Latest News
Fortnite: Arsenal Superstar Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang And Galaxy Racer Launches First-Ever Cross Regional Esports Tournament
Galaxy Racer, the biggest esports, content and lifestyle organisation, based in the Middle East, North Africa and South-East Asia, is launching an all-new competition, the Galaxy Racer Aubameyang Cup, starting August 1st 2021 which sees Fortnite Duos teams from across the Middle East and Europe collide online for the first time.
Named after Arsenal and Gabon star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and his brother William-Fils – both renowned fans of the popular battle royale game – the Galaxy Racer Aubameyang Cup is the first-ever cross regional online event for Fortnite. The competition will pit 150 teams from the Middle East and Europe against one another over four consecutive days, with one day of qualifying rounds for each region, with the top teams going through to the Grand Finals on August 3rd and 4th.
Where competitive cross region online tournaments have been unheard of due to network latency between servers, the Grand Finals will see the top 24 teams from each region battle it out over 12 games, hosted on ‘Home’ and ‘Away’ servers that mitigate ping issues to offer a unique and fair competitive platform for players.
Results are based on total points over the 12 games in the Grand Finals, with the top ten teams sharing a €10,000 prize pool. The four-day competition will be streamed live on Galaxy Racers’ Twitch and YouTube channels, with in-stream competitions and giveaways throughout including the official Scuff Aubameyang Controller, with only five controllers and five headsets up for grabs.
Launched in December 2019, Galaxy Racer has quickly become the biggest gaming and content organisation in the MENA region and is expanding across the world with a growing global reach of over 160 million followers and generating over a billion monthly views. The competitive gaming organisation manages innovative new esports tournaments while also featuring its own esports teams, content creators, merchandising and lifestyle brands and even a music label. The organisation carries rosters in all major esports titles, over 60 players from 22 nationalities and 20 of the biggest content creators in the MENA and Asia regions.
Galaxy Racer’s last major tournament, the OCE CUP, boasted the highest independent prize pool ever seen in Australia and broke records for the most watched Fortnite Competitive Event, with over 28,000 peak concurrent views.
The Galaxy Racer Aubameyang Cup aims to not only bring the two regions closer together and provide a platform for up-and-coming Fortnite players, but looks to continue bridging the gap between esports and sports, with Arsenal and Gabon captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and his half-brother William-Fils “Willy” Aubameyang swapping the football pitch for Pleasant Park. The footballing brothers will make guest appearances throughout the esports tournament, including exclusive interviews and a 2v2 matchup with Galaxy Racer’s own Fortnite pros, Milan “milan” Lopes and Maciej “Teeq” Radzio. Nyle “Nyle” Hasan who is currently ranked the #1 player in MENA will also make an appearance to offer players tips and tricks during the competition.
Paul Roy, CEO of Galaxy Racer, commented: “The Galaxy Racer Aubameyang Cup will unite professional, amateur players, gaming personalities and athletes, and will be the first event of its kind to bring players from the Middle East and Europe to clash in an online tournament that is highly competitive and fair. Our ambition is to offer up-and-coming professional players a chance to show off their skills, provide opportunities for players to test those skills against players from other regions, and to create an unforgettable event for fans to watch.”
The Middle East qualifiers will be managed by SAQR Scrims, while the European qualifiers and Grand Finals will be managed and produced by esports commentator Monster D Face and his production and tournament administration company Practice Server.
To find out more about the Galaxy Racer Aubameyang Cup, visit www.twitter.com/galaxyracerdxb
Tune in from August 1st – 4th at 9PM KSA / 8PM CEST on Twitch or YouTube.
Baltics
Evoplay bolsters presence in Lithuania with Betsafe deal
Evoplay, the award-winning game development studio, is expanding in the Baltics thanks to its latest tie-up with Betsafe in Lithuania.
The deal sees over 90 of the supplier’s leading titles live on the Betsson Group’s Lithuanian brand Betsafe, a leading operator in the market.
Included in the agreement are Evoplay’s top-performing titles such as Elven Princesses, Hot Triple Sevens and The Greatest Catch Bonus Buy which are now available for Betsafe players.
The latest integration follows a string of similar deals for Evoplay who has continued its expansion across regulated markets in Europe and beyond.
Ihor Zarechnyi, CBDO at Evoplay, said: “Integrating our products to Betsafe, a leading brand in Lithuania, is another important step in our commercial trajectory as our titles continue to grow in popularity and develop a stellar reputation among gaming enthusiasts worldwide.
