Evolution Opens Sixth European Live Studio in Bucharest to Serve CEE Demand
Evolution has officially inaugurated a 6,000-square-meter live casino studio in Bucharest, its sixth European facility, creating over 700 local jobs. The new site will primarily stream tables to operators across Central and Eastern Europe, addressing surging demand from newly regulated markets in the region.
Evolution cut the ribbon on its long-anticipated Bucharest live casino studio this week, marking the supplier's sixth production hub in Europe and its largest greenfield investment on the continent since the Malaga expansion of 2023. The Romanian facility spans approximately 6,000 square meters and will house more than 80 live tables at full capacity, including localized roulette, blackjack, and baccarat variants tailored to Romanian, Hungarian, Bulgarian, and Czech-speaking audiences. Evolution confirmed it has already onboarded over 400 dealers, with headcount expected to reach 700 by early 2027.
CEO Martin Carlesund said the Bucharest site addresses a strategic gap in Evolution's European coverage, where CEE-facing traffic had previously been routed through Georgian and Latvian studios. "Romania offers a strong talent pool, competitive operational costs, and proximity to some of Europe's fastest-growing regulated verticals," Carlesund told reporters at the launch event. The studio was built in partnership with Bucharest-based construction group Impact Developer & Contractor and represents an estimated €45 million capital commitment.
The timing aligns with Romania's ONJN implementing stricter local hosting and data residency requirements for licensed operators, which took effect in April. By producing content on Romanian soil, Evolution can offer tier-one operators such as Superbet, Betano, and Mozzart a compliance-friendly route to live dealer content without cross-border latency issues. Industry analysts at Regulus Partners estimate the CEE live casino segment will grow at a compound annual rate of 14% through 2028, outpacing Western European growth.
Evolution also indicated that the Bucharest studio will serve as a testbed for its next-generation dual-play technology, which streams tables simultaneously to online players and land-based venues. Pilot integrations with two Romanian land-based casino groups are expected before year-end, potentially opening a new revenue stream as omnichannel gaming gains regulatory traction across the region.