Canada
THE ESPORTS AWARDS NAME RIOT GAMES, CS:GO AND RED BULL AS INDUSTRY FINALISTS
Returning to the Esports Stadium Arlington on November 20th, the Esports Awards will celebrate and honour every corner of the industry in the biggest night in the esports calendar
www.esportsawards.com/vote
The Esports Awards, the most prestigious night in the esports calendar, is excited to reveal the finalists for this year’s industry categories which showcase individuals and companies who are driving the industry forward. Announced during the 3rd Spotlight Show of the year and hosted by Thom ‘F.’ Badinger, this year’s nominees include the likes of VALORANT, Dexerto, PUBG MOBILE and Activision Blizzard.
The 3rd Spotlight Show also played host to an epic quiz challenge between hosts James “Dash” Patterson and Frankie Ward, an interview by Loviel “Velly” Cardwell with the Sentinels’ VALORANT team, and Nyvi Estephan sat down with LOUD_Coringa to discuss his Esports Awards Streamer of the Year nomination. The Esports Awards also showcased its third Creative Corner segment with George Nowack interviewing AARON CREATE from OpTic Gaming, cementing its goal of celebrating those who would otherwise go unrecognised and putting a spotlight on creatives.
The industry category at the Esports Awards aims to honour those individuals and businesses at the centre of the industry who innovate, support and showcase. The industry section of the Esports Awards includes Esports Broadcast/Production Team of the Year, Esports Commercial Partner of the Year, Esports Coverage Platform of the Year in association with Sizzle Creative, Esports Game of the Year in association with The Koyo Store, Esports Hardware Provider of the Year, Esports Journalist of the Year, Esports Publisher of the Year and Esports Supporting Agency of the Year.
The full list of industry awards finalists are:
Esports Broadcast/Production Team of the Year
- Riot Games
- ESL Gaming
- Nerd Street Gamers
- Psyonix
- Esports Engine
- Activision Blizzard
- Beyond the Summit
- BLAST Premier
- Garena
- FACEIT
Esports Commercial Partner of the Year
- Intel
- Red Bull
- BMW
- State Farm
- Logitech G
- Mountain Dew
- HyperX
- Alienware
- Verizon
- FTX
- Cash App
- KITKAT
Esports Hardware Provider of the Year
- Logitech G
- Razer
- Elgato
- HyperX
- NVIDIA
- Intel
- AMD
- Alienware
- Secretlab
- Corsair
- SteelSeries
- ASUS ROG
Esports Supporting Service of the Year
- ESG LAW
- Paper Crowns
- Aftershock Media Group
- Hitmarker
- Discord
- The Story Mob
- ESEA
- Creative Artists Agency
- Character Select Agency
- Prodigy Agency
- Mobalytics
Esports Coverage Platform of the Year in association with Sizzle Creative
- Dexerto
- The Esports Observer
- Esports Insider
- Dot Esports
- HLTV.org
- Liquipedia
- Esportmaníacos
- Inven Global
- SiegeGG
- Upcomer
Esports Game of the Year in association with The Koyo Store
- League of Legends
- VALORANT
- Free Fire
- CS:GO
- Call of Duty
- Rocket League
- Rainbow Six Siege
- Dota 2
- PUBG Mobile
- Overwatch
Esports Journalist of the Year
- Jacob Wolf
- Richard Lewis
- Adam Fitch
- Ashley Kang
- FionnOnFire
- Kevin Hitt
- Liz Richardson
- Wasif Ahmed
- Pablo ‘Bloop’ Suárez
- H.B. Duran
Esports Publisher of the Year
- Riot Games
- Tencent
- Garena
- Ubisoft
- Psyonix
- EA
- Activision Blizzard
- Epic Games
- Valve
“This year’s industry finalists provide a true showcase of the resilience and growth of the esports industry in the last 12 months and it’s such an honour to be able to provide a platform for them to receive the recognition that they deserve. As we sit in our sixth year I couldn’t be more proud of how the awards continue to reach new heights and I know that this year’s awards will be our best yet,” said Michael Ashford, Managing Director, Esports Awards.
