Prague-based esports odds and trading provider RTSmunity has announced a partnership with Polish sportsbook operator forBET. 

The partnership comes at a time when many sports betting operators are turning to esports as an alternative to traditional sports, which are still suffering disruption due to the COVID-19 crisis.

RTSmunity says forBET customers will now be able to experience a top esports offer, improved in every measurable aspect, including the number of markets, uptime, and odds.

The partnership is in line with RTSmunity’s global expansion strategy, focused on Europe, the US, and Latin America. 

Commenting on the news CEO of RTSmunity, Pavol Krasnovský, said:

“We are very happy to start a new partnership with forBET. They have been able to succeed in very competitive betting market in Poland, and bringing their esports offer to the top level is the obvious step forward. We are very confident in our solution, and we have demonstrated that we are able to make esports a growing stream of revenue for sportsbook operators.”

While General Director of forBET, Petr Pacinek, added: 

“The cooperation we have just started is a clear signal of the way we have chosen – continuous improvement of our offer, in order to support growth of our market share. Esports betting is still a developing industry, but already very competitive, and you can’t succeed without having the best offer. That’s why we have chosen RTSmunity to be our new partner, and we count on them to bring us to the top.”

AYO.NEWS says:

When the COVID-19 crisis became evident to everyone around March (though here at AYO.NEWS we were writing about it in January), most in the sports betting industry assumed the disruption to sports, and boost to esports, would be short-lived. However, now we are in August and the crisis is still worsening globally, and even those sport leagues that have restarted, are playing under the very real threat of more disruption. 

Given this, even the most reluctant sportsbook operators have now understood that a top notch esports offering is essential, and companies like RTSmunity are finding themselves perfectly positioned to capitalise on the rapidly rising demand for esports betting services. 

As RTSmunity’s CEO, Pavol Karasnovsky, said back in March:

“In upcoming months, esports offer will become one of the main deciding factors in punters; choice of bookmakers.” 

… and he wasn’t wrong! 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020

North American esports organisation Cloud9 has partnered with sponsorship marketplace Uconnect Esports for a collegiate esports initiative.

The partnership will see Cloud9 run several campaigns throughout the autumn, including online community events for collegiate organisations. Cloud9 LCS, the first community events activation, is already underway, and features 16 North American collegiate esports and gaming communities. 

Commenting on the news CEO and Co-founder of Cloud9, Jack Etienne, said:

“Collegiate esports is thriving – we at Cloud9 recognize its potential and want to be a part of uplifting these hard working students with resources and opportunities. We’re excited to see this generation of esports professionals grow.”

While Founder and CEO of Uconnect Esports, Dylan Liu, added:

“The Uconnect team is very excited to work with one of the most popular and prestigious organizations in esports. We’ve received an overwhelming amount of interest and enthusiasm from our collegiate organizations about working with Cloud9 in the past few weeks.

“We’re looking forward to finding new, innovative, and engaging ways to connect major esports organizations with the collegiate ecosystem.”

Cloud9 currently fields teams in Overwatch, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Fortnite, Hearthstone, League of Legends, PUBG Mobile, Rainbow 6, Super Smash Bros Melee, Teamfight Tactics, World of Warcraft, and VALORANT. 

The organisation has commercial partnerships in place with AT&T, BMW, HyperX, Kaiser Permanente, Microsoft, Puma, Red Bull, Secret Lab, and Twitch.

AYO.NEWS says:

This is a great initiative, with the potential to really help grassroots and collegiate esports kindle some strong partnerships that could end up benefiting countless individuals and communities. And, with the COVID-19 crisis looking likely to drag on for a while, piling financial pressures on collegiate esports organisations, such partnerships are needed more than ever. 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020

Las Vegas-based gambling company GameCo has launched esports and skill-based iGaming betting brand iGameCo.

According to the company, iGameCo will provide three offerings: skill-based iGaming, freeplay gambling, and esports betting – all available for regulated domestic and international mobile casinos and sportsbooks. 

Tailored specifically for the North American sports betting market, iGameCo’s full-service esports betting solution combines an esports data platform, developed by German data provider GRID, with a desktop and mobile front-end offering odds and trading. 

Discussing the launch CEO and Co-founder of GameCo, Blaine Graboyes, said:

“iGameCo is the culmination of years of research and development in combining video games and esports for regulated casinos and we’re proud to bring our leadership in land-based Video Game Gambling to digital casinos and sportsbooks. 

“We invented the first-ever skill-based games for retail casinos and now we’re expanding the category to bring this experience to regulated gaming markets worldwide, providing casinos with the products to attract and monetize the next generations of customers.”

GameCo has also been granted a Casino Service Industry Enterprise License by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, allowing it to offer its portfolio of products and services, including esports betting, to New Jersey casinos and sportsbooks. 

The company is now licensed in more than 25 jurisdictions across North America and Europe. 

AYO.NEWS says:

GameCo has been a trailblazer in merging true video gaming with gambling in the land-based sector, so offering an online esports betting solution seems like a logical progression. We’ve got a feeling more traditional iGaming companies will start following GameCo’s lead as they try to engage Millennials and Gen Zs. 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020

Minnesota-based WISE Ventures Esports has entered Rocket League with the launch of its Version1 brand. 

