Board Elections
Reading Time: 2 minutes
The International Esports Federation (IESF) has officially announced that its 2025 Presidential and Board Elections will take place on December 6, 2025, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, during the 17th IESF General Assembly.
Marking the 10th Presidential Election in IESF’s history, this milestone represents a defining moment in the federation’s mission to unite and elevate the global esports community under one inclusive and transparent framework.
As the only International Federation recognized for upholding the governance principles and regulatory standards of the international sports system, IESF continues to lead efforts to strengthen integrity, accountability, and sustainable development within esports.
The election will determine the next IESF President and Board, who will guide the federation through a new era focused on unity, transparency, and sustainable development.
“IESF sets the standard of world esports governance — one built on trust, collaboration, and accountability,” said Boban Totovski, IESF General Secretary. “With the upcoming elections, the Secretariat and the Board will once again ensure a fair and democratic process that reflects the highest standards of integrity and professionalism. Our mission is to safeguard the credibility of esports governance and to guarantee that every member federation has an equal and respected voice in shaping the federation’s future.”
The Candidates
The official candidates for the IESF Presidential and Board Elections 2025 are as follows:
For IESF President:
Vlad Marinescu, who guided IESF through a period of transformation from 2020 to 2023, stands as a candidate for the 2025 Presidential Election, reaffirming his vision for a united and recognized world of esports.
Samart Benjamin Assarasakorn, current board member of IESF since 2023, will also stand for the role of President, committed to transforming IESF into a world-class federation that empowers every member nation.
For IESF Board:
- Duane Mutu – New Zeland
- Hayder Alkaales – Iraq
- Clint Kennedy – United States
- Flip De Bruyn – Namibia
- Constantine Surkont – Argentina
- Lokesh Suji – India
- Afiq Fadhli Bin Narawi – Malaysia
- Filip Soc – Montenegro
- Kaung Myat San – Myanmar
- Daniel Paulus – Germany
- HRH Prince Omar Bin Faisal – Jordan
- Yoav Sochen – Israel
- Elin Yoojung Moen – Norway
- Doniyor Djuraev – Uzbekistan
IESF continues to unite national federations and empower the next generation of esports leaders. The 2025 elections reaffirm the federation’s commitment to building a recognized and inclusive future for esports, one that transcends borders, connects cultures, and inspires unity through competition.
The results will be announced during the IESF 2025 General Assembly, where member federations will cast their votes to shape the next era of global esports leadership.
This 10th Presidential Election marks not only a milestone in IESF’s history but the beginning of a new era of governance, unity, and excellence in esports.
The post IESF Announces 10th Presidential and Board Elections appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Unearth Monstrous Wins in Slotland’s New Castle of Horror Slot
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Slotland invites online casino players to step into the Castle of Horror — if you dare. Just in time for the spooky season, the new Castle of Horror slot game throws open its creaky gates and is treating players to a Halloween bonus feast. New and existing players can grab a 105% Match BOOnus and Free Chips.
Shadows crawl across the 6×3 reels in this dark, cartoon-horror adventure. Spin across 13 fixed paylines and encounter a sinister cast of characters, including a Dracula-like vampire with glowing eyes, a snarling werewolf, unnerving pumpkin-spiders, vials with a floating eyeball, and monster jaws full of sharp teeth. The neon-glowing, spooky aesthetic sets the perfect Halloween mood, where a 6x Wild can deliver 2,000x your bet.
“What better way to mark 27 years of entertaining our players than by inviting them into a haunted castle?” said Michael Hilary, Slotland Manager. “This has been a landmark birthday for us, and we wanted to give our players a gift. The Castle of Horror is the perfect blend of spooky fun and big win potential, and it encapsulates the innovative spirit that has kept us at the forefront for nearly three decades.”
The castle’s true terror and treasure lie in its trio of bonus features. Scatter symbols pay instantly, with 1 to 6 scatters awarding up to 10x your total bet. Land 3 or more Free Spins scatters to trigger the Freakish Free Spins round with 3-12 spins, featuring Colossal Wilds and extra spins for additional scatters. For instant rewards, trigger the Pick Me Bonus with 3 or more scatters to level up through the castle’s depths, unlocking increasingly valuable coin prizes from up to five rows.
