Two weeks ago, on 16 September, industry experts of the CEE and Balkans region gathered in Budapest for the 7^th edition of the Central and Eastern European Gaming Conference (CEEGC). The conference was held at its now traditional location, The Ritz-Carlton in Budapest, and the participants enjoyed quality learning and networking sessions throughout the day.

The team at Hipther Agency would like to thank the excellent support of the conference sponsors: Nordic Gambling, Endorphina, UltraPlay, Oddin.gg, Global Bet and NETSHOP ISP.

There have been many hand-shakes, business cards exchanges, hugs, and smiling faces in Budapest during the event and you can find the full photo gallery at the following link: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjA7Vif

The panel discussions approached regulatory, tax, and operations of markets such as Hungary, Romania, Czechia, Poland, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Sweden, Denmark, and Ukraine.

The experts who joined the panel outlined some of the main aspects in each market and here are headlines:

Czechia: "The first step was made, but the improvement will take time." - Petr Kozák - IFGR Lawyer and Secretary General

Hungary: "It will be a very tricky position for new online gaming operators." - Gábor Helembai - Counsel in the Corporate Practice Group of the Budapest office of TaylorWessing

Romania: "The good news in Romania is that the law is going to change and hopefully it will change for the benefit of the operators." - Dan Iliovici - Vice President at Rombet

Romania: "Taxes are really high in the iGaming industry. That’s the bottom line." - Andrei Cosma - Managing Associate at SIMION & BACIU

Sweden: "We [Sweden] are going from a left-wing government to a centre-right-wing government, so I am expecting some changes." - Gustaf Hoffstedt - Secretary-General at the Swedish Trade Association for Online Gambling

Denmark: "We really find these regulatory steps [in Denmark] counterproductive." - Stephan Normann Østergaard - Nordic Gambling team Denmark

Poland: "I’d like to debunk some of the myths saying that it is difficult to enter the Polish market." - Marek Plota - Founding Attorney at RM Legal & Gaming In Poland

Ukraine: "I’ve heard some good things about Poland. (...) We [Evoplay] are looking to enter Sweden and Denmark as well." - Vladimir Malakchi - Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at Evoplay Entertainment

Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina: "I believe, the biggest problem we have is the education of the players. (...) That’s also why land-based casinos are so popular." - Lazar Miučin - CEO and Co-Founder of iGaming Advisor

Serbia, Montenegro: "There is a similar political uncertainty in Montenegro as well. There is a big chance that after the potential elections, the situation will be the same as now, which means the same parties would have to negotiate." - Luka Popović - Partner at BDK Advokati

Bulgaria: "Despite the new players on the [Bulgarian] market, the competition is still very low." - Silviia Baykoucheva - Senior Compliance Officer at Amusnet Interactive

The technological advancements of the online gaming industry: "We need to understand where this [AI, NFT, Crypto, Blockchain] is going (...) and how it will effect us." - Robert Dowling - Chief Commercial Officer at GlobalBet

The technological advancements of the online gaming industry: "It is very likely that crypto will be regulated in some form, and players will understand that it is not anything illegal. (...) Once that happens, the industry will experience a new boost." - Péter W. Szabó - CEO of AceTech

The technological advancements of the online gaming industry: "[In eSports] most of the betting volume (86%) comes in live. (...) The prize pools of eSports are coming to match normal sports." - Vladan Blagojevic - Oddin.gg’s Marketing Project Manager

Responsible Gaming: "I think we should let the academics sit down and work out a system that provides information [on problem gaming] that is beyond any doubt." - Dan Iliovici - Vice President at Rombet

Responsible Gaming: "Entain (...) is getting more and more involved in the prevention of problem gaming." - Bill Pascrell, III - Partner at Princeton Public Affairs Group, Inc.

The video recordings of the panel discussions are available on-demand on HIPTHER TV. You can access it here: https://hipther.com/tv/premium-access-ceegc-budapest-2022/

– You can also order the 2022 full collection of conference recordings (4 conferences) and benefit of a substantial discount. You can find more details here: https://hipther.com/tv/premium2022/

“We are delighted about the outcome of CEEGC Budapest and being the final in-person event we host this year, I would personally like to thank all participants who joined us over the course of 2022 in Vilnius, Prague, and recently in Budapest. It has been a very busy year with many conferences colliding in several months, but it is important that the industry has evolved to a new level. We would also like to thank our media partners for the coverage throughout the year. We are looking forward to hosting our final virtual event this year, The HIPTHER FESTIVAL, and will soon announce the 2023 calendar with many new changes coming to our portfolio of in-person events and virtual meetups. So, watch this space for our upcoming announcements,” stated Zoltán Tűndik, Co-Founder and Head of Business at Hipther Agency

Besides the panel discussions and networking session, the winners of the 2022 edition at the CEEG Awards have also been revealed, after a final secret vote by the attending participants.

With all this been being said, the #hipthers are busier than ever and many new announcements will land soon in your inbox, social media channels, and news outlets.