“The Next Game – Building the Future of Gaming, Esports, and Sports” sets the stage for a gathering of global decision-makers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from August 23-24

Executives from Sony, Activision, SEGA, Bandai Namco, Disney, and LA28 to participate in flagship event at the intersection of sport, esports, gaming, and entertainment.

 The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) has officially announced the theme and the first speaker lineup for the New Global Sport Conference (NGSC2025), the leading B2B platform for decision-makers across sports, esports, gaming, and entertainment. Held on 23–24 August 2025 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Riyadh, NGSC2025 will take place during the Closing Weekend of the Esports World Cup 2025, the world’s largest esports event.

This year’s official theme is “The Next Game – Building the Future of Gaming, Esports, and Sports,” reflecting the rapid convergence of competitive gaming and global sports. The New Global Sport Conference is the flagship event of the Esports World Cup Foundation, designed as the premier global forum where these worlds intersect, and built for leaders focused on the future and committed to meaningful strategic collaboration.

As part of its 2025 programme, EWCF has confirmed the first group of speakers and participating brands representing the forefront of industry innovation and leadership:

• HRH Prince Faisal Bin Bandar Bin Sultan – President, Saudi Esports Federation

• HRH Prince Fahad bin Mansour bin Nasser Al Saud – President, Saudi G20 Young Entrepreneurs Alliance & Founder of Entrepreneurship Vision (NGO)

• Ralf Reichert – Chief Executive Officer, Esports World Cup Foundation

• Casey Wasserman – Chairman, LA28

• Peter Moore – Owner, Santa Barbara Sky FC & Former Liverpool FC CEO

• Toshimoto Mitomo – Chief Strategy Officer, Sony

• Brian Ward – Chief Executive Officer, Savvy Games Group

• Joshua Taub – Chief Operating Officer, Activision

• Shuji Utsumi – President, SEGA

• Katsuhiro Harada – Executive Game Director & Chief Producer, Bandai Namco Entertainment

• Magnus Carlsen – World Chess Champion

• Danny Tang – Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Hero Esports

• Taewon Yun  – Senior Vice President & Head of Game Strategy, NCSOFT

• Jan Alessie – Co-Founder & Managing Director, World Football Summit

• Je Alipio – Director & Head of Business Development (Games) APAC & MENA, Disney

• Marat Karpeko – Partner, NVO Capital

• Jens Hilgers – Founding General Partner, BITKRAFT Ventures

• Pete Radovich – Vice President of Production & Senior Creative Director, CBS Sports

• Bruce Stein – Co-Founder, aXiomatic

• Kartik Prabhakara – Founding Partner, Aream & Co

• Michael Murray – Producer, Bandai Namco Entertainment

• Mike McCabe – Chief Operating Officer, Esports World Cup Foundation

• Faisal Bin Homran – Chief Product Officer, Esports World Cup Foundation

• Fabian Scheuermann – Chief Games Officer, Esports World Cup Foundation

• Mohammad Al Nimer – Chief Commercial Officer, Esports World Cup Foundation

Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation, said, “The 2025 edition of the New Global Sport Conference arrives at a moment of unprecedented change and opportunity for competitive gaming. As the boundaries between sports, esports, entertainment, and technology dissolve, this event becomes the premier global stage for leaders to explore new horizons and create groundbreaking collaborations. At NGSC2025, we’ll challenge conventional ideas, pioneer innovative business models, and unlock powerful possibilities in storytelling and competition. Together, we define the next chapter of how the world plays, competes, and connects.”

The New Global Sport Conference will bring together 1,500 industry leaders and decision-makers from across sports, esports, gaming, and entertainment. The curated programme, featuring world-class experts, challengers, and disruptors through keynotes, panels, strategic roundtables, and private forums, will drive transformative global initiatives and foster collaboration on the growth and future of these dynamic industries.

Additional speakers and full programming details will be announced in the coming weeks.

Kaizen Gaming secured a total of three awards, including Innovation in Sports Betting and Best Native App for the second consecutive year.

 Kaizen Gaming, one of the world’s biggest GameTech companies and owner of the Betano online sports betting and gaming brand, has been honoured with three awards at the prestigious EGR Marketing and Innovation Awards 2025, held in London on June 19^th. Kaizen Gaming was awarded with “Brand of the Year – B2C” for its premium brand, Betano, “Innovation in Sports Betting” and “Best Native App”.

The past year has been especially significant for Betano which unveiled a new brand identity, brought to life globally through sponsorships of major international football tournaments, such as the UEFA EURO 2024™, the CONMEBOL Copa America™️ 2024, the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League, alongside prominent local competitions, like Brasileirão Betano (Campeonato Brasileiro Série A) and Torneo Betano (the Argentine Primera División).

Furthermore, the award victories in the “Innovation in Sports Betting” and “Best Native App” categories highlight Kaizen Gaming’s ongoing commitment to customer-centric innovation, delivering highly engaging gameplay and mobile-first experiences that continue to set new industry standards. Notably, this is the second consecutive year that Kaizen Gaming has been distinguished for developing the “Best Native App”, a testament to the excellence of its in-house technology, product, and innovation teams.

Pablo Puertas, Marketing Director of Kaizen Gaming said: “The past year has been a defining one for Betano. We didn’t just refresh our visual identity; we reinforced Betano as a modern, premium and trusted brand, radiating confidence, playfulness, and artistic flair. Through bold 360° campaigns and landmark sponsorships we connected with millions of people in meaningful, localized ways.

But this is more than branding. It reflects our broader commitment to delivering the best, most innovative, and most responsible gaming experiences possible. Winning ‘Best Native App’ once again, as well as ‘Innovation in Sports Betting’ shows that we are pretty successful at it. We are now at a stage where we can confidently say that Betano is a truly premium global player, able to compete for leadership in any given market. A big thank you to the award organizers, but more importantly to the ‘Kaizeners’, who are the driving force behind our success”.

Building on last year’s momentum, the first half of 2025 has been a remarkable period for Kaizen Gaming and Betano, highlighted by multiple high-profile global sponsorships – including the most recent partnership with FIFA for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ for South America and the long-term principal and front-of-shirt partnership with Club Atlético River Plate.

The EGR Marketing & Innovation Awards reward the most innovative and creative companies in the online gaming industry, celebrating commercial success, game-changing innovation, leading customer service and marketing prowess over the past 12 months. This year’s ceremony took place at The Mermaid, London, on 19^th June 2025, and was hosted by Greek comedian George Zach.