Join Slotland’s birthday bash and Halloween festivities. The terror doesn’t stop there! Slotland’s sister site, Winaday Casino, has also unleashed the Castle of Horror, offering another venue to hunt for its eerie bounty!
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The post Unearth Monstrous Wins in Slotland’s New Castle of Horror Slot appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Latest News
The Brains Behind Predictive Fraud: How Frogo Turns Risk into Growth
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Fraud is evolving fast and businesses need more than reactive tools – they need a partner that can predict, prevent and adapt in real time. Frogo, the all-in-one fraud prevention platform, RedCore’s brand, is doing exactly that. From device fingerprinting and AI-powered scoring engines to graph-based forensic tools, Frogo empowers businesses to reduce losses, streamline processes and grow with confidence.
We spoke with Maksym Tkach, CTO at Frogo, about the company’s approach to fraud prevention, model management, transparency and how it’s preparing for next-generation threats.
How does Frogo ensure transparency and auditability while running a scoring engine and how do you balance that with real-time performance?
Transparency and speed don’t have to be at odds, we achieve this through careful architecture design. Every decision our system makes is fully traceable. If a transaction is flagged, we don’t just provide a score. We log the full context: the specific policy executed, all input variables and features and human-readable reasons that explain exactly which triggers were activated.
Yet, detailed logging doesn’t slow down the process. Our core decisioning engine responds in milliseconds, while the full audit details are published asynchronously to a message bus and stored separately. This ensures our partners get immediate responses without compromising traceability for our analysts.
How does Frogo manage model drift and concept drift across multiple fraud domains? What strategies ensure seamless retraining or evolution of your models?
Fraud is constantly evolving, so our system must adapt. We take a multi-layered approach:
Drift Detection: We monitor incoming data for inconsistencies, leverage anomaly detection within our rule engine and actively use partner feedback to identify potential issues early.
Seamless Retraining: When a model needs updating, we follow a ‘champion-challenger’ approach. The challenger model is backtested against historical data, shadow-tested in live traffic without affecting decisions and only promoted after proving its superiority.
This structured process allows us to maintain performance, adapt to new threats and minimize any impact on our partners’ operations.
In what ways does Frogo support explainable appeals or reversals? Is there a rollback mechanism?
We believe partners should feel empowered, not constrained by a black box. Every risk decision comes with a detailed, human-readable breakdown of the triggers and scores, forming the basis for appeals.
For reversals:
Case-by-Case: Our FinalReview API lets partners override individual false positives, while feeding back critical ground-truth for future improvements.
Policy Rollbacks: Partners can instantly disable underperforming triggers through our back-office control panel. Every action is fully logged, ensuring transparency and accountability.
As quantum computing and encrypted data processing gain prominence, how is Frogo preparing for next-gen fraud schemes?
We approach next-generation threats proactively.
Quantum Readiness: Our system is crypto-agile – we can swap in quantum-resistant algorithms quickly. Strong encryption, network segmentation and partner-dedicated accounts add layers of protection.
Encrypted Data Processing: We offer flexibility depending on partner needs. Privacy-conscious partners can provide hashed depersonalised data, allowing us to detect fraud without ever getting access to sensitive information.
This dual approach keeps us ahead of evolving threats while respecting privacy and compliance requirements.
Frogo is not just about stopping fraud – it’s about turning risk into growth. By combining real-time automation, AI intelligence and deep forensic capabilities, the platform helps businesses reduce losses, streamline operations and deliver seamless experiences for legitimate users.
If you want to see Frogo in action and explore how the platform can safeguard your business while driving growth, join Maksym Tkach and the Frogo team at SiGMA, November 4-6, booth #1047.
Leap into safety and catch the risks before they catch you.
The post The Brains Behind Predictive Fraud: How Frogo Turns Risk into Growth appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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