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QTech Games expands emerging market reach through XUP Studio partnership

AGBrief Editorial
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QTech Games expands emerging market reach through XUP Studio partnership

QTech Games continues to expand its premium gaming portfolio, announcing a strategic partnership with XUP Studio, a rising developer specializing in crash and fast-paced game mechanics.

Founded in 2025 by a young-yet-experienced igaming team, and bolstered by the backing of established industry veterans, XUP Studio is premised on originality in a sea of copycat content, powered by the north star of never relying on reskins of existing games, but instead fostering new mechanics for truly unique experiences. 

Integrating a progressive portfolio from one of the most productive and innovative developers in the sector adds more muscle to QTech Games aggregation platform, which is leading the way across growth markets like LatAm and Africa. In a progressive production line that already has three games live, including hits like Pingwin and Pigaboom, with four more in development, and a further three planned for 2026, XUP Studio is also committed to launching games tailored to specific partner requests, while also growing its portfolio with a new wave of exciting titles.

Philip Doftvik, QTech Games CEO, said: “XUP Studio’s initial launch of some jaw-dropping crash and fast games is premised on clever mechanics, easily intelligible gameplay, high payouts and colourful graphics. This kind of content is well-suited to LatAm and African markets, which directly tracks our ongoing expansion throughout these territories. After such a dazzling beginning, we can’t wait to see what’s next from this rising star.”

This deal delivers a targeted range of localised content, allowing QTech Games to meet the varied preferences of players across emerging markets, while supporting both companies’ ambitions for global growth.

“Our idea was to build new mechanics in the fast and crash game segments. With the market flooded by reskins, XUP’s vision has always been to create something truly unique – not just visually, but mechanically as well,” added Nikoloz Kadjaev, Co-Founder of XUP Studio. “In short, we don’t copy – we create something fresh that we would love to play ourselves. Partnering with QTech Games represents an ideal opportunity for us to strengthen our product distribution across emerging markets and deliver our fantastic crash games to more and more top-tier operators, unlocking untapped jurisdictions from Asia, through Africa and Eastern Europe, and on to Latin America for diversified growth.”

Spinmatic and Stoiximan sign premier alliance for the Greek market

AGBrief Editorial
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Spinmatic and Stoiximan sign premier alliance for the Greek market

Greece’s gaming sector sees a significant boost as top-tier developer Spinmatic joins forces with Stoiximan, the country’s leading online sports betting and gaming operator.

This synergy represents a significant step in Spinmatic’s journey in the region, aligning the developer’s creative drive with Stoiximan’s market-leading expertise. By integrating its portfolio with the operator’s platform, Spinmatic aims to offer a tailored technological edge to the most sophisticated player base in Greece.

With innovation at the core of its operations, Spinmatic is working alongside the market leader to enhance the slot experience through stunning graphics and the math models players prefer.

Stoiximan players are already enjoying a selection of Spinmatic’s innovative titles, reinforcing a shared commitment to delivering engaging and high-quality entertainment. As a leading brand in its sector, Stoiximan continuously evolves the gaming experience for its customers, making the partnership a natural fit for both parties.

Spinmatic’s offering on Stoiximan blends iconic classics with modern mechanics, led by the legendary Sizzling Blaze series—a definitive player favorite that combines classic fruit aesthetics with high-stakes thrills. Spinmatic is further supporting Stoiximan’s casino vertical with high-tension Hold&Win adventures such as Plata o Plomo Hold&Win and Frank Pantera. Building on that momentum, the developer has raised the stakes with the launch of Elemental Fusion Deluxe, introducing a next-level slot-Plinko fusion with refined visuals and upgraded mechanics to Stoiximan’s premier platform.

“Partnering with Stoiximan, the largest online sports betting and gaming provider in Greece, is an honor and a defining milestone for us,” said Norbert Mathies, Managing Director at Spinmatic. “Stoiximan represents the pinnacle of the industry, and we are proud to see our content resonating with their vast audience. Our goal is to support their leadership through constant innovation, ensuring that Greek players receive a truly world-class casino experience.”

