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In the United States, a New Championship Esports Qualifying Series Will Debut

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The crypto, esports, and gambling industry has been growing at an equal pace over the past few years. Naturally, states try to invest as much as possible in these sectors. Especially in the Esports sector, almost all countries compete with each other.

The most important of these countries is undoubtedly the United States of America. The USA is preparing for a significant Esports initiative in the year 2022. In the statement made by the USEF, the United States Esports Federation, they stated that they have a plan to cover the whole country. They also announced at the USEF Esports industry conference that they are starting to develop national championship tournaments that could be the first of their kind.

In addition, USEF will run an incentive campaign to attract Esports players and fans from all over the country. Then, the USEF announced that it would launch national qualifiers to form the US National Esports team. It seems that the rise of Esports will continue in 2022.

We decided to evaluate the relationship between USEF and Esports in today’s article. We will also briefly touch on the reflections of the rise of Esports on the crypto and gambling industry. If you’re ready, let’s start.

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Esports is Growing Rapidly Globally

As we mentioned at the beginning of our article, the esports, crypto and gambling industry continues to grow at an equal pace. Because these three sectors continue to create a different ecosystem by influencing each other. For example, different platforms that allow you to bet on esports using crypto, such as Thunderpick have started to emerge. No matter where you live, you can place bets on online Esports tournaments around the world. This also helps the Esports ecosystem flourish. Sponsorships, partnerships and many other agreements are making the sectors come alive.

Naturally, governments want to get their share from a sector where cash flow is very high. We can see the first example of this with the United States. They want to identify the best players by starting a national Esports qualifying process.

However, they also want to create a forensic and standard elimination system for National team selection. It is also within the scope of organizing many tournaments to discover the best of USA’s digital world. Especially the fact that these tournaments are on a national scale is of great interest to municipalities and venues in that region. Because we think that the economic activity in the regions belonging to the cities where major Esports tournaments are held will be positively affected.

There are also Esports related initiatives in some schools at the moment. Perhaps in the future there will even be lessons like how and why to start Esports in all schools. Regardless, the future of Esports seems to cover the entire system.

USEF’s Goals

USEF’s newly elected president, David Geddes, made a series of statements about the process at the Esports travel summit. Florida has called to attend the conference with the leading names of the industry to be held in Daytona Beach. While the conference was organized by the Esports Travel Summit, the company’s vice president, Jason Gewirtz, made the following statement:

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“The Esports Travel Summit was designed to bring together stakeholders in the esports industry to help support the growth of in-person esports events,”

When he came to the partnership with the USEF, he continued his words as follows;

“the perfect example of the kinds of connections we are looking to foster with our event, since their approach to uniting stakeholders and growing a national team is the best of what we see in the future of esports events. We’re excited to offer attendees in Daytona the chance to meet them and hear more about their vision for the future.”

 

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Comments by General Manager David Geddes

Given the partnership, Mr. Geddes from USEF is very optimistic about the new plans. He started his speech by referring to covid and then the Esports industry and continued his words as follows;

“We are very excited by the post-covid wave of interest to host in-person competitions, the esports industry is unifying just like other NGBs, such as USA Soccer or USA Climbing.”

He also added the following to his speech on establishing a national team for Esports;

“He went on to add, “I am so delighted when I think about how our nation’s esports competitors will face off to qualify for the national team – celebrity esports athletes will be made during our championship series of events.”

USEF has now stepped up the work for the Esports team that will form the entire USA national team. They are considering sending a team to the IESF Panama cup in Buenos Aires. Likewise, it appears that they have long-term plans to participate in the 2022 IESF World championship in Indonesia.

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Final Words

We greatly appreciate initiatives such as the USEF and IESF that will accelerate the development of Esports. In addition, the growth of Esports enables the development of sectors such as crypto and gambling. The Esports industry is expected to grow up to US$1.62 billion in the coming years. Currently, according to current figures, this value was equivalent to US$ 1.084 billion by 2021.

In fact, let’s take a look at the biggest Esports tournaments of 2022. Then you can understand exactly what we mean.

It seems that in the future, investments in Esports teams and players will increase considerably. We may start seeing Esports internationally, even at the Olympic games. This sounds extremely exciting.

If you want to access up-to-date information about the Esports world, don’t forget to follow us. Goodbye!

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AGCO

AGCO Requires Ontario Gaming Operators to Stop Offering WBA Bets Due to Integrity Concerns

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The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has mandated all Ontario-registered sportsbook operators to halt offering and accepting wagers on World Boxing Association (WBA) events immediately. This measure is being taken to protect the Ontario betting public following concerns that WBA-sanctioned boxing matches are not adequately being safeguarded against match-fixing and insider betting.

Since December 2023, the AGCO has been conducting a comprehensive review of suspicious wagering activity on a WBA-sanctioned title fight between Yoenis Tellez and Livan Navarro that was held in Orlando, Florida. Suspicious betting patterns on the bout lasting over 5.5 rounds were reported to the AGCO by two registered independent integrity monitors and detected in Ontario by a registered igaming operator. Media reports also alleged that Tellez’s Manager placed $110,000 on the match lasting longer than 5.5 rounds at a Florida casino. The bout ended with Tellez knocking out Navarro in the 10th round.