“Lithuania is a vibrant and dynamic market, and we are thrilled to bring our award-winning content to even more players in the region.”
Aurimas Šilys, Head of Lithuania at Betsson Group, said: “Boosting our offering with a diverse array of titles is of utmost importance for Betsafe as we strive to deliver an unmatched gaming experience to players in Lithuania.
“We are delighted to integrate Evoplay’s dynamic portfolio into our offerings, and we anticipate it will resonate exceptionally well with our audience.”
Latest News
EL Executive Committee Names Mr Ionut-Valeriu Andrei as New Member
The EL Executive Committee has named Mr. Ionut-Valeriu Andrei as its newest member during its meeting on April 5. Mr. Andrei is the General Manager of Loteria Română since 2022, and succeeds Mr. Olgierd Cieslik, whose term as CEO of Totalisator Sportowy (Poland) has concluded.
”It is with great pleasure to welcome Mr Ionut-Valeriu Andrei as a new Executive Committee member. As an experienced executive, Mr Andrei has already contributed in various ways to our Association and the EL Executive Committee members trust he will continue to do so in the future,” Arjan van ‘t Veer, Secretary General of EL, said.
Mr Andrei will oversee the learning and development activities of EL. His appointment underscores the further commitment of the European Lotteries to inclusivity and collaboration among its members.
”I am honoured to join the EL Executive Committee and look forward to working closely with my colleagues to advance the mission and values of the Association,” Ionut-Valeriu Andrei said.
Mr Andrei’s co-optation will be formalised during the upcoming EL General Assembly in Salzburg (Austria) on 17 June 2024.
Compliance Updates
EGBA Welcomes European Parliament’s Approval Of New EU Anti-Money Laundering Framework
The EU’s new anti-money laundering package aims to create a more consistent regulatory framework and will benefit online gambling operators by standardising AML rules and reporting requirements across member states.
Brussels, 24 April 2024 – The European Parliament has approved the EU’s new anti-money laundering (AML) package at its plenary sitting today, marking a significant milestone towards a new EU framework for combatting financial crime. The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA), representing Europe’s leading online gambling operators, welcomes the Parliament’s approval of the new AML package and believes the incoming rule changes will strengthen the EU’s approach to tackling money laundering.
The new package will contain:
- A single rulebook regulation – with provisions on conducting due diligence on customers, transparency of beneficial owners and the use of crypto-assets.
- The 6th Anti-Money Laundering Directive – containing national provisions on supervision and national AML authorities, as well as on the access of authorities to necessary and reliable information, e.g. beneficial ownership registers.
- The establishment of the European Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) – which have supervisory and investigative powers to ensure compliance with AML requirements, operating in conjunction with national AML authorities.
EGBA believes the new rules will benefit Europe’s online gambling operators by ensuring a consistent regulatory approach across EU member states. Another important feature, under the competence of AMLA, will be the creation of a harmonised reporting format for Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs). This will ensure that Europe’s online gambling operators encounter the same STR requirements across all EU member states, thereby setting clear and consistent expectations that will reduce administrative burdens and costs.
To assist online gambling operators in complying with the EU’s new AML rules, EGBA has developed industry-specific guidelines on anti-money laundering which apply a risk-based approach and include practical measures that operators can take – on customer and business risk assessments, customer due diligence processes, suspicious transaction reporting, and record keeping. EGBA members already apply the guidelines and submit annual reports to EGBA that summarise their progress in implementing its measures. The guidelines are also open to all operators based in the EU and EGBA encourages operators to sign up to them.
The AML package now awaits formal adoption by the Council of the EU, expected in May, before being published in the EU’s Official Journal.
“We welcome the European Parliament’s approval of the new anti-money laundering package. The new framework will set high standards and ensure greater consistency in the application of AML rules across the EU. Online gambling operators, especially those operating in multiple countries, will benefit from a single rulebook and harmonised reporting requirements that will unravel national complexities. We will look to review our industry guidelines on AML to ensure their alignment with the new EU rules. By signing up to the guidelines, operators can already prepare themselves for the incoming changes in the EU rules and join our members in their efforts to proactively and positively contribute to the EU’s fight against money laundering.” – Dr. Ekaterina Hartmann, Director of Legal and Regulatory Affairs, EGBA.
Source: EGBA
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