“We are delighted to partner with Spinmatic and expand our casino offering with their engaging and high-quality content,” added Georgios Sideridis, Casino Manager at Stoiximan. “We look forward to building a successful and long-lasting collaboration that delivers even more entertainment and value to our players.”

With the market leader and Spinmatic’s innovative content now united, the Greek gaming experience has reached a new level, with both companies poised to set a new benchmark for entertainment together.

Zitro Experience new edition returns to Paraguay: A new edition awaits

AGBrief Editorial
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Zitro Experience new edition returns to Paraguay: A new edition awaits

Zitro is returning to Paraguay on August 4th for its second annual Zitro Experience, held at the Hotel Casino Acaray alongside SAGSE. Following a successful debut last year, the event will once again convene top industry operators and stakeholders to showcase the company’s latest gaming innovations.

Zitro will showcase the FANTASY cabinet featuring its games ‘Brave Dragon’ and ‘Lion Falls’, an offering that has been met with outstanding success in international markets, including gaming halls across Latin America, and which arrives in Paraguay with high expectations.

Penguin-Party_by-Zitro, CONCEPT cabinet

The event will also be the perfect opportunity to discover the latest additions to the CONCEPT cabinet, a proven performer across multiple jurisdictions in the region, including standout titles such as ‘Penguin Party’ and ‘Clover Paddy’.

“We can’t wait to meet our clients and friends in Paraguay and show them everything we have in store,” said Alejandra Burato, Zitro’s Regional Director for Latin America. “It is an important market for us, and events like this reaffirm our commitment to bring value to operators with a broad and diverse offering. I’d especially like to highlight the work of Viviana Colman and the entire local team, whose day-to-day dedication is key to strengthening our presence and partnerships in the country. We look forward to seeing you at Zitro Experience Paraguay!”

Asia Gaming eBrief: Gaming takes bigger share of Macau visitor budgets

AGBrief Editorial
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Asia Gaming eBrief: Gaming takes bigger share of Macau visitor budgets
Good morning. The house still has the pull. A CLSA survey shows Macau gaming taking a bigger slice of mainland visitors’ travel budgets, even as trip intentions remain broadly steady. Casino play now accounts for 41 percent of reasons to visit, the highest in the survey’s three-year run, while gaming’s share of planned budgets rose to 24 percent as entertainment and shopping lost ground. Meanwhile, Seaport expects July GGR to drop 7 percent to 9 percent year-on-year, with the World Cup still weighing on play and no relief in sight on reinvestment costs. In Australia, a $2.7 million US tariff refund has given Ainsworth an unexpected lift, with the slot maker raising its 1H26 profit guidance and cutting its net debt forecast.

What you need to know

On the radar

AGB Intelligence

MACAU

Macau Labor Day holiday arrivals exceed 630K, May 2nd hits record high

Gaming takes a bigger share of Macau visitors’ travel budgets

A CLSA survey points to a renewed focus on casino play among mainland Chinese visitors to Macau, despite the city’s wider non-gaming diversification push. The report found that gaming accounted for 41 percent of respondents’ reasons for visiting Macau and 24 percent of planned travel budgets. Meanwhile, 79 percent of surveyed consumers said they intend to visit the city over the next year, indicating broadly steady demand.

Industry Updates

Corporate Spotlight

How Crypto Adoption in Asia is Changing iGaming Payments

Yevhen Krazhan, CSO for GR8 Tech

Yevhen Krazhan, CSO at GR8 Tech, explores how surging crypto adoption across Asia is revolutionizing iGaming payments, stating: “When I look at what’s changing fastest in Asia, it’s payment behavior,” as wallets, stablecoins, and seamless cross-border transfers become deeply ingrained in player habits. The winning operators will be those that offer fast, reliable, and local deposits and withdrawals. To make sense of it, Yevhen breaks Asia into two crypto realities.

