Leading online bookmaker Betway has agreed a one-year deal to sponsor BLAST Pro Series. Spanning eight events around the globe over the course of the year, BLAST Pro Series is one of the most exciting and well-attended CS:GO tournaments in the esports calendar.

The deal, which includes an option to renew for another year, will grant Betway extended ‘backstage’ access, VIP hospitality and a host of branding both online and in stadiums.

Three events – Sao Paolo, Miami and Madrid – kick-off the 2019 series, with more expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

This latest development continues a highly successful 2019 for Betway, having signed two separate deals in esports sponsorship – Berlin International Gaming (BIG) and ESL – since the turn of the year.

Paul Adkins, Marketing and Operations Director at Betway, said:

“BLAST Pro Series is one of the most exciting tournaments on the calendar; you only have to look at the reaction of the fans – both in stadium and online – to last year’s edition to confirm this. With events in the series being held all across the world, we can’t wait to reach even more fans than ever before.”

Leo Matlock, Head of Commercial Solutions at BLAST Pro, said:

“Betway has been present in the esports community a long time and we are very excited to be collaborating with them. Betway prides themselves with sponsoring premium content so naturally we are thrilled that they want their brand associated with BLAST Pro Series, which is already an established and proven concept. It’s a grand validation for our product and we are looking forward to the partnership.”

Read about Betway’s latest sponsorship here: https://blog.betway.com/esports/blast-pro-sponsorship-announcement/

About the Betway Group:

The Betway Group is a leading provider of first-class entertainment across sports betting, casino, bingo and poker. Launched in 2006, the company operates across a number of regulated online markets and holds licences in the UK, Malta, Italy, Denmark, Spain, Belgium, Germany and Ireland. Based in Malta and Guernsey, with support from London, Isle of Man, Stockholm and Cape Town, the Betway team comprises over 1,000 people.

Betway prides itself on providing its customers with a bespoke, fun and informed betting experience, supported by a safe and secure environment. Betway is a member of several prominent industry-related bodies, including ESSA, the Independent Betting Adjudication Service (IBAS) and the Remote Gambling Association (RGA), and is ISO 27001 accredited through the trusted international testing agency eCOGRA. It is also a partner of the Professional Players Federation (PPF) and is a donor to the Responsible Gambling Trust.

In addition to the flagship Betway brand, the Betway Group operates a number of other brands including Dream Bingo, Bingo on the Box, Spin Casino and the Hippodrome Online Casino. For more information about Betway’s various products and licenced brands, please visit the Betway Group page.

G2 Esports is going to launch an eSports racing team in partnership with Red Bull Racing. The team will initially compete in the F1 Esports Pro Series.

Christian Horner, Red Bull’s Team Principal said: “It is tremendously exciting to see this new direction being taken by the Team. We took part in F1 Esports last year and the response was incredibly positive. We are a Team who has always backed youth and this opportunity provides us with the potential to engage with a wider and younger audience, whilst becoming competitive in a rapidly expanding and exciting new discipline.”

The team will also compete in tournaments such as Forza Motorsport, Project Cars 2, rFactor 2, Assetto Corsa, and RaceRoom. It’ll also compete in the FIA Gran Turismo Sport World Championship.

Danny Engels, Head of Gaming Operations for G2 Esports added: “We are extremely excited to have two of the strongest and most successful brands in their respective worlds join forces. Esports racing connects our virtual environment with the real-life sport in a peerless fashion.”

Spectrum Esports Advisors (SeA), formed in 2018 to combine industry thought leaders in esports and casino gaming policy and operations, will be addressing a variety of audiences in 2019, as the casino and esports industries continue to converge. SeA has taken on a leading role in identifying opportunities, as well as regulatory and other challenges that operators in these sectors must confront.

SeA co-founder Alex Igelman, North America’s premier esports entrepreneur, is in high demand at such events, particularly as interest in this emerging form of gaming grows.  Igelman, executive chairman and founder of Millennial Esports Corp. has already raised more than $25 million in capital for Millennial, and invested in cutting-edge esports properties and technologies, including mobile developer Eden Games, streaming analytics company Streamhatchet, and a first-of-its-kind esports arena in Las Vegas called “thE Arena.”

Igelman, an esports pioneer who was the first to identify Las Vegas as the North American esports hub of the world, will be speaking at:

• Chamber of Commerce Puerto Rico Gaming Conference, San Juan, Puerto Rico (March 18)
• Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Convention, San Diego (April 1 – 4, 2019)
• ICE North American, Boston (May 13 – 15, 2019)
• East Coast Gaming Congress, Atlantic City (June 12 – 13, 2019)
• Casino eSports Conference, Las Vegas (September 4 – 5)

SeA co-founder Michael Pollock, serves as managing director of Spectrum Gaming Group, an independent consultancy that specializes in the economics, regulation and policy of legalized gambling worldwide. Spectrum, which has worked in 38 US states and territories and in 47 countries on six continents, also serves as executive director of the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States (NCLGS).

Pollock will be speaking on gaming policy and other issues at:

• International Masters of Gaming Law, New Orleans (March 27 – 29)
• ICE North American, Boston (May 13 – 15, 2019)
• East Coast Gaming Congress, Atlantic City (June 12 – 13, 2019)
• National Council of Legislators from Gaming States, Minneapolis (July 12 – 14)
• Casino eSports Conference, Las Vegas (September 4 – 5)

SOURCE Spectrum Gaming Group