Esports Awards 2021 key campaign dates for the rest of the year are:
- July: Finalists for Creative Awards
- September: Finalists for the Pro & On-Air Talent Awards
- October: The Go-Home Show building up to the main event
- Saturday 20th November: The Esports Awards 2021 Ceremony
Sponsors for the Esports Awards 2021 include The Koyo Store, Sizzle Creative, Touch of Ginger, SCUF, Arlington CVB, SecretLab, Matrix Keyboards and Verizon.
Nominations for Creative Awards and Pro & On-Air Talent Awards are still open over at www.esportsawards.com/nominate. Creative Awards close in July and Pro & On-Air Talent Awards nominations conclude in September.
Canada
SGG Media Announces Exciting New PlayOJO Partnership
Industry-leading social media marketing agency SGG Media is thrilled to announce an exciting new collaboration with the prominent Canadian online casino PlayOJO.
Under the new agreement, SGG Media is set to become PlayOJO’s exclusive provider of live-action casino shows. Leveraging SGG Media’s extensive network of over 2,500 sports and casino influencers, these shows will stream thrilling casino experiences directly to PlayOJO players. Viewers will have the opportunity to interact with the streamers and place bets while witnessing all the exciting live casino action offered by PlayOJO.
Following the live shows, SGG Media will create and share short video highlights of the most captivating moments from the games across various social media platforms, engaging with SGG’s combined following of over 75 million fans. This is the third largest database of sports social media followers, a huge portion of whom have crossover potential and interest In the online casino industry.
The marketing agency has achieved significant success with its casino streams in 2024. They launched their groundbreaking ‘Casino Stream’ show in February. This innovative show offers nightly live-action casino games, providing viewers with an immersive experience in the fast-paced world of roulette, blackjack, slots, and other online games.
PlayOJO is one of the most popular legal online casinos in Ontario. The casino collaborates with major developers and content providers in the industry, offering a distinctive and enjoyable online casino experience to Ontarian’s, all of which will be highlighted as a result of this deal. “We’re thrilled to partner with the SGG team as we introduce our live casino shows in Canada. This unique live show experience will highlight PlayOJO’s best-in-class online casino, featuring slots, live casino, and table games, truly demonstrating why PlayOJO is the home of feel-good fun!”, says the PlayOJO Team.
SGG Media and PlayOJO are dedicated to ensuring a fun and safe online casino environment for players. Both parties will display clear responsible gambling messages throughout the streams, helping to inform players to gamble legally and responsibly.
Speaking about this commitment to responsible gambling, Troy Paul, CEO of SGG Media, said, “We want to create a fun and exciting show, but also make sure viewers know this is a legal casino and players need to wager only money they can afford to lose as entertainment.”
On the deal, Paul said: “We are extremely excited to begin working alongside PlayOJO. It is a brand that wants to drive innovation in the industry, sharing our vision for a more community-driven online casino experience.”
Through our streams, our micro-influencers and content creators will help shine a spotlight on PlayOJO’s fantastic gaming experiences while also growing a community that will want to return for more.
This extends beyond the streams, with our huge network of micro-influencers sharing video content across their platforms, ensuring engagement continues after the stream goes off the air.”
Canada
Great Canadian Entertainment and Petroglyph Development Group Announce Agreement for Purchase and Sale of Elements Casino Victoria
Great Canadian Entertainment announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to sell Elements Casino Victoria to Petroglyph Development Group Ltd. (PDG) in yet another historic transaction for both parties.
This transaction comes on the heels of the previously announced definitive agreement for Great Canadian Entertainment to sell its other landmark property and business on Vancouver Island, Casino Nanaimo, to PDG. PDG is a wholly owned corporation of the Snuneymuxw First Nation (the Nation) and is dedicated to realizing the economic potential of the Nation.
Great Canadian’s Board of Directors unanimously approved the transaction, which remains subject to customary closing conditions as well as customary approvals by the regulatory authorities. The Company will provide transition services to PDG for up to two years post-closing.
