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Orange holds first Pan-African football tournaments enabling youth to be actors of positive change, to tackle plastic waste, via their passion for football

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Orange, a major partner of African football since 2008, is the official sponsor of the AFCON for the 7th time in a row

The Total Energies Africa Cup of Nations Cameroon 2021 is a major event on the continent and this year’s edition is eagerly awaited following its postponement in 2021 due to the Covid crisis. In the lead up to the big event and as official sponsor, Orange (www.Orange.com) has held a series of ‘Orange Sponsors Change’ regional football tournaments across its footprint enabling 12-13-year-olds to play football and collect plastic waste in exchange for rewards and the chance to be celebrated during the AFCON final on February 6th. All the regional tournament winners will then be invited to the International final of ‘Orange Sponsors Change’ next spring for an unforgettable experience.

The competition, running from 9th January to 6th February 2022, will be held in six stadiums in five cities across the country. Out of the 24 teams that have qualified, 11 belong to a country where Orange is present: Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone, Mali, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia.

Passion with a purpose – the genesis of “Orange Sponsors Change”

The Total Energies Africa Cup of Nations Cameroon 2021 provides Orange with an opportunity to reiterate its environmental commitments. Plastic waste is now one of the world’s biggest problems and Orange believes it can play a role in combating this issue.

“Orange Sponsors Change” is a unique program which was first launched 2018 in Liberia and Cameroon and then successfully extended in 2019 to Egypt and Tunisia. With fans’ passion for football and a participative approach at its core, ‘Orange Sponsors Change’ gives all football fans and young players the opportunity to enjoy their passion for football whilst having a positive impact on their communities and the planet. Fans are encouraged to collect and recycle their plastic waste via recycling bins during the tournaments, and in return for their recycling efforts, Orange works with local companies to recycle the plastic collected and return them to fans and their communities in the form of soccer jerseys, balls and even soccer fields constructed exclusively from recyclable materials.

“Orange Sponsors Change,” a pan-African program premiere

This year, Orange wanted to take advantage of its partnership with the largest African sporting event to extend and promote Orange Sponsors Change in 12 countries on the continent (Morocco, Sierra Leone, Mali, Liberia, Cameroon, Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea Conakry, Guinea Bissau, Burkina Faso, CAR, DRC) and give it a new pan-African dimension.

This first Pan-African edition encouraged 12-13 year-olds to participate in local qualifying tournaments while collecting plastic waste, and the first local tournaments mobilized thousands of young people and their families and achieved tonnes of plastic waste collection, for example:

  • In Cameroon, football players who participated in Orange Sponsors Change joined forces with the Orange “Clean Your City” initiative to collect waste in seven cities across the country. In total, 1,300 volunteers roamed the streets to collect 14 tonnes of plastic which will be transformed into football equipment and redistributed to football academies in Cameroon.
  • In Côte d’Ivoire, 500 players from 50 different clubs across the country took part in the competition, collecting over 19 tonnes of plastic that will be transformed into construction equipment.

 

During the AFCON

The stadiums will be filled with Orange tap-taps enabling fans to support their team and share their passion. This year all the tap-taps will no longer be made of plastic but recycled biodegradable potato starch, reflecting Orange’s commitment to the reduction of plastic waste. In addition, Orange will be providing young players across it’s footprint with 20,000 balls made from recycled rubber, so they can continue to enjoy their passion for football long after the big event.

Béatrice Mandine, Executive Director of Communication, Brand and Engagement said: “At Orange, we support major sporting events in the countries where we operate by placing the focus of our strategy on the fans: we offer them the means to enjoy their passion. “Orange sponsors change” adds another brick to this promise: combining passion for football and commitment to the environment. It is a great action that will leave a positive legacy”.

Alioune Ndiaye, CEO of Orange Africa and the Middle East, explains: Africans are very passionate about football. Orange Sponsors Change helps raise awareness among young people about environmental issues through football; this is a great proof of the Orange Group’s commitment to society and the planet.”

Source: Orange

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Fighting Game GOAT Justin Wong Joins BASILISK, Science’s Esports Team

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Nine-time Evo Champion and Guinness World Record Holder Brings Legendary Status to Captain New Team, Recruit Talent, and Advance Science’s Role in Competitive Gaming

BASILISK, the global esports organization built to champion science, today announced the signing of legendary fighting game competitor Justin ‘JWong’ Wong as captain of its newly formed Fighting Game Community (FGC) Division. Wong will lead BASILISK’s entry into the FGC by recruiting players, developing community events, and creating FGC – science crossover content.

“Justin isn’t just a competitive genius – he is a cultural icon and humble leader within the FGC,” said BASILISK co-founder Christopher Bothur. “We are incredibly proud to have him leading our FGC division and support the amazing work he already does for the community.”

A nine-time Evolution Championship Series (Evo) Champion and Guinness World Record holder, Wong brings unparalleled FGC credibility and expertise to BASILISK. His reach extends across the entire FGC fandom of millions, and he was immortalized in Evo Moment #37 which has over 100 million views.

As Captain of BASILISK FGC, Wong will leverage BASILISK’s data analytics to scout and train the next generation of FGC pros.

“Math is super important to fighting games. I’m excited to join science’s esports team,” said Wong upon joining BASILISK. “I’m passionate about finding promising players with a positive mentality and shaping them into the next big thing. I want to see somebody else in the spotlight after me and help them reach their potential. If we can discover the next world champion, that would be fantastic.”

