Baltics

Engage yourself in the most complete Game Wave Festival, where business, learning, and enjoyment merge!

Published

2 years ago

June 28, 2022

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The Game Wave Festival is an international event taking place for the second year in a row from September 27th to October 2nd in Tallinn, Estonia at Tallink Spa & Conference Hotel. The first three days of six-day-event are dedicated to the game jam.

The Game Wave Festival is a business, education and entertainment event for the gaming industry professionals. It first took place with great success in September 2021 in Jūrmala, Latvia attracting participants from 25 countries.

“Game Wave Festival is an expressive way to celebrate glorious game development heritage, culture and traditions, meet new and old faces, and have fun. It is professional, oriented to have serious business talks, and cozy, to make friends with almost all attendees. I am happy to welcome all of you to the 2nd Game Wave Festival!” — Ints Viksna, Chairman of Board at Latvian Technological center.

The festival is mainly B2B, however, it is designed to avoid the “stiffness” these types of events sometimes have. Game Wave Festival attempts to capture the fun and relaxed ambiance we’ve experienced in other global and regional game events. GWF is large enough to get an overview of the main tendencies in the Nordic and Baltic region, and small enough to make friends with all participants – The friendships you will make in GWF, will follow you all your life.

Main event and B2Match

30.09. – 02.10. The Main Event: Conference, workshops, expo, pitching competitions, business meetings and game jam final presentation.
The conference and interactive events are divided into 5 tracks: General, Art (visual, audial, haptics), Unreal Engine, XR and Board Games.
The online matchmaking platform is available for all participants all 6 days, and the meetings can also be booked on-site. Registered members of the matchmaking will be able to participate both on-site and online.
GWF uses the B2Match meeting and event management platform that works both on web browsers and mobile devices. This platform also handles video calls and conference streaming, so all functionality needed by the participants is neatly in one place.
There will be a private Business area for business ticket holders in Tallink’s Fidel Bar with a nice view of the old town.

The first three days of the six-day-event are dedicated to the game jam

Awesome game jam runs from September 27th to 29th. The game jam’s theme and diversifiers of the jam will be decided by the jam sponsors. However, the game jam does not end on the 3rd day, instead, the final ceremony is on the 6th day of GWF. This is by design so that the teams can improve their games by attending workshops and even pitch them in and get feedback in our “Early stage games mentor pitch”.

Three unique game pitching opportunities:

1 to 1 board games author and publisher pitch in a private, closed space, where publishers can take their time to test the game and converse with the authors.
Early stage mentor pitch for anyone not ready for any other pitches, but still willing to train, test their prototype and get feedback. Jammers are welcome.
Nordic Game Discovery Contest Baltic semi-finals where developers from Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania can showcase their games to publishers and industry experts and compete for a place in the finals.

Three special event parties, including Business Afterparty and Pool party

The Business Party (29.09.2022) will be available for organizers, speakers, partners and business ticket holders only.
The Pool party (30.09.2022) will be available for organizers, speakers, partners, business ticket holders only and pool party ticket holders. There will be access to the pool area, sauna, hot tubs and a quieter area by the bar.
The Afterparty (01.10.2022) will be available for almost everyone (except for student ticket holders). It will feature Marioke, a feast table and a quieter area for business conversations.

The 3 day expo for game companies, art, technology & education

The expo will be of interest to anyone who has a professional or a hobby curiosity about topics related to game companies, art, technology and education. Learning from last year’s success and good feedback, GWF will place staff members to guard the hall, so that the expo participants are not tied down at their booths for 3 days.

Baltics

New Survey Reveals 80% of Lithuanians Would Welcome a Ban on Gambling Ads

Published

18 hours ago

April 18, 2024

Niji Narayan

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Eight out of 10 Lithuanians would approve of a ban on gambling ads in the country, a new survey revealed.

The survey commissioned by public broadcaster LRT was carried out by the public opinion and market research company Baltijos tyrimai. It showed that 80% of respondents aged 18 years and over are in favour of a complete ban on gambling ads in Lithuania and just 15% would oppose the move.

It has transpired that approval of the gambling ad ban was greater among women than men – 86% against 72% respectively. The move has also wide support among residents aged over 50 (84%) and by people with greater than secondary education and with monthly household income of up to EUR 1100 (85%). Opponents of the ban often include men (21%), young people under 30 years of age (23%), rural residents (18%) and people with unfinished secondary education (30%). 1115 adult residents of Lithuania were polled on 15-25 March.

