🔹Access & format. Stories are available to most commercial channels (requires Boost); clickable buttons/links let you drive users straight to a landing page/bot/mini app (TMA).
🔹Interactivity. Polls, timers, locations, music — all boost engagement and drive actions.
🔸In-TG funnel. Bot/mini-app integrations let you take users from view to deposit without leaving Telegram, with UTM tracking.
🔹Arbitrage scenarios. Fast promos/free bets, storytelling via KOLs, retargeting (“didn’t deposit?”), and gamification (quizzes/challenges).
🔸Practical tips. One CTA per story, localization (BR/RU/IN), A/B at least 5 creatives, automation via API, posting limits and moderation — follow the rules.
🔹Performance. In some cases Stories/TMA Ads outperform classic teaser formats by 2–3×; CTR in certain mini apps reached ~9.8%.

I started my iGaming career as a full-time developer at a B2B startup. The company grew rapidly, and soon I was leading its affiliate department. In early 2015, I decided to move forward and explore opportunities to build my own B2B project that would provide better solutions for affiliates and agents. That’s when EveryMatrix supported us by opening an office in Yerevan. Together with my colleagues, we launched Partner Matrix in our home country. Later, with more experience gained, I became one of the first investors in AffPapa.

It’s probably better to ask my team. As John Maxwell once said: “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” That resonates with me. Personally, I don’t consider myself “effective” — if a business can’t run without my constant involvement and decision-making, then there’s still room for me to grow.

Organizing small networking events is nothing like running a full-scale conference. We realized there’s a real need for specialized conferences tailored to affiliates and operators — events that attract the right audience and keep a healthy balance between participants. That’s exactly what we aim to deliver with our events. The success of iGaming Club shows we’re on the right track, and we’re committed to growing it in this format for a long time.

🔹 SiGMA Euro-Med (Sept 1–4; Valletta) — international iGaming summit.
🔹 DigiMarCon (Sept 1–2; Dublin) — marketing and digital strategies.
🔸 Inbound (Sept 3–5; San Francisco) — one of the biggest internet marketing events.
🔹 G&M (Sept 3–4; Rosario) — local summit for LatAm affiliates.
🔹 Affiliate World (Sept 4–5; Budapest) — global affiliate marketing forum.
🔸 AWSummit (Sept 8–10; Bucharest) — a major European event for affiliates and advertisers.
🔹 TES Affiliate Conference (Sept 12–15; Prague) — one of the key conferences for affiliates and media buyers.
🔹 SBC Summit (Sept 16–18; Lisbon) — Europe’s largest iGaming & betting summit.
🔸 Dmexco (Sept 17–18; Cologne) — Europe’s top digital marketing event.
🔹 GAT Bogotá (Sept 18; Colombia) — a must-attend iGaming hub in LatAm.
🔹 SPiCE Central Asia (Sept 25–26; Tashkent) — the biggest iGaming event in Central Asia.
🔸 SEOktoberfest (Sept 21–26; Austria) — the legendary meetup of SEO experts.
🔹 Digitalks Expo (Sept 30; São Paulo) — digital marketing & innovation for LatAm.

“The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place… Neither moderation nor competitors hit as hard as the real market. But it ain’t about how hard you hit with your campaigns. It’s about always being prepared and keeping your traffic moving forward" — ROIkky Balboa

What’s inside:
🔸Regulation: A maximum of 10 licenses issued by the Ministry of Finance through the Gambling Regulatory Authority. Strict requirements: a local company, 3+ years of experience in the EU/OECD, turnover of at least €19.8M, financial guarantees, and an office inside the country. The license isn’t cheap (€3.9M per year), but it’s valid for 10 years.
🔹Audience & trends: Albania is young, mobile-first, with football, basketball, and eSports at the top. Internet penetration is rising, and competition is still very low.
🔸How to enter & convert: Localize for SQ/EN, focus on mobile banking and fast payouts (Visa/Mastercard, Skrill, Neteller, PaySafeCard, Western Union). SEO around sports and local TG/IG communities is already showing solid deposits on match days.
🔹Risks: The regulator aggressively blocks unlicensed operators: websites, payments, even bank accounts. Fines can reach €500K — so double-check your offers and stay on the whitelist.

🔹Potential: 70% of adults have placed a bet at least once, mostly on football — the nation’s biggest passion. As always, it’s mobile-first.
🔹Regulation: Technically, a license is required, but enforcement is still quite soft… for now.
🔸Working funnels: Prediction and analytics channels, cashback mechanics, and of course — a strong local vibe.

🔹 Accurate traffic filtering: Multiple filters for precise targeting, minimizing irrelevant clicks.
🔹Protect your funnels: Machine learning algorithms mask promo materials to bypass moderation and bots.
🔹White pages inside the platform: Create effective white pages quickly and easily.
🔹Simple integration & detailed stats: Set up in just 2–3 minutes, even for beginners.
🔹High performance: Billions of clicks processed daily without blocks.
🔹Universal: Supports Facebook, TikTok, Google Ads, and more.
🔹24/7 support: A dedicated team helps you set up and scale campaigns anytime.

Around six to seven years ago, the legalized US market saw massive expansion. We extensively examined this opportunity, engaging in negotiations with land-based casinos and indigenous populations in several states seeking licensing partnerships for the Tonybet brand. One major challenge in entering this market is that essentially each state represents a separate entity with its own operational rules, laws, exclusion registries, technical specifications for platforms and tax systems. Given our rigorous approach to launching our brand in new markets, venturing into the US landscape didn’t seem financially viable at that time, although it was considered the world’s most promising regulated market. Several years later, more than twenty operators opened and subsequently closed operations in the United States. Even giants like Unibet and Betway announced their withdrawal from the U.S. market in 2024. I believe our decision not to enter the U.S. market was correct.

One good friend from the industry, who prefers staying low-key, told me long ago that timing is everything in our business. Sometimes it’s crucial to be first-to-market, introducing new features ahead of others. Other times, it’s better to wait, carefully analyze the market dynamics, let the initial hype subside, learn from others’ mistakes and successes, develop a solid strategy and act only when ready. Interestingly, much of the iGaming industry operates on similar principles, relying heavily on gut feelings or intuition. Trusting oneself and one’s choices is paramount, yet remaining flexible and adapting swiftly when needed is just as important.

Personal connections play a huge role in my professional environment. Fortunately, I’ve had the chance to meet and build a growing network of professionals and project owners, encompassing casinos, bookmakers, affiliate teams, game providers, platforms, payment processors and venture funds. Many of these connections have evolved into friendships, and we frequently gather at meetups, conferences, informal settings, sharing insights, successful case studies and discussing industry news. Often, these meetings lead to improved internal processes, new ideas and informed decisions regarding brand promotion and marketing strategies.