Following an intensive review that included outreach to the WBA, Ontario-registered gaming operators, independent integrity monitors, and regulators in other jurisdictions, the AGCO has concluded that bets related to WBA events do not currently meet the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming.

The AGCO requires all Ontario-registered gaming operators to ensure the sport betting products they offer are on events that are effectively supervised by a sport governing body. At a minimum, the sport governing body must have and enforce codes of conduct that prohibit betting by insiders.

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Registered gaming operators were unable to demonstrate to the AGCO that the WBA prohibits betting from insiders, which could include an athlete’s coaches, managers, handlers, athletic trainers, medical professionals, or others with access to non-public information. Further, registered gaming operators were unable to demonstrate that the WBA took any action to investigate or enforce the allegations of potential match-fixing and insider wagering.

The AGCO has indicated to registered operators that in order for WBA betting products to be reinstated in Ontario, operators must demonstrate that the WBA effectively supervises its events, thus bringing them into compliance with the Registrar’s Standards. In December 2022, the AGCO required gaming operators to stop offering bets on UFC events for similar issues related to insider betting safeguards. Within a month, UFC amended its policies and implemented new protocols that allowed the AGCO to reinstate betting on UFC events in the province.

“Ontarians who wish to bet on sporting events need to be confident that those events are fairly run, and that clear integrity safeguards are in place and enforced by an effective sport governing body. Knowing the popularity of boxing in Ontario, we look forward to reinstating betting on WBA events once appropriate safeguards against possible match-fixing and insider betting have been confirmed,” Dr. Karin Schnarr, Registrar and CEO of AGCO, said.

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Andrew Cochrane Chief Business Officer of GiG

GiG increases Ontario market presence, powering the launch of Casino Time

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Gaming Innovation Group Inc. (GiG), has announced the launch of Casino Time, powered by its award winning iGaming platform and pioneering real-time rules engine LogicX, with revolutionary sportsbook, SportX soon to follow, to further extend its footprint in the regulated Canadian province of Ontario.

The launch of Casino Time carries extra significance, marking only the second time that on-demand, regulated online Bingo has been made available in Ontario. The new Bingo product vertical, launched alongside a strong Casino offering, will be boosted by GiG’s new sportsbook, SportX, as part of a planned release later this year.

GiG has focused its solutions on driving exponential growth in revenue for operators with its highly scalable iGaming platform, offering localised third party content and leading suppliers for the Ontarian market. GiGs peerless gamification layer creates an optimised and immersive casino experience tailored to regional preferences, swelling client retention and player engagement.

Canadian owned and operated, Casino Time is a joint venture amongst leading retail operators in Ontario’s Charitable Gaming sector, delivering Bingo, Slots and Live Dealer Casino Games. Promising a personalised service and community experience, Casino Time is continuing its long-standing partnership with local charities, introducing its joint fundraising model into the iGaming space for the first time.

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Now coming towards the end of its second year of licensed operations, Ontario has emerged as one of the largest iGaming markets in North America, second only to New Jersey according to data supplied by Vixio. The first and as yet only Canadian province to launch a regulated market, Ontario boasts more than 1.6 million active player accounts spread over 40 plus operators, generating €1.3 billion in Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) in its first year of trading, with this data supplied by iGaming Ontario.

Andrew Cochrane, Chief Business Officer of GiG, said: GiG continues to set the pace with a strong cadence of brand launches in 2024, and I’m pleased that when operators are seeking platform solutions in regulated markets, GiG is leading the pack. Our partnership with Casino Time, will help deliver something new and exciting to the Ontarian market, and further helps to demonstrate the flexibility of our solutions, adapting to match the regional aspirations of our partners to deliver growth.

D’Arcy Stuart, CEO of Casino Time, said: “We are thrilled to partner with GiG as the core technology provider of our iGaming platform. Their powerful suite of player engagement tools, as well as diverse content and regulatory integrations, underpin our ability to serve and delight our player community. Our hybrid online and offline customer network, as well as unique bingo offerings, will drive exciting opportunities as the platform and the marketplace continues to grow.”

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Bragg Gaming Group

Bragg Gaming Announces Resignation of Chief Financial Officer

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Bragg Gaming Group Inc., a global B2B gaming technology and content provider, announced that Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Ronen Kannor, has notified Bragg’s board of directors (Board) that he will resign from his position to pursue other career opportunities, effective June 3, 2024. The Company confirms that the search for a replacement CFO has commenced.

Matevž Mazij, Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the Board, commented: “We thank Ronen for his dedication and commitment to Bragg over the past four years and for his unwavering service as a pivotal member of the leadership team.

“During his tenure as CFO, the Company has undergone huge positive transformation including being uplisted to the Toronto Stock Exchange, dual listed on the NASDAQ and successfully completing two acquisitions, all while reporting consecutive years of revenue, gross profit and adjusted EBITDA growth. We wish Ronen all the very best in his future endeavors.”

Ronen Kannor commented: “It has been an honor to be part of the Bragg team which has successfully navigated many challenges and continued to deliver consistent growth over the past four years. I thank the Board for their support throughout my time with Bragg, and I am now fully focused on ensuring a smooth handover to my successor.

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“Special thanks goes to my finance team, who work tirelessly to deliver the positive change and financial growth that the Company continues to achieve. I wish them and all of my colleagues continued success with Bragg now and in the future.”

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