INTELLIGENCE | ASEAN | AWARDS | CAREERS | EVENTS

MannBenham and Manavia launch Data Asset Foundation Knowledge Hub

AGBrief Editorial
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MannBenham and Manavia launch Data Asset Foundation Knowledge Hub

MannBenham Advocates and Manavia have announced the launch of the Data Asset Foundation Knowledge Hub, a dedicated online resource for organisations, advisers and data-rich businesses seeking to understand the Isle of Man’s new Data Asset Foundation regime.

The Knowledge Hub, available at dataassetfoundation.co, has been created to provide clear, practical and commercially focused information on Data Asset Foundations, including how they may support data governance, AI development, data licensing, collaboration, registration, stewardship and long-term commercial value.

Data has become one of the most important assets in the modern economy. It powers artificial intelligence, supports regulatory compliance, improves decision-making and creates new opportunities for licensing, partnerships and digital products.

Yet many organisations still lack a clear legal and governance structure through which valuable data can be identified, protected, governed and commercialised.

The Isle of Man Data Asset Foundation regime is designed to help address that gap.

A Data Asset Foundation provides a dedicated structure through which qualifying data can be held, governed, registered and used in accordance with defined objects, rules and oversight arrangements. For data-rich organisations, this may create a clearer route for turning data from an internal business resource into a governed commercial asset.

The Knowledge Hub has been developed by MannBenham Advocates and Manavia to help the market understand the regime, the terminology, the commercial use cases and the practical steps involved in considering whether a Data Asset Foundation may be appropriate.

The site includes introductory guidance, practical explainers and market-facing resources for organisations exploring data licensing, AI training and validation, data marketplaces, multi-party collaboration, research and life sciences use cases, financial services intelligence, gaming data, infrastructure data and other data-led opportunities.

MannBenham and Manavia bring together legal, fiduciary, governance and implementation capability from one Isle of Man platform. The combined proposition is designed to support clients from early opportunity assessment through to structuring, documentation, establishment, administration and ongoing governance.

Carly Stratton, Director of MannBenham
Carly Stratton

Commenting on the release, Carly Stratton, Director of MannBenham, said: “Data is increasingly being recognised as a core commercial asset. The challenge for many organisations is not whether they hold valuable data, but whether they have the right structure to govern it, evidence it, protect it and use it commercially. The Data Asset Foundation Knowledge Hub has been created to help organisations understand that opportunity and the role the Isle of Man regime may play.”

The launch reflects MannBenham and Manavia’s commitment to helping position the Isle of Man as a leading jurisdiction for data asset structuring, fiduciary governance and innovation in the digital economy.

Organisations interested in exploring the Data Asset Foundation regime can visit dataassetfoundation.co or contact MannBenham and Manavia for an initial discussion.

Ainsworth lifts 1H26 profit guidance after $2.7 million tariff refund

Viviana Chan
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Ainsworth lifts 1H26 profit guidance after $2.7 million tariff refund

Australian slot machine manufacturer Ainsworth Game Technology has raised its profit and cash flow guidance for the six months ended June 30th, 2026, after receiving a $2.7 million (AU$3.8 million) refund of tariffs paid under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

The company now expects underlying profit before tax of approximately AU$5 million ($3.6 million) and EBITDA of AU$17 million ($12.1 million), excluding currency impacts and one-off items, up from the AU$1 million ($710,000) and AU$13 million ($9.2 million) flagged in its previous trading update in May.

Revenue guidance is unchanged at approximately AU$116 million ($82.4 million), down 24 percent year-on-year, mainly reflecting weaker North American sales.

Ainsworth’s US subsidiary received the refund on June 30th, representing substantially all of the tariffs it had previously paid under IEEPA, following a US Supreme Court ruling on February 20th that the Act does not authorize the US administration to impose tariffs.

The group now expects positive operating cash flows of around AU$8 million ($5.7 million), with net debt falling to approximately AU$8 million ($5.7 million), compared with the AU$14 million ($9.9 million) projected in May. The company also cited stronger-than-anticipated cash collection.

