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Tourism & Sports Ministry, SAT and Garena Signs MoU to Support and Enhance Esports Industry in Thailand

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The Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) and the Thailand Ministry of Tourism and Sports have partnered with Garena Online Thailand to strengthen the domestic esports industry and develop the country as the hub of esports tournaments in Asean.

“The ministry and the SAT will focus more on esports next year including training and welfare to develop the esport ecosystem after esports was named in the Royal Gazette last month as one of the country’s professional sports,” Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said.

The esports industry across Asean was worth US$39 million in 2020 and is expected to grow to $72 million by 2024 as people spend more time playing online games amid the pandemic, according to the minister.

A boom in esports does not only benefit internet providers or IT products, but also consumer product makers which target millennials, sport tourism, and investment in the country, he said.

Mr Phiphat said Thailand is due to take part in the biggest esports event, Arena of Valor (RoV) International Championship 2021 (AIC 2021), with a prize pool of $1 million, at the end of next month, which could help the country prepare to serve as the future regional hub for esports competition.

SAT governor Kongsak Yodmanee said the agency has recently established the SAT Esports Academy to train RoV players participating in the upcoming Road to AIC 2021, a tournament that selects esports teams for AIC 2021.

Kongsak said there are 12 members from two esport teams that are preparing for the match under the supervision of the SAT, which provides support for physical training, nutrition and sports psychology.

The Tourism and Sports Ministry, the SAT and Garena signed a memorandum of understanding to support and enhance the esports industry in Thailand.

“Even though Thailand is not the biggest esports market in Asia, investors and stakeholders perceive the country as a potential market thanks to the readiness of the ecosystem and official recognition from the government,” Allen Hsu, regional head of strategic partnership and esports development at Garena Online Thailand, said.

Thailand is the first country where foreign football clubs like Paris Saint-Germain and Valencia have invested in the RoV Pro League, which showed the country’s potential for esports, he said.

He said 2022 will be the year for esports as many tournaments will take place in Thailand and overseas, particularly the SEA Games and Asian Games, where esports have become a medal sport and could gain more recognition.

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Macau Government Extends Lottery Concession of Macau Slot Until 5 June 2026

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The Macau government has extended the lottery concession of Macau Slot Co Ltd for one year until 5 June 2026.

The concession renewal was published in the official gazette on Wednesday. Further extensions may be granted, subject to mutual agreement between the Macau government and Macau Slot.

As part of the renewal terms, Macau Slot is required to gradually reduce its number of non-resident employees and actively collaborate with the government to recruit and retain local talent.

Earlier this month, the government held a meeting with Macau Slot representatives to discuss the extension. According to the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ), the city’s industry regulator, Macau Slot committed to cutting 35% of its non-local, non-skilled workforce—equivalent to 26 positions—by the first quarter of 2026. The company also pledged to make further reductions to its foreign labour quota in the future. Currently, non-local staff account for 15% of the total workforce at Macau Slot.

“Over the past year, despite fluctuations in the macroeconomic environment and slower economic recovery in neighbouring regions, the local economy has remained relatively stable under the guidance of the Macau SAR government’s policies,” Macau Slot said in a statement.

“Looking ahead, we are committed to further diversifying our sports betting products to meet customer demand, while upgrading our information technology infrastructure to stay current and deliver more comprehensive sports betting services.”

The post Macau Government Extends Lottery Concession of Macau Slot Until 5 June 2026 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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QTech Games strengthens its elite suite with Bigpot Gaming

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Emerging-markets leader expands its all-encompassing library with exciting new slots portfolio

QTech Games, the leading game aggregator for all emerging markets, has signed its latest provider partnership with Bigpot Gaming, enabling its platform customers to access the supplier’s innovative and multi-faceted slots catalogue.

Bigpot Gaming, an exciting challenger studio in the igaming arena, draws from a deep well of slot games – including titles such as Quests Of Olympus, Mega Sevens, Golden Kitty and Journey To The Abyss – which form an eclectic range of popular titles.

Bigpot Gaming specialises in developing high-quality online slot and table games which are RNG-certified and fully compliant with international regulatory standards. To underscore this commitment to fairness, Bigpot Gaming is certified by four recognised test laboratories in GLI, BMM, GA and iTech Labs.

The agreement also broadens Bigpot Gaming’s global scope, targeting emerging markets and creating new revenue streams. As the fastest-growing aggregator over the past few years, QTech’s platform offers the most expansive gaming portfolio around, localised for each region, retention and marketing tools, and 24/7 local-language support.

QTech Games CEO, Philip Doftvik, said: “It’s another feather in our cap to have integrated more premium content, this time from Bigpot Gaming. We will continue to raise the bar and shape a localised experience for global players. And we can’t wait to witness how these games perform across a range of untapped markets which, in many cases, represent new territory for Bigpot Gaming.”

David Shon, Global Sales Executive at Bigpot Gaming, added: “Bigpot Gaming stands out as a fast-growing rookie studio for slots games and a real revenue-driver for digital casinos, always offering players a fresh yet familiar gaming experience.

“This collaboration marks another crucial step in our company’s worldwide growth strategy, and. Bigpot Gaming is targeting the finest content aggregators to improve our visibility and influence in the sector, and QTech Games sets the gold standard for emerging markets.”

The post QTech Games strengthens its elite suite with Bigpot Gaming appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Polemos Announces Partnership with Guinevere Capital

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Polemos, a Web3 gaming infrastructure platform, has announced a strategic partnership with Guinevere Capital, a prominent esports and gaming investment firm known for its investments and advisory roles in projects such as GiantX, iTero, Perion, Skybox and various other projects across the industry. Guinevere Capital has established a strong reputation for its work across global Web2 gaming titles, including League of Legends, Valorant, Rocket League and many more. This partnership aims to leverage the combined expertise of Polemos.io and Guinevere Capital to enhance and further monetise audiences across publishers, infrastructure players, gaming companies, studios and platforms.

The collaboration will focus on integrating advanced asset management and engagement tools from Polemos.io’s Forge platform with Guinevere Capital’s extensive network and experience in both Web2 and esports ecosystems. This will create new monetisation opportunities and improve player experiences by bridging traditional gaming with blockchain-enabled innovations.

Carl Wilgenbus, CEO of Polemos.io, said: “Partnering with Guinevere Capital marks a significant milestone in our mission to expand access to gaming rewards and unlock new revenue streams for the entire gaming industry. Together, we will empower publishers and studios to better engage their audiences and capitalize on the evolving landscape of gaming and esports.”

“Polemos has built an impressive piece of infrastructure that has plugged a huge gap in the gaming sector. We look forward to working with them to commercialise this,” said Dave Harris, a partner at Guinevere Capital.

Dave’s previous experience includes investing in and operating top teams and leagues in the Riot Games and Activision Blizzard ecosystems.

Guinevere Capital’s strategic involvement will accelerate the adoption of blockchain gaming infrastructure while supporting the growth of esports and gaming communities worldwide. This alliance underscores a shared vision to drive innovation, education and monetisation in the gaming sector by combining Web2’s reach with Web3’s potential.

The post Polemos Announces Partnership with Guinevere Capital appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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