In mid-March, parliament began to consider amendments to the law on gambling, which, if adopted, would prohibit gambling advertisements as of 1 January 2025.

The post New Survey Reveals 80% of Lithuanians Would Welcome a Ban on Gambling Ads appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Baltics

Lithuania’s Nese enters iGaming with a record sponsorship deal

Published

1 week ago

April 11, 2024

Wladimir P.

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Reading Time: 2 minutes

Nese, Lithuania’s oldest land-based casino operator, has launched Twinsbet – a new iGaming and sportsbook brand with a focus on sports sponsorships. The company entered into a 3-year long, €7.5 million sponsorship deal with the Wolves basketball club and secured the Avia Solutions Group Arena naming rights.

Twinsbet enters the highly competitive Lithuanian market with naming rights to the largest Vilnius indoor arena, title sponsorship of the Wolves basketball club competing locally and in the Eurocup, and celebrity former basketball players, the Lavrinovic twins, as main ambassadors. This sponsorship deal is worth at least €7.5 million for the next three years and may increase to €10 million if certain conditions are met.

Such a sports and iGaming sponsorship deal is among the largest in Lithuanian history. Nese will seek further collaborations with various sports organizations, focusing on both professional and leisure sports activities.

According to Alvidas Paulikas, Nese’s CEO, the company aims for the leading position locally and seeks to become the first Lithuanian operator to expand internationally.

“Twinsbet is centered around the idea that we believe in sports. For this reason, we are heavily investing in and supporting sports, including the Wolves basketball club and the Twinsbet Arena, as well as other collaborations we are currently investigating and are always open to. We plan to support local teams and non-professional sporting activities in new markets that we will enter soon,” says Paulikas.

Andrius Ziauberis, the CEO of both the Wolves basketball club and the Twinsbet Arena, says that the deal with Twinsbet will strengthen both the organization and the entire Lithuanian sports community.

“We are the only top-tier Lithuanian basketball club operating without any support from municipalities, and so this sponsorship deal will pave the way for sustainable growth. Strong teams can inspire generations both on and beyond the court, and this deal builds a solid foundation for an engaging fan experience,” Ziauberis says.

According to the regulator, the total Lithuanian gaming market amounted to €222 million in 2023, a 13 percent increase from 2022. More than 65 percent of the market is online. The total amount wagered exceeded €2 billion for the first time in 2022.

The post Lithuania’s Nese enters iGaming with a record sponsorship deal appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Baltics

Hacksaw Gaming and TOPsport are on TOP of their game with new partnership announcement in Lithuania

Published

1 week ago

April 10, 2024

George Miller

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Kicking off the month, it’s time to commemorate a brand new partnership with Lithuania’s leading operator – TOPsport! As of the 8th of April, Hacksaw fans will have the opportunity to enjoy the initial selection of our released games, with plans for further expansion in line with market regulations.

TOPsport was founded with humble beginnings back in 2002, they were in fact the first ever betting company to be established in Lithuania. Boasting an impressive collection of 62 betting locations and, of course, their online platform which is home to sports betting and live casino games from various different providers globally. They now welcome Hacksaw classics such as Wanted Dead or a Wild, Chaos Crew and Hand of Anubis to their growing collection.

CEO of TOPsport, Gintaras Staniulis, expressed “TOPsport is excited about the partnership with Hacksaw gaming, which marks a significant step forward in our commitment to providing unparalleled experiences for our customers. We are confident that this collaboration will further enhance our offerings and solidify our position as a leader in the industry.”

TOPsport players can expect exciting narratives, captivating artistic design and an overall gaming experience that will leave them searching for more Hacksaw content. Confident that this will be the case, Hacksaw Gaming CEO Marcus Cordes wanted to say a few words on the new partnership – “A top operator in the Lithuanian market teaming up with a leading provider of innovative games—what a match! We’re thrilled about this collaboration and are optimistic that TOPsport players will soon become familiar with the Hacksaw name.”

Only time will tell, but we’re pretty sure that TOPsport Casino users will find Hacksaw games at the ‘top’ of their new favourite lists.

The post Hacksaw Gaming and TOPsport are on TOP of their game with new partnership announcement in Lithuania appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.