eSports
San Pedro FIFA gamer becomes LA Galaxy’s first eSport athlete
San Pedro native Giuseppe “the Godfather” Guastella, one of the world’s top EA Sports FIFA video game players, has become the Carson-based Los Angeles Galaxy’s first-ever eSports athlete.
The 32-year-old will represent the Major League Soccer team in the newly established eMLS, a competitive league with 19 eSports athletes who are affiliated with various franchises.
“I was really, really grateful because they were my hometown team from Day 1,” said the 2003 San Pedro High School graduate, who also supports Italian powerhouse Juventus, his Sicilian father’s favorite club. “It’s a great honor to be the first FIFA eSport player to represent the best club in MLS.”
Guastella started playing FIFA against his brother as an 8-year-old. Competitive even then, Guastella hated to lose so much that he just kept playing and playing.
By 2009, he knew he was pretty good and was invited to play in the 2009 FIFA Interactive North American Championship, where he beat seven of the best players in the region.
“Whatever I did, I always wanted to be No. 1, so I wasn’t surprised,” he said.
Since then, Guastella has traveled the world playing competitively and is a five-time FIFA Interactive World Championship finalist.
He won the 2009 FIFA Interactive North American Championship in New York and finished in the top four at the 2012 FIFA Interactive World Championship in Dubai. He won the North American championship at the 2016 AT&T MLS All-Star Game and last year was crowned FIFA Ultimate Team Champion in Vancouver, taking home $30,000 and earning a qualifying spot at the world championships in Berlin.
EA’s FIFA video games series, updated annually, is the world’s most popular game among the elite sports competitions that have exploded in popularity in recent years.
For instance, cable television channels ESPN2 and Disney XD announced last week they would air a new tournament running from Feb. 2 through April 28 featuring the world’s top 16 Madden NFL 18 players. The winner competes in what’s dubbed the Madden Bowl at the NFL Draft on ESPN2.
In Europe, top soccer teams like England’s Manchester City or France’s Paris Saint-Germain own eSports teams staffed with full time professionals.
Guastella, who plays about 10 hours a week in his spare time, doesn’t quite enjoy that sort of status.
He’s a full-time sales representative with Fred’s Carpet Plus in Torrance who is getting married next month to fiancee Vanessa Romo.
Still, with eSports in its infancy and growing fast, who knows what the future holds.
Chris Thomas, the Galaxy’s director of digital media and marketing, said the Galaxy realized how popular eSports was becoming when the club worked with EA Sports to make Carson’s StubHub Center the first-ever MLS stadium in a FIFA game. Hawthorne’s Gyasi Zardes, a forward with the Galaxy recently traded to the Columbus Crew, also played a large role in FIFA 2018.
“There’s research that suggests that people who play a team in FIFA become more dedicated fans of the (actual) game,” Thomas said. “You talk to kids who live and breathe this game, they know (a real life player’s) stats and how good they are at crossing, for instance. That level of engagement is pretty cool to see.
“Competitive eSports, especially FIFA, is huge and we wanted to put our own stamp on it,” he added.
Indeed, last year the club had a father and son from Paris visit the stadium and request a tour.
“My son is obsessed with the Galaxy because he plays FIFA 2018 and wanted to see it in real life,” the father told club officials.
They got a tour.
Guastella will represent the Galaxy in the first eMLS Cup this April in Boston. The winner gets an automatic berth in the EA Sports FIFA 18 Global Series Playoff and a chance to become the FIFA 18 World Champion at the FIFA eWorld Cup 18 in August.
He may also play at halftime of a Galaxy game on the stadium’s large video screen and appear at other events.
eSports
DATA.BET Launches Esports Bet Builder
The company advances the betting experience for esports fans
DATA.BET, a leading esports betting provider, releases Bet Builder, designed to create highly customized compound bets within a single match, offering a thrilling experience for professional bettors and avid esports enthusiasts.
Unlike traditional express bets, which span across multiple events, Bet Builder operates within a single event. It allows players to tailor their bets with flexibility, making it ideal for skillful users who deeply understand the game and seek a more personalized and strategic betting experience. With Bet Builder, users can bet on a wide range of markets within a single event, freely combining their selections without any restrictions.
In addition to its powerful functionality, this product is versatile in its integration. It can be seamlessly connected to any platform via API, allowing operators to offer this premium feature without technical limitations.
