Institute for Gambling Regulation to lead responsible gaming day at HIPTHER Prague Summit 2026

The Institute for Gambling Regulation will curate a dedicated Responsible Gaming & Player Safety Day at the HIPTHER Prague Summit 2026, as the industry faces growing scrutiny over player protection and illegal gambling across Europe.

The thematic programme, scheduled for the second day (25 March) of the summit’s main stage, will bring together regulators, legal experts, safer gambling specialists and industry representatives to examine evolving approaches to consumer protection, compliance and market sustainability.

Discussions will focus on regulatory trends, responsible gambling practices and the rising impact of illegal betting markets, which organisers noted undermine player safeguards and erode tax revenues. The event will also explore how cross-border cooperation and new technologies can strengthen oversight in a rapidly changing sector.

Among the highlights is a presentation of IRIS, a project designed to monitor player behaviour across multiple operators rather than within a single platform. The initiative aims to improve early detection of risky gambling patterns and enhance intervention strategies. The current stage of the project will be presented by Petr Rybák, Project Manager of IRIS.

Another key session will feature findings from a study by the Centre for Economic and Market Analyses on the scale of illegal gambling in the Czech Republic, including estimates of financial losses to the legal market and public finances. The report will be presented by Jakub Žofčák, one of the study's authors.

A panel discussion involving representatives from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland will also assess whether the IPRH’s regulatory model, described as a multi-stakeholder platform combining industry, regulators and public authorities, can be expanded to other jurisdictions.

Confirmed speakers include Petr Kozák of IPRH; Petr Rybák, Jan Řehola, Šimon Vincze of Casino Guru; Bill Pascrell III of Princeton Public Affairs Group; Martin Lycka of Oddin.gg; and Nika Gigashvili of SMH Global, among others.

The programme will cover topics including responsible marketing, modern player protection tools and regulatory cooperation, offering insights from multiple jurisdictions.

“As the gaming environment continues to evolve, so must our approach to player protection. This dedicated day gives us an opportunity to show how technology, data, research, and responsibility can work together in the field of safer gambling. We look forward to discussing how modern regulatory frameworks and practical tools can contribute to a safer and more sustainable environment for all stakeholders,” said Petr Kozák, Secretary General at IPRH.

The Responsible Gaming & Player Safety Day forms part of the summit’s 10-year anniversary edition, which will convene stakeholders from gaming, fintech, artificial intelligence, blockchain and regulatory sectors to discuss the future of the industry.

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