The results remain subject to period-end close and review procedures, with full 1H26 financial results due on or around August 25th.

Hemisphere to run New Zealand’s Safer Gambling Aotearoa harm-reduction platform

Frank Schuengel
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Hemisphere to run New Zealand’s Safer Gambling Aotearoa harm-reduction platform

New Zealand advertising agency Hemisphere has won a three-year contract to run Health New Zealand’s Safer Gambling Aotearoa platform, taking over the government’s minimizing gambling harm account following a competitive tender.

The agency will handle strategy, creative, media, and research for the national public health initiative, which it plans to deliver as a single integrated program aimed at communities where gambling-related harm is most prevalent. The work centers on raising awareness, encouraging behavior change, and improving access to support services, according to Campaign Brief NZ, which first reported the appointment.

Central to Hemisphere’s proposal is a partnership with Big River Creative, a Māori-owned agency led by Te Awanui Reeder. The two companies said their approach would guide campaigns targeting Māori, Pacific, Asian, and rangatahi (youth) communities. Hemisphere managing director Tim Antric described the assignment as social marketing and said the agency had worked in the gambling harm field for an extended period.

Hemisphere said its earlier harm-reduction work for Te Hiringa Hauora increased use of self-help tools by 88 percent and contributed to an estimated NZD13 million ($7.9 million) reduction in social harm costs.

The appointment comes as New Zealand prepares to open its first regulated online casino market. The Online Casino Gambling Act 2026 took effect on May 1st, and the Department of Internal Affairs is expected to begin a three-stage licensing process in July, capping the market at 15 licensed operators. Applications are due by December 1st, after which unlicensed operators must cease offering services to New Zealand customers or face penalties of up to NZD5 million ($3 million).

Data from the New Zealand Gambling Survey 2023/24 has shown that offshore online gambling participation is concentrated among younger men and certain ethnic groups, particularly in areas of social deprivation—the same communities the harm-reduction program is designed to reach.

UAE Lottery expands H.O.P.E. CSR program with new SAGIP campaign

AGBrief Editorial
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UAE Lottery expands H.O.P.E. CSR program with new SAGIP campaign

The UAE Lottery, the Philippine Consulate General, and Infinite Communities have joined forces to deliver the SAGIP initiative, a comprehensive support program for Filipino expats in the UAE.

The SAGIP initiative, which stands for “Rescue” in Filipino, took place on 28 June 2026 at the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai, provided beneficiaries with essential groceries alongside valuable career guidance and wellness counseling.

The campaign was further strengthened by the voluntary contributions of local Filipino businesses, human resources practitioners, medical and healthcare professionals, psychologists, and community volunteers, helping deliver a holistic and person-centred support programme for beneficiaries. 

Commenting on the support program, Consul Aleah Marie Gica said: “The Filipino community in the UAE has always demonstrated resilience and unity during difficult times. Community outreach programs such as SAGIP reflect the strength of collaboration between institutions and community organisations working together to support those most in need.” 

“Through our Good Neighbour initiative and our collaboration with The UAE Lottery and the Philippine Consulate, we hope to create a safe and supportive environment where individuals feel seen, supported, and empowered to move forward with dignity and confidence,” added Elena C. Cruz, Founder and CEO of Infinite Communities.

Suzan Kazzi, Associate Director of CSR at Momentum – The UAE Lottery, shared: “At a time when many members of the Filipino community are facing various challenges, we aim to provide not only immediate relief through grocery pack distribution, but also pathways toward resilience and renewed opportunities. Through our HR specialists who volunteered their time and expertise, the career coaching sessions were designed to help beneficiaries navigate uncertainty, regain confidence, and reconnect with employment opportunities through practical advice and guidance.”

Through H.O.P.E, which focuses on Healthcare, Opportunities, Planet and Enrichment, The UAE Lottery continues to demonstrate its commitment to developing socially responsible initiatives that contribute positively to various communities across the UAE. 

