Sponsor Spotlight - GLI on Eastern Europe iGaming Market Entry: Regulation, Compliance & Readiness with Miha Bizjak
As iGaming markets across Eastern Europe evolve, regulatory readiness and technical compliance are becoming central to successful expansion. We speak about this with Miha Bizjak, Account Manager at Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) — the Grand Quality & Compliance Sponsor of HIPTHER Events 2026 — ahead of his speaker participation in the HIPTHER Warsaw Summit on 27–28 October.
Eastern Europe continues to attract attention as both established and emerging regulated markets evolve. From GLI’s perspective, which developments across the region should operators and suppliers be paying particularly close attention to right now?
From GLI’s perspective, the most significant developments across Eastern Europe can be grouped into three themes: regulatory maturity, increased technical oversight, and stronger player protection requirements.
Ukraine remains one of the most closely watched markets in the region. The regulatory framework continues to evolve, with certification requirements for gambling equipment and online systems, the introduction of monitoring obligations, and licensing opportunities for operators, suppliers, and testing laboratories. For businesses looking at the market, early engagement with compliance and certification requirements is essential.
We are also seeing regulators place greater emphasis on responsible gambling and consumer protection. Jurisdictions are strengthening self-exclusion frameworks, excluded-player registers, and oversight mechanisms. Increasingly, regulators expect operators not only to implement these controls but also to demonstrate that they are functioning effectively in practice.
Georgia is another market worth watching. Recent legislative developments have introduced a licence category for the international operation of online casino games, online slot machine games, and online betting. While the current changes do not significantly alter testing requirements, they demonstrate the jurisdiction’s continued efforts to develop and expand its regulated market.
More broadly, we continue to see regulators across the region enhancing licensing frameworks, strengthening compliance expectations, and increasing oversight of both operators and suppliers. The focus is no longer solely on market entry but on maintaining ongoing compliance throughout the product lifecycle.
So, if I had to summarise the picture in one sentence: Eastern Europe continues to offer attractive growth opportunities, but success increasingly depends on having a robust compliance strategy, strong technical governance, and the ability to adapt quickly to regulatory change.
When companies assess a potential new market, commercial opportunity often receives most of the attention. From a compliance and technical perspective, what should they be evaluating before making the decision to enter?
When companies assess a new market, commercial opportunity often receives most of the attention. However, from a compliance and technical perspective, I would encourage operators and suppliers to evaluate three key areas before making an entry decision.
First, understand the regulatory framework and, just as importantly, how the regulator enforces it. Two jurisdictions may have similar requirements on paper, but very different expectations in practice. Companies need clarity on licensing obligations, supplier approvals, certification requirements, reporting obligations, and the regulator’s overall approach to compliance.
Second, evaluate the technical requirements. This includes understanding whether products need certification prior to launch, what standards apply, what system integrations may be required, and how future changes are managed. In some jurisdictions, ongoing monitoring, change management controls, or periodic compliance activities can have a significant operational impact.
Third, look closely at responsible gambling and consumer protection requirements. Regulators increasingly expect these controls to be embedded within both the technology and operational processes. It's important to understand not only what measures are required, but also how they will be tested, monitored, and demonstrated to the regulator.
Regulatory frameworks across Eastern Europe can differ considerably from one jurisdiction to another. What are some of the most common challenges you see companies encounter when trying to adapt products or operations originally developed for another regulated market?
One of the most common challenges is assuming that a product approved in one regulated market can be transferred to another with only minor adjustments. In reality, even when jurisdictions appear similar, the regulatory expectations can be quite different.
A key challenge is adapting to different technical requirements. Areas such as game functionality, reporting obligations, system architecture, change management processes, and certification expectations often vary from one jurisdiction to another. What is compliant in one market may require modifications before it can be approved elsewhere.
We also see companies underestimate the effort required to align their compliance programmes with regulatory requirements. Success in a new market is not just about deploying compliant technology; it's about ensuring that governance, documentation, testing, release management, and ongoing compliance activities meet the applicable regulatory standards.
Finally, regulatory change management can be a significant challenge. Many Eastern European markets continue to evolve, and companies need processes in place to monitor regulatory updates and assess their impact on products and operations. The organisations that are most successful are typically those that build flexibility into their platforms and compliance programmes from the outset, rather than treating each new jurisdiction as a standalone project.
