Chicago

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If Swipe Games’ proposition is unfamiliar, Yashin says the speed of the industry’s response suggests it is not difficult to understand.

The company only began sales towards the end of 2025, but Yashin says it has subsequently signed around 30 to 40 contracts. Partners include BGaming, SoftSwiss, 1xBet, 01.tech, and Broadway.

Despite his experience launching businesses, Yashin has been surprised by the enthusiastic reception from the wider industry. Perhaps even more revealing is the feedback from the people tasked with selling the product. According to Yashin, one Swipe Games business development manager with more than 20 years’ industry experience told him he had never found a new product easier to pitch.

How to play Chicago

As highlighted by Klebanow, Japan’s fragmented approach to gambling regulation may impact the development of Japan’s IR gambling industry, and Suzanne Perilloux Leckert, co-founding partner of Convergence Strategy Group somewhat agrees.

“Japan is acting cautiously, after observing missteps from other jurisdictions. They are proceeding in the way that best suits them,” she adds.

The factor that led some operators to drop out of the licensing race could be the “uncertainty” created by regulations that “didn’t seem set in stone”, says Leckert.

How to play Chicago

Nederlandse Loterij has welcomed government proposals aimed at expanding the Gambling Authority’s powers to combat illegal operators but has cautioned that comprehensive legislative changes could take years to become effective.

Blok called for more decisive immediate action, saying: “The government must act now through criminal prosecutions by the Public Prosecution Service, alongside measures taken by regulators and licensed operators. 

“Tackling illegal gambling requires joint responsibility from banks, payment providers and hosting services who facilitate these platforms.”