ELA Games records 201% growth in Greece following localization push

AGBrief Editorial
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ELA Games records 201% growth in Greece following localization push

ELA Games has unlocked substantial growth in Greece by delivering the content and experiences local players demand, turning strategic market positioning into tangible results.

Over the last two quarters, the studio’s certified portfolio has established a notable presence in the region, with recent performance metrics highlighting this rapid ascension.

Outstanding Results

  • 201.90% surge in overall bet counts
  • 86.30% increase in active users
  • 77.20% jump in turnover

Focused on Extraordinary Visual Design and Player Preferences

One of the biggest factors behind these metrics is a strong alignment with local player preferences. ELA Games’ portfolio performs exceptionally well in Greece precisely because it provides exactly what the market demands.

The studio combines beautiful, detailed artwork with striking visual designs to create immersive, narrative-led experiences. With such a wide variety of engaging slots, ELA Games is helping top operators keep players happy while fundamentally improving the everyday gaming experience.

This visual-first philosophy is perfectly reflected in the data. The studio’s top-three performing titles in Greece, the vibrant celebrations of Piñatas Festival, the fast-paced mechanics of Riches Express, and the blazing aesthetic of Flame Fruits Frenzy, each demonstrate the studio’s ability to blend top-quality aesthetics with interactive and transportative gameplay.

Operator Impact and Expansion

As this regional strategy continues to show results, the industry’s most prominent operators are taking note. This measurable growth played a major role in securing a strategic partnership with Fonbet, one of the most respected operators in the Greek market.

The integration establishes an exclusive hub for ELA Games’ evolving catalog and gives local players direct access to the studio’s signature mechanics and entertainment. It stands as a clear indicator that the studio’s customized methods translate directly into sustainable business value for its partners.

Yaroslav Soloshenko, Business Development Team Lead at ELA Games, summarized the importance of this ongoing expansion: “When we look at the numbers, it is satisfying to see that our regional strategy is paying off in such a big way. We spend a lot of time analyzing what players in specific markets want to see. Our unique design philosophy combined with that regional focus has resulted in proven commercial success across our main European markets, and Greece is a perfect example of that in action.”

Japan leads OECD tourism growth as arrivals hit record high

Viviana Chan
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Japan leads OECD tourism growth as arrivals hit record high

Japan was one of the strongest tourism performers among OECD and partner economies in 2025, with international tourist arrivals rising by double digits and reaching a record high, according to the OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2026 report.

The OECD, or the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, is a policy forum and data hub whose member countries include major economies across Europe, North America, South America and the Asia-Pacific. The 2026 tourism report covers 53 OECD and partner countries, meaning it includes both OECD member economies and selected partner markets.

The report showed that Japan’s international tourist arrivals rose by 15.8 percent in 2025, following a 47.1 percent rebound in 2024. The OECD said the recovery in Japan and Korea was supported by expanded air connectivity and a weak yen.

Japan also ranked as the fastest-growing destination in the OECD’s comparison of countries that recorded more than 10 percent growth in international tourist arrivals between 2019 and 2025, with 2025 marking a new record.

The tourism gains come as Japan prepares for MGM Osaka, the country’s first integrated resort with a casino, which is scheduled to open in 2030.

Across OECD countries, international tourist arrivals rose by an estimated 3.4 percent in 2025 to 847 million, after increasing 8.1 percent in 2024. The tourism sector directly contributed 4.0 percent of GDP and 19.3 percent of services exports, while supporting wider activity in transport, retail, agriculture and other sectors.

However, the OECD warned that tourism resilience is being tested by geopolitical uncertainty, changing traveler behavior and extreme weather-related events. It said the conflict in the Middle East had disrupted global travel flows, increased costs and weighed on traveler confidence, particularly for destinations in the region and those reliant on Gulf aviation hubs.

‘Tourism continues to grow, generating business opportunities, jobs and tax revenues across the OECD,’ OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann said.

The OECD said governments need more flexible and coordinated policies to manage visitor flows, strengthen crisis preparedness and ensure tourism growth delivers broader economic, social and environmental benefits.

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