Dragon & Tiger Contest

About Dragon & Tiger Contest

“With a direct integration, we have examples of partners integrating us in 24 hours,” he says. “Reverse integration is really hard for everybody, but in our case we can complete a reverse integration in a maximum of three weeks, including all the tests and going live.”

Swipe Games’ immediate ambition is substantial: its current “North Star”, Yashin says, is to reach €600m in bet volume per month.

Yet its longer-term vision stretches beyond simply adding more short videos to the casino floor. Ultimately, Yashin does not see Swipe as simply another category within the existing casino lobby. His ambition is for it to become a platform-level feature: alongside games, live casino and sports, players would find a dedicated Swipe button opening an endless feed personalised around their individual tastes.

About Dragon & Tiger Contest

The acquisition follows another recent French omnichannel agreement that saw Tipico and Betclic owner Banijay Entertainment’s gaming arm acquire JOA’s network of 33 regional casinos across France. 

Banijay did not disclose any financial details, except that the acquisition would be supported by funds managed by Blackstone and Kings Park Capital.

Merkur represents the gaming and leisure division of the Gauselmann Group, a historic German family-owned enterprise specialising in gaming machines, software and casino operations across Europe. 

What is Dragon & Tiger Contest?

That distinction also informs his view of the wider battle. Asked whether illegal gambling can actually be defeated, his answer is: “No, but you can make it very difficult for them.”

The objective, he argues, is to make it harder for operators to simply replace a blocked domain with another one. “If they knew there was a tool that would find those new sites as well, they might become more cautious.”

It is a philosophy that sits within a broader shift in the industry’s approach to the illegal market. Domain blocking remains important, but regulators are increasingly looking at payments, advertising, affiliate and acquisition channels and cooperation across jurisdictions.