The signing comes on the heels of BASILISK’s new partnerships with The Planetary Society and Caltech’s Institute for Quantum Information and Matter (IQIM), announced in July. These collaborations create a powerful bridge between renowned scientific institutions and gamers, which Wong will amplify to his millions of followers and fans.

“Justin is a dream addition to our organization,” added BASILISK co-founder Hans Kassier. “He exemplifies the dedication and analytical capacity required to be an esports champion or great scientist.”

Wong becomes the second “GOAT” (Greatest of All Time) to join BASILISK, alongside Finnish StarCraft 2 legend Joona ‘Serral’ Sotala, who just captured the SC2 Esports World Cup Championship in July 2025. The signing also creates opportunities for cross-over content with BASILISK’s diverse roster, including chess Grandmaster Vincent Keymer and award-winning science communicator Kyle Hill, who brings over 2.5 million followers and a vast network of science enthusiasts to the organization.

 

The post Fighting Game GOAT Justin Wong Joins BASILISK, Science’s Esports Team appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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Faster Guest Entry at Korea’s INSPIRE Entertainment Resort’s Casino, Powered by Regula’s Technology

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International guests arriving at South Korea’s largest foreigner-only casino, INSPIRE Entertainment Resort, now enjoy a significantly faster and more seamless check-in experience. Customer onboarding times have noticeably improved following the integration of Regula’s advanced identity verification technology. Regula Document Reader SDK, the most comprehensive ID verification solution in the world, integrates with the resort’s anti-money laundering (AML) procedures, boosting operational efficiency and compliance.

Seeking to enhance operational efficiency and meet evolving AML requirements, INSPIRE Entertainment Resort sought a faster and more accurate solution. The resort, which features a high-volume casino catering exclusively to foreign guests, needed a system capable of recognizing passports from around the globe with minimal friction.

Following vendor evaluations, INSPIRE selected Regula Document Reader SDK for its superior document reading speed, intuitive interface, and unmatched global ID coverage. Regula’s solution is powered by the company’s proprietary ID template database—the world’s largest—covering 15,000+ document templates across 254 countries and territories.

Deployed across six entrance stations, Regula Document Reader SDK enables real-time extraction and validation of critical ID data, such as name, date of birth, nationality, and passport number. This data is then passed directly to INSPIRE’s AML system, which in turn performs automated screening against external compliance and watchlist databases.

Since deploying Regula Document Reader SDK, INSPIRE Entertainment Resort casino has experienced:

  1. Faster document processing and guest entry.
  2. Significant reduction in manual rescans and staff workload.
  3. Consistently smooth onboarding, even during peak entry hours.

“As the team responsible for passport scanning at the casino, we’re very satisfied with the improvements Regula has brought. The speed of document processing has noticeably increased, and guest entry has become much smoother. It’s a reliable solution that has elevated the efficiency of our daily operations,” says Dr. Ilnam Lee, IT Director at INSPIRE Entertainment Resort.

“In industries like hospitality, every second counts. We’re happy to support INSPIRE Entertainment Resort in creating a faster and more secure guest onboarding experience while meeting strict AML requirements. Our focus is to make accurate identity verification seamless, even in complex international scenarios, and this project is a great example of that in action,” says Ihar Kliashchou, Chief Technology Officer at Regula.

The post Faster Guest Entry at Korea’s INSPIRE Entertainment Resort’s Casino, Powered by Regula’s Technology appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Win Systems to showcase the future of connected gaming at the Southern Amusement & Entertainment Expo

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Win Systems, a leading provider of technology for the gaming and entertainment industry, will participate in the Southern Amusement & Entertainment Expo (SAEE), which will take place on August 19–21 in Georgia, USA. This event, a benchmark for the distributed gaming market in the region, will serve as the ideal platform for Win Systems to showcase its comprehensive and cutting-edge ecosystem of solutions.

At SAEE Expo, the company will present WIGOS One, a flexible and scalable casino management system that can be seamlessly adapted to the specific requirements of the distributed gaming market in Georgia. WIGOS One enables operators to monitor and manage multiple venues and gaming terminals under a single, centralized platform, allowing real-time tracking of player activity, integration of loyalty and bonusing programs, and access to advanced analytics for strategic decision-making. The system supports the transition from anonymous play to a fully connected environment, enhancing operational control and opening new opportunities to boost player engagement and retention.

Additionally, Win Systems will present Win Up Wallet, a secure mobile solution that allows players to connect to gaming machines, access rewards, and manage their funds directly from their smartphones — eliminating the need for physical tickets or cash. In line with its digital-first approach, and in partnership with LoopPay, the company will also introduce a feature that enables players to redeem their winnings digitally through gift cards, without requiring TITO tickets or kiosks, while still offering the option to redeem traditional physical gift cards.

We’re excited to bring our latest innovations to the SAEE Expo,” said Hunter Kampf, Country Manager USA & CANADA. “Georgia is a strategic market for distributed gaming, and WIGOS One precisely meets its unique requirements. Our connected solutions will enable operators to simplify management, reduce operational costs, and strengthen relationships with their players through real-time data and seamless digital tools.”

With a focus on integration, data-driven decision-making, and digital transformation, Win Systems continues to lead the way in offering robust and scalable solutions for today’s dynamic gaming landscape. The company’s presence at SAEE underscores its strong commitment to the U.S. distributed gaming market and its ongoing efforts to support local operators with the most advanced tools available.

The post Win Systems to showcase the future of connected gaming at the Southern Amusement & Entertainment Expo appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.

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