As part of its long-standing partnership with the Bulgarian Business Leaders Forum (BBLF), Amusnet supported the 9th Annual Meeting between BBLF and the Diplomatic Corps, held on June 26 in Sofia. The high-profile event brought together ambassadors from over 30 countries, senior executives representing more than 45 companies, and key government officials under the theme “Bulgaria as an Investment Destination.”

The forum served as a strategic platform for dialogue between the business community, the diplomatic sector and government institutions, focusing on strategies to attract, retain and support investors in Bulgaria. Discussions emphasised the country’s significant potential for innovation, economic development and international cooperation – particularly in the context of the country’s progress towards Eurozone and OECD membership.

Distinguished guests included Minister of Justice Georgi Georgiev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikolay Pavlov, Deputy Minister of Economy and Industry Doncho Barbalov and Mila Nenova, Executive Director of the Bulgarian Investment Agency. The UK served as this year’s diplomatic partner, represented by British Ambassador Nathaniel Copsey.

“Supporting the BBLF Annual Meeting with the diplomatic corps fully aligns with Amusnet’s strategic vision of fostering a transparent, stable, and forward-looking business environment in Bulgaria. Our long-term collaboration with the Bulgarian Business Leaders Forum reflects a shared commitment to high standards of corporate governance, responsible business conduct, and sustainable growth,” said Ivo Georgiev, CEO of Amusnet.

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By sponsoring this key event, Amusnet reaffirms its commitment to advancing responsible business practices, fostering international collaboration and contributing to a stronger investment climate in Bulgaria. The company continues to stand behind initiatives that align with its corporate values of integrity, transparency and sustainable growth.

Growthfund has launched an international tender process for the concession of the exclusive right to produce, manage, operate, promote, and exploit the Greek State Lotteries for a period of at least 10 years.

The concession right pertains to the following lotteries: the Instant State Lottery, the State Housing Lottery, the Popular Lottery, the Special Social National Lottery, the National Lottery and the Extraordinary or Special Lottery drawn by the European Association of State Lotteries (AELLE).

The tender will be conducted in two phases. In Phase A, interested parties are invited to submit an expression of interest by July 23, 2025, at 16:00. In Phase B, pre-qualified participants will be invited to submit binding offers.

Currently, the exclusive right to the State Lotteries has been granted to the company “Hellenic Lotteries S.A. – Production, Operation, Distribution, Promotion and Management of Lotteries.”

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Detailed information about the tender process is available in the Invitation for Expression of Interest on Growthfund’s website: StateLotteriesEoI.

The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) announced the outcome of its investigation into serious integrity breaches involving professional StarCraft II competitors Xue “Firefly” Tao and Jinhui “Jim” Cao. Mr. Xue has been banned from ESIC Member events and competitions for life, while Mr. Jinhui has been provisionally suspended pending further sanction.

Following a detailed inquiry spanning April to July 2024, ESIC uncovered evidence of a coordinated match-fixing and profit-sharing scheme. The investigation found that Mr. Xue deliberately manipulated match outcomes to benefit illicit betting activity orchestrated by Mr. Jinhui, with whom he had a long-standing association.

Key findings include:

• Pre-match wagers placed by Mr. Jinhui predicting Firefly’s losses — often by precise scorelines.

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• Consistent match losses by Firefly aligning with those wagers across seven tournaments.

• Large Alipay transfers from Jim to Firefly immediately following these matches.

• A WeChat exchange on 21 August 2024 directly referencing prior payments and an effort to conceal evidence.

ESIC has concluded that Xue “Firefly” Tao committed 21 breaches of the ESIC Integrity Programme, spanning both the Anti-Corruption Code and Code of Conduct. As a result, he has been handed a lifetime ban from all ESIC member events and competitions in any capacity.

Mr. Jinhui has been provisionally suspended and served with a Notice of Charge. He has until 14 July 2025 to respond before ESIC issues a formal sanction.

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