What does being genuinely “market-ready” look like today, and what should operators and suppliers have in place before beginning the process of entering a new regulated market?
Being genuinely market-ready today means much more than having a product that can be certified. It means having the technology, processes, and compliance framework in place to support the product throughout its entire lifecycle in a regulated environment.
Before entering a new market, operators and suppliers should first ensure they have a clear understanding of the regulatory requirements and how those requirements translate into technical obligations. This includes certification requirements, reporting expectations, system integrations, change management procedures, and any market-specific product requirements.
They should also be confident that their internal processes are mature enough to support ongoing compliance. Regulators increasingly expect companies to demonstrate effective governance, maintain comprehensive documentation, manage releases in a controlled manner, and respond efficiently to regulatory requests or changes.
Another important consideration is scalability. A product may be compliant in one jurisdiction, but organisations should assess how easily it can be adapted to meet the requirements of additional markets without introducing unnecessary complexity or risk.
Finally, market readiness requires a proactive approach to regulatory change. Regulations continue to evolve, particularly in emerging and developing markets, so companies need the capability to monitor changes, assess impact, and implement updates efficiently."
In short, true market readiness is about more than launching successfully. It is about having the foundations in place to remain compliant, adapt to regulatory change, and operate sustainably as the market evolves.
Regulations inevitably continue to evolve after a company enters a market. How can operators and suppliers build compliance into their operations in a way that allows them to respond efficiently to regulatory changes rather than treating each new requirement as a separate hurdle?
The most successful operators and suppliers tend to view compliance as an ongoing capability rather than a series of individual projects. When every regulatory change is treated as a separate exercise, compliance becomes reactive, costly, and difficult to scale.
A good starting point is building flexibility into both the product and the compliance framework. Products designed with configurable functionality, well-defined change management processes, and strong governance are generally much easier to adapt when new requirements are introduced.
Equally important is establishing a structured process for monitoring regulatory developments and assessing their impact. Regulatory change should not come as a surprise. Companies should have mechanisms in place to identify upcoming changes, evaluate the associated risks, and plan implementation activities well before deadlines approach.
Cross-functional collaboration is also critical. Regulatory changes rarely affect just one team. Compliance, product, engineering, operations, and testing teams need to work together to assess requirements, determine impacts, and implement changes efficiently. Companies where teams work closely together are generally much better equipped to adapt when regulations change.
Ultimately, compliance should not be viewed as a barrier to growth. When embedded effectively into an organisation's processes, it becomes an enabler that allows operators and suppliers to adapt more quickly, enter new markets more efficiently, and respond confidently to regulatory change.
Through your work at GLI, you support clients navigating requirements across different jurisdictions. Where do you see the greatest value in involving testing and compliance experts early in the market-entry process, rather than closer to launch?
The greatest value in involving testing and compliance experts early is the ability to identify potential challenges before significant time and resources are invested. Early engagement provides clarity on regulatory and technical requirements, including certification, reporting, system integrations, and market-specific obligations. It also helps companies determine whether their existing products and systems are suitable for the target market, identify any necessary changes upfront, and develop realistic timelines based on certification and approval requirements. This reduces the risk of costly redesigns, rework, and launch delays. It can also reveal opportunities to use existing solutions across multiple jurisdictions rather than creating separate implementations for each market. Overall, involving experts from the outset improves efficiency, reduces complexity, supports long-term scalability, and gives companies greater confidence in their market-entry decisions and planning.
You will be joining the industry conversation at the HIPTHER Warsaw Summit this October. What discussions around regulation, market expansion and industry preparedness do you believe the sector most needs to be having as companies look toward their next stage of growth in Europe?
As companies look toward their next stage of growth in Europe, the industry needs to move beyond simply selecting markets and focus on achieving sustainable growth within regulated environments. This starts with understanding whether a business is truly market-ready, including its ability to meet regulatory, technical, and certification requirements before expanding. Companies should also build scalable products and compliance frameworks that can support multiple jurisdictions efficiently. Closer collaboration between operators, suppliers, regulators, and testing laboratories will be equally important in addressing challenges early and supporting smoother market entry. Ultimately, compliance should be viewed not as a barrier, but as a business enabler that supports efficient expansion and long-term growth.
Join the HIPTHER Warsaw Summit to meet Miha in person, hear his insights, and explore the latest developments shaping iGaming and technology in Europe across three stages and four dedicated content platforms.