The novelty is already available for Counter-Strike 2 and will soon expand to cover other popular esports titles such as Valorant, League of Legends, and other disciplines.
“Our Bet Builder is a game-changer in the esports betting landscape,” said Rostyslav Likhtin, Head of Product at DATA.BET. “We’ve developed a sophisticated mathematical model that allows us to offer this feature on compound events without compromising on profitability. Beyond providing a unique experience that boosts engagement rates, loyalty, and expands the user base, it also significantly increases the operator’s turnover from the existing audience. Additionally, Bet Builder helps attract new players who are eager to explore combined bets on popular sports, allowing them to become more familiar with these disciplines.”
eSports
BETBY EXPANDS ESPORTS PORTFOLIO WITH LAUNCH OF eSTREETBALL
BETBY, a leading provider of premium sportsbook solutions, has announced the addition of eStreetball to its BETBY Games esports content portfolio, further enhancing its impressive lineup of e-simulator sports. BETBY Games now features nine different sports, hosting over 50 tournaments across various disciplines.
The newly introduced eStreetball title brings players the excitement of three unique tournaments: NBA All-Star, NBA All-Classic, and CBA All-Star. Combining state-of-the-art graphics with extensive betting options, the game delivers an exhilarating and immersive experience for esports enthusiasts.
Each eStreetball match offers rapid gameplay, with games concluding in just seven minutes. For an enhanced betting experience, the game provides more than 10 betting markets, including options like winner, total points, home total, away total, handicap, odd/even, and race to points. This latest addition follows a series of recent updates to BETBY Games’ esports portfolio, showcasing the company’s commitment to delivering innovative and engaging content for its partners.
Kirill Nekrasov, Head of BETBY Games, commented: “We were thrilled with the success of our recent Classic eBasketball release, which motivated us to accelerate the launch of new content for this game. We’ve now introduced another basketball-based sport, and I’m confident it will resonate with both casual players who enjoy quick bets and instant outcomes, as well as esports enthusiasts who are always eager for new disciplines.
He added that: “We are continually striving to innovate and enhance our offerings, aiming to provide the best possible esports experience for our partners and their players. The introduction of Streetball to BETBY Games’ e-simulator portfolio reflects our dedication to the esports sector. By delivering top-tier content, we empower our partners to differentiate themselves in the market while keeping players engaged, particularly during periods when live sports events may be limited.”
eSports
SIS goes live with Superbet to strengthen esports product profile in Romania
Operator adds 24/7 sport simulation content to offering
SIS (Sports Information Services), the leading content supplier of 24/7 live betting services, has launched its Competitive Gaming product with Superbet in Europe and South America through the Genius Sports platform.
The complete suite of H2H Global Gaming League™ eSoccer and eBasketball matches, numbering over 150,000 events per year, is now live with the Romanian operator. Superbet will benefit from the increase in wagering opportunities provided by the event-based product, which is proven to maximise engagement and margin for operators.
Since its launch in 2008, Superbet has established a strong presence across the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) region, becoming a leading operator in Romania, Belgium, Poland and Serbia. The operator offers a diverse sportsbook, presenting constantly evolving sports betting opportunities to its customers.
Competitive Gaming’s H2H Global Gaming League™ sees highly skilled professional gamers take part in short-form eBasketball and eSoccer matches. The contests are produced entirely in-house in the UK and include tools and features to enhance the customer experience.
It is the only esports product available on the market to have been awarded the Esports Integrity Commission’s (ESIC) Gold Standards, the highest possible accreditation created to set unmatched levels of integrity and safety in the industry, with trained referees overseeing every contest.
Launching Competitive Gaming with Superbet reaffirms SIS’ reputation as a global supplier of value-adding, round-the-clock content.
Andrew Kelly, Head of Commercial Partnerships at SIS, said: “The partnership with Superbet is the latest operator agreement as we strive to widen the reach of our Competitive Gaming portfolio, leveraging our recent platform partnership with Genius Sports.
“Superbet has an impressive footprint and we look forward to bringing our revolutionary product to bettors throughout this entire region.”
Ivan Gojic, Head of Trading Product at Superbet Group, added: “Superbet has established a reputation of being a champion of the sports betting industry across the CEE region, due to the unique and immersive experience that we offer to our customers. We are always looking at ways to improve the quality of this experience and enhance the array of wagering opportunities that we provide.
“SIS’ Competitive Gaming is a proven product with increased quality and variety in terms of content, and we are excited to add it to our offering.”
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