“We are very pleased to have executed this second historic agreement with the Snuneymuxw First Nation. From its original opening as View Royal Casino in 2001, to major expansion and rebranding of the property in 2018 as Elements Casino Victoria, we are looking forward to the next chapter for this beautiful and historic Vancouver Island destination under PDG’s stewardship. We are excited to work with the Petroglyph team during the transition period to ensure yet another outstanding outcome for the community, our guests, our team members, and the Nation,” said Matt Anfinson, Chief Executive Officer of Great Canadian Entertainment.
“We celebrate our growing partnership with Great Canadian and our continued progress toward building a strong Snuneymuxw economy that provides a solid foundation for Snuneymuxw self-determination and nationhood. With the acquisition of a second casino operation, we continue to honour the decades of work by past Snuneymuxw leadership who tirelessly pursued this goal, as we begin to realize various opportunities that contribute to optimizing Snuneymuxw socioeconomic potential. Our Nation is sharply focused to make investments that bring returns to our people and builds our presence in the economy so that Snuneymuxw takes its rightful place. Today, we also celebrate our partnership with the B.C. Lottery Corporation in our shared pursuit to support the growth of the provincial economy and First Nation participation,” said Snuneymuxw Chief Mike Wyse.
Erralyn Joseph, President of PDG, said: “This measured acquisition is one that PDG celebrates on our quest to build a corporate enterprise that reinvests into Snuneymuxw First Nation. With a strong operating plan that includes risk mitigation and yields sizable gains, PDG is well on its way to generating wealth for Snuneymuxw and taking a seat at the local, regional, provincial, national and global economic tables. On behalf of the Board of Directors, we are pleased to share this news and remain committed to advancing the region’s economic growth in support of all its residents.”
Ian Simpson, Chief Executive Officer of PDG, said: “Acquiring this significant asset will unlock unprecedented economic potential for Snuneymuxw and PDG, paving the way for transformative growth in Snuneymuxw’s economy and the profits that PDG returns to our Nation.”
McMillan is serving as legal counsel to Great Canadian. McCarthy Tétrault is acting as legal counsel and KPMG Corporate Finance Inc. is acting as financial advisor to PDG.
Canada
Edmonton Oilers and Play Alberta Extend Partnership
The Edmonton Oilers and Play Alberta announced a new agreement that makes Play Alberta the exclusive sports betting and online gaming partner of the Edmonton Oilers.
The deal will see the Play Alberta logo featured prominently on the Oilers home jerseys and GameSense, AGLC’s responsible gambling program, displayed on the helmets of the Oilers for each home game.
“Play Alberta is proud to continue its partnership with the Edmonton Oilers over the next several seasons. We value our patrons and the fans of the Oilers and are thrilled to see PlayAlberta.ca, Alberta’s trusted gambling platform along with the best-in-class responsible gambling program – GameSense – as prominent fixtures on the Oilers uniformsuniforms,” said Kandice Machado, Chief Executive Officer at AGLC.
PlayAlberta.ca is a leader in the iGaming landscape in the province. All money generated through the site goes to the General Revenue Fund, which supports programs and services that Albertans rely on every day. In addition, the website has integrated AGLC’s GameSense and Self-Exclusion programs to better support players in their gambling journey.
“We are proud to call Play Alberta the official sportsbook of the Edmonton Oilers. With the revenue generated by Play Alberta going to valued services and programs that help enrich the lives of Albertans, donning the Play Alberta logo on our iconic home jersey is a testament to our long-term commitment to communities across Oil Country,” said Stew MacDonald, President & Chief Revenue Officer, OEG Sports & Entertainment.
The relationship between the Edmonton Oilers and PlayAlberta.ca will allow fans to experience the Play Alberta and GameSense brands through promotions in Rogers Place and ICE District, as well as giveaways throughout the season, including game tickets and memorabilia.
This past year, PlayAlberta.ca generated $235 million in net sales, an increase of more than $42 million from 2022-23. That number contributes to the $1.5 billion in total gaming revenue that’s sent to Alberta’s General Revenue Fund and supports programs and services that Albertans rely on every day.
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