Taking stock of Eastern European Gaming Summit 2023: time well spent, luckily

Combined with AI, gamification gains in potency

The first top-of-mind session was dedicated to Gamification and AI and focused on how to deliver an unsurpassed experience to customers. Moderated by Alexis Wicén , CEO of Unibo, the discussion turned out greatly insightful to everybody who understands the true potential of AI in the gaming industry. This was largely due to a group of attention grabbing speakers: Georgi Malchev , Founder of Xplora, Aleksandra Andrishak , Editor-in-Chief at Slotsjudge , Mariana Todorova, PhD, futurist at the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, BAS, and Georgi Kanev , Head of Interactive Entertainment & Gaming, Kinstellar.  “When combined with AI, gamification becomes even more powerful. AI technologies can enhance the personalization and adaptability of gamified experiences, tailoring them to individual preferences, learning styles, and skill levels. This dynamic approach can significantly improve user engagement and effectiveness in achieving desired outcomes”, Kinstellar guy Georgi Kanev argued and we have every reason to have this in mind.

Hitchhikers in a digital galaxy

Panel Session 2 provoked the audience with its appealing headline, The Marketer’s Guide to the Digital Galaxy. Marin Ribać , Director Sales and Digital Advertising, Sportradar ; Iveta Kulenska, Chief Marketing Officer, Rise The Bet ; Liliana Almeida, Head of Brand & Communications, Clever Advertising; and Andre Sousa Machado, Head of Publishers Relations at Sportradar generously shared views and experience on effective strategies to engage and retain customers, as the talk was skilfully moderated by Aleksandra Andrishak. What is Andre’s interpretation of the theme of the session? Here is what he told us: "The future of the marketer's guide to the digital galaxy is rapidly evolving, ushering in a new era where the concept of ‘face out of the cookies’ takes center stage. As privacy concerns continue to gain prominence, there is a growing shift away from traditional cookie-based tracking methods. With increased scrutiny on data privacy and the implementation of stricter regulations, marketers are compelled to explore alternative strategies for customer engagement.”

Mountain of regulations

The tight schedule of the EEGS continued with the IMGL Masterclass that came handy with a few practical solutions for new and developing regulators. This was followed by Panel Session 3 headlined Regulatory Environment. Leading insiders including Janis Ungurs, Director of the Legal Department, Lotteries and Gambling Supervisory Inspectorate, Latvia; Gemma Boore , Senior Associate, Harris Hagan; Diana Karaivanova , Group Data Protection Officer and Senior Legal Counsel at OpenPayd, and Charalambos Charalambous, Technical Compliance Senior Officer, Cyprus Gaming and Casino Supervision Commission, cast light on the current state of gaming law and regulation and what is in store for the near future.

Responsible is where you start

Responsible gaming has always been at the heart of EEGS, and its 2023 edition made no exception. Keynote speaker for this ever-hot and evolving topic was the gaming industry top-notch expert and veteran, as well as EEGS’s great friend Pieter Remmers. His head-turner lecture was delivered under the title My lucky numbers.

To cut a long story short, anybody who joined EEGS 2023 was fairly lucky – and for sure they are now looking forward to new gaming industry get-togethers in 2024.