Co-owned by the Wilf family and entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk, Version1 will compete in RLCS X – Psyonix’s new Rocket League esports initiative, produced by DreamHack, which starts tomorrow, 7 August. 

Jonathan Wilf, President of WISE Ventures Esports, which also owns Call of Duty League franchise Minnesota RØKKR, said:

“As we considered our next opportunity in esports and professional gaming, we wanted to diversify our content and audience, to continue building our fan base. Rocket League Championship Series not only has a growing audience-base, but recent restructuring of league competition presented a ground-up opportunity that fits the organization’s longer-term objectives.”

While Chief Operating Officer at WISE Ventures Esports, Minnesota R­økkr and Version1, Brett Diamond, added:

“We had a unique opportunity to enter Rocket League Championship Series with a top tier roster and we are thrilled to welcome Torment, Gimmick, AxB and Coach Fireburner to our family as we begin to engage with the Rocket League community. Our philosophy with Røkkr has been to build this organization one fan at a time and that will continue to be our focus with Version1.

“Our goal for this team is to establish a national and international brand and grow support from fans around the world. Our headquarters in Minnesota will also allow us to create opportunities for local Rocket League fans to come out to live events and in-person watch parties once it is safe to do so.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Given that Call of Duty League has strict rules about unique team branding, it was a given that WISE would have to launch a new brand if it wanted to compete in another game. But, we don’t really see any problems coming from that, as Version1 will be able to expand to other titles in due course. 

Staying with pro Rocket League, a couple of weeks ago Guild Esports, the UK-based organisation part-owned by David Beckham, also announced it will be competing in RLCS X. 

Meanwhile, a week earlier, VaynerSports, the sports agency founded by Gary and AJ Vaynerchuk, launched a dedicated esports and gaming division. 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020

VENN, the Video Game Entertainment & News Network, launches today with a slate of gaming and esports related content. 

Initially the network is launching across digital platforms including Twitch, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and VENN.TV, and is set to go love with OTT platforms including Vizio, Xumo, and Stirr soon.

VENN is also in talks with traditional cable TV companies, with proposed deals based on an ad share model instead of the traditional carriage fee model. 

As we’ve previously reported, VENN is targeting Gen Z and Millennial viewers with an extensive offering of video gaming related content, including lifestyle and esports, with original shows including “The Download” daily gaming news show, and a “Fear Factor” style production called “Dare Package.”

VENN currently has a Los Angeles studio, and says it will be producing 30 hours of original live programming per week, though it also has plans to increase production next year with the opening of a new studio at One World Trade Center, New York. 

BitKraft, Riot Games co-founder Marc Merrill, Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin, aXiomatic Gaming (Ted Leonsis and Jeff Vinik), and the venture capital division of Bertelsmann, all participated in VENN’s 2019 seed funding round, raising $17M USD. 

AYO.NEWS says:

In a world absolutely saturated with media, will VENN be able to connect with and engage its target audiences? And, even if it does, will it prove commercially viable? There’s no doubting the quality of the talent and production resources the company is throwing into the mix, but as we’ve said before, that’s also going to be very expensive.

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020

Modern Times Group (MTG) companies ESL and DreamHack have announced a new Brazilian streaming deal. 

The three-year partnership, with Brazilian TV network Globo and entertainment website Omelete, covers the Portuguese-language broadcasting of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive events in the ESL Pro Tour. 

Specifically, Globo’s SporTV3 will be showing the main ESL and DreamHack competitions, and Omelete has online distribution rights for all ESL Pro Tour matches. Popular streamer ‘Gaules’ will also be involved, promoting Omelete, broadcasts, and other content, through his Twitch channel. 

Discussing the news Senior Vice President Global Media at ESL, Frank Uddo, said:

“We are delighted to work together in Brazil with Globo, a leading mass media company, and Omelete, a representative entertainment company. By partnering up with both companies, the Brazilian fans can now enjoy a premium viewing experience via various channels. 

“With Globo serving the linear TV audience and Omelete delivering our content to digital platforms supported by the top local streamer, the partnership allows more fans than ever in Brazil to enjoy professional esports however they choose.”

While Omelete Company CEO, Pierre Mantovani, added:

“One of Brazil’s biggest entertainment companies, Omelete, which was born on the internet and now enables amazing experiences for millions of people, has now stricken a partnership with one of the world’s greatest media outlets, Globo, and a world-class streamer, Gaules, in order to establish what has currently been considered one of the world’s boldest esports coverage strategies.”

As one of the biggest Brazilian media outlets, Globo covers 98.6% of the country’s municipalities, and 99.6% of its population, via its linear TV channels. The company also reaches 85% of the Brazilian population that has access to the internet, and carries leading esports content in the form of G1, Gshow, and globoesporte.com. Across its linear and digital services, Globo reaches over 100 million people daily. 

AYO.NEWS says:

With the ongoing COVID-19 crisis severely disrupting in-person esports events globally, the financial importance of broadcast rights deals to companies like Modern Times Group has increased dramatically. So, it’s no surprise to see a flurry of rights deals being agreed over the last few months. 

Earlier in the week, ESL and DreamHack revealed a Mandarin-language rights deal with Chinese streaming platform DouYu, covering the ESL Pro Tour for Starcraft II and Warcraft III. In July, a similar deal was announced with rival Chinese platform HUYA, covering Counter-Strike and Dota 2 events media rights. 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020