Latest News
New consultancy launched by four experienced gaming industry professionals
Clyde Harris, Graham Cassell, Mick d’Ancona and Peter Sherman have worked with, and for, some of the biggest names in the gaming and betting industry. In 2023 the four long-time friends and colleagues decided that if they integrated their talents into a single consultancy then together they could use their combined 100+ years of experience to help companies looking to make material improvements in capability, products or process.
Circle Squared has at its core an ethos based upon making light work of difficult tasks with good humour, so that clients get the external expertise they most need to guide the organisational and technological transformation of their business.
“I’ve been involved in so many industry projects – big and small – so I know how much time and energy can be wasted if the approach is not right. We set up Circle Squared because we know things don’t have to be like that and that our direct experience means we can help deliver impactful change where it is most needed”, said Graham Cassell.
“Deciding to work together as Circle Squared was a no-brainer; I’ve known these guys for a long time and really like working with them. And, even more importantly, I know that when we combine our different experience and skills, we offer much more to the industry as a team than as four separate individuals. There’s real strength in our collective” – Clyde Harris.
The Circle Squared partners want to be defined by the things they do differently – and that their values of curiosity, empathy, respect, humility and open communications in every collaboration will produce better business results.
Mick d’Ancona has held multiple C-level and senior leadership roles at tier one operators and software suppliers, including Ladbrokes, OpenBet, NYX, SG Digital and KingMakers.
Peter Sherman has particular expertise in betting and trading systems, and was technical lead for the launch of the Caesars mobile (online) sportsbook in multiple states across the U.S.
Clyde Harris has a background at major industry players like Ladbrokes, SG Digital and Code Factory, gaining unparalleled experience in product delivery and operational execution for sports betting businesses.
Graham Cassell has held several senior leadership roles at companies including Ladbrokes, Moneycorp, Paddy Power, Betfair and Flutter, running large-scale technology teams specialised in delivering and operating complex real-time, low latency systems.
Latest News
Crypto Sportsbook, Sportsbet.io’s player wins huge $3.2m jackpot from $5 spin
A lucky Sportsbet.io player is celebrating the win of a lifetime after turning a single 5 USDT spin into a 3.2 million USDT jackpot on a popular slot game.
The huge winner was playing Midnight Marauder Dream Drop with perfect timing, with their spin triggering Relax Gaming’s Dream Drop Mega Jackpot of more than $3 million in the USDT stablecoin currency.
Alex Haig, Director at Sportsbet.io, said: “Another day, another multi-million dollar jackpot dropping on Sportsbet.io. We’re quickly gaining a reputation for jackpot wins, and this latest player is truly living the dream by turning $5 into $3.2 million. With one of the best collections of premium games to choose from, it won’t be long before more life-changing jackpots are won on Sportsbet.io.”
It isn’t the first time Sportsbet.io players have landed multi-million dollar paydays on the site.
Earlier this year one sports bettor landed $3 million on an ambitious, seven-way multibet.
And at the end of last year, another player won the largest slots jackpot in history, turning a single $50 spin into an incredible $42 million prize with Games Global’s WowPot!™ progressive jackpot.
Asia
Savvy Games Delegation Joins More Than 30,000 Fans for Tencent and Hero Esports’ Honor of Kings Grand Finals in Beijing
The inaugural King Pro League Grand Finals 2024, the biggest esports event in China, drew more than 30,000 fans to a sold-out Beijing Workers’ Stadium on Nov 16. A delegation from Savvy Games and the Esports World Cup Foundation also joined the iconic event hosted by Chinese tech giant Tencent and the largest esports company in Asia, Hero Esports (formerly known as VSPO).
HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, Vice Chairman of Savvy Games Group (Savvy); Brian Ward, CEO of Savvy; and Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation, attended the tournament where two top Chinese esports teams competed for the inaugural Holy Dragon Cup and a record prize pool.
A total of 70 million rmb ($9.8 million) was awarded to the top 12 teams who advanced through the rounds of the six-week-long tournament. The final showdown was between Chengdu All Gamers and Chongqing Wolves, where Chengdu All Gamers emerged victorious in a best-of-seven series and took home 22 million rmb ($3.1 million) in prize money.
King Pro League, the premier esports league for Tencent’s hit game Honor of Kings, is the biggest esports league in Asia. Honor of Kings is the world’s most popular mobile game with more than 100 million daily players. Hero Esports has been the organizer of KPL tournaments since the league was first launched in 2016.
This year marks the inaugural KPL Grand Finals, which replaces the Honor of Kings International Championship for Chinese Honor of Kings competitors and features the top teams from across China, one of the biggest esports markets in the world with the most players. Events were held at arenas in Chengdu, Hangzhou and Changsha, with the Grand Finals event being held in Beijing.
The popularity of esports is growing rapidly around the world, encouraged by government support in a number of countries and new products and technology. According to a Frost & Sullivan Report, the market size of the esports gaming industry has experienced a significant increase at a CAGR of 15.2% from US$29.8 billion in 2017 to US$52.6 billion in 2021, and is expected to increase further at a CAGR of 12.1% from US$57.9 billion in 2022 to US$102.4 billion in 2027.
The report also shows that the number of gamers globally has experienced a significant increase at a CAGR of 7.1% from 2.3 billion in 2017 to 3.1 billion in 2021, and is expected to further increase at a CAGR of 5.5% from 3.3 billion in 2022 to 4.3 billion in 2027.
Danny Tang, CEO and Co-Founder of Hero Esports, commented: “Hero Esports is proud to have been a part of the first King Pro League Grand Finals, which is an example of the high calibre esports tournaments that fans and players everywhere deserve. The strong enthusiasm we’ve seen for this event in its first year is a testament to the significant growth of interest in this sport and the support of our high-profile sponsors. The atmosphere in the arena was electric and we congratulate the Chengdu All Gamers in winning the inaugural Holy Dragon Cup.”
Hero Esports, formerly known as VSPO, is a leading player in the global esports industry, collaborating with major game developers and global brands and organizing tournaments for players and fans across the world. It is the biggest esports tournament operator in Asia, having hosted 86 tournaments in the region in 2023, of which 62 were in China, compared with a total of 77 tournaments in 2020, of which three were overseas. The company recently announced the Esports Asian Champions League (ACL), Asia’s new premier international esports tournament featuring multiple titles.
Sponsors of the King Pro League Grand Finals 2024 include Meituan, Snapdragon and SAIC Volkswagen and iQOO.
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- Players’ Choice
- iGaming Changemaker of the Year
- Voice of the People
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