epic-esports-events-announces-the-dota-2-champions-league-season-3

Epic Esports Events announces the Dota 2 Champions League Season 3

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The tournament operator Epic Esports Events with the Russian Esports Federation support organizes Dota 2 Champions League Season 3. The tournament will be held from August 14 to September 12 with a $50,000 prize pool.

Dota 2 Champions League Season 3 Group Stage participants:

 

  • PuckChamp;

  • Winstrike Team;

  • Team Unique;

  • Nemiga Gaming;

  • Team Empire;

  • Spider Pigzs;

  • Fantastic Five;

  • HellRaisers;

  • V Gaming;

  • Open Qualifier winner.

 

The group stage matches will be played in the Round Robin system in the bo3 format.

The group stage participants with the highest number of points will advance to the playoff stage, where they will compete in Double Elimination bracket, in the bo3 format up to and including the semifinals. The final match will be played in the bo5 format.

Qualifier matches will be Single Elimination bo1 up to the semifinals, from then teams will play bo3. Open qualifiers will start on August 12, teams can be registered by the link.

The Dota 2 Champions League series started on July 19. 5 championships will be organized with a total prize pool of $250,000. The Russian-language tournament broadcast conducted by RuHub Studio, English broadcasts organized by The EsportsBible (TEBTV).

Epic Esports Events has also furthered their partnership with GRID esports who remain as the exclusive data partner for each tournament in the series. GRID will continue using their technology to improve the viewing experience across the broadcasts.

 

GRID Esports GmbH, the leading provider of data solutions for the esports industry, leverages revolutionary technology to embrace data in the digital nature of competitive gaming and overcomes sports specific data challenges. Established in 2018 the company looks to solve data related challenges in esports and provide data services for monetization and fan engagement for tournament organisers & game publishers.

Epic Esports Events specializes in international competitions and is the organizer of the annual EPICENTER Dota 2 and CS:GO tournaments in Moscow and St. Petersburg since 2016. EPICENTER tournaments are watched by tens of millions of viewers around the world, and the organizers have repeatedly been awarded the prestigious EUBEA, Eventex, MarSpo, BISPO, BEMA and Sport Leaders Awards.

Epic Esports Events has been hosting a series of EPICENTER tournaments among the world’s top esports players in Moscow and Saint Petersburg since 2016. EPICENTER competitions are watched by tens of millions of viewers around the world, the finals gather stadiums, and the organizers have repeatedly been awarded the prestigious EUBEA, Eventex, MarSpo, BISPO, BEMA, Sport Business Awards and Sport Leaders Awards.

Epic Esports Events also hosts the regular Epic League, which is attended by esports teams from the CIS and European countries. In different years, EEE has been and continues to be an organizer of international tournaments for brands: Parimatch League, MegaFon Winter Clash, Adrenaline Cyber League, KFC Battle, etc. EEE is a part of ESforce Holding.

Russian Esports Federation (RESF) has been the official governing and representative body for esports in Russia since 2017. In more than 20 years the RESF has held more than 1000 esports tournaments throughout the country with more than 500 000 participants.

Besides developing and promoting esports, Russian Esports Federation participates in practical and scientific research and develops educational bases and programs for the industry.

red-rake-gaming-expands-its-cis-presence

Red Rake Gaming expands its CIS presence

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Industry-leading content provider Red Rake Gaming has partnered with online casino 1Win, a fast-growing company established since 2018 and providing a flexible betting and gaming solutions to players across the CIS region – with 14 languages and game play enhancing features.

The new partnership with Red Rake Gaming will enable players at 1Win to gain access to all the top-performing games content Red Rake Gaming has to offer, with proprietary smash hits such as the Million 777 slot which brings the ever-popular million ways to win genre, complemented by more than 6 feature and bonus games and its record-breaking Super Star Series genre providing non-stop, action-packed slots which combines multiple feature games and bonus across each of its titles.

In addition to Red Rake Gaming’s top titles, 1Win will be able to capitalise on the use of the progressive jackpot tournament tool across all the Red Rake Gaming content, providing its players as many progressive jackpot prizes as they could possibly desire.

This association is yet another testament to Red Rake Gaming’s continued commitment to create market leading content with player experience and engagement at the very heart of its development ethos.

Nick Barr, Managing Director for Red Rake Malta, commented on this collaboration, saying:

“We are delighted to continue our expansion in the CIS region with the 1Win partnership. 1Win deliver the best player experiences ensuring a top selection of games, fast pay outs and a smooth player experience across the site. We believe the 1Win players will thoroughly enjoy our portfolio of games which are player focused with minimum wins across our feature games and various player engagement points in each and every game.”

fonbet-becomes-paris-saint-germain’s-official-regional-partner-in-russia-and-the-cis-region

Fonbet becomes Paris Saint-Germain’s official regional partner in Russia and the CIS region

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Paris Saint-Germain has signed a long-term partnership agreement with Fonbet, the leader in the sports betting market in Russia and the CIS region.

Fonbet, the betting company omnipresent in Russia and the CIS, will take advantage of the Parisian club’s ever-increasing popularity in these regions, as well as securing exclusive marketing rights to engage with its users.

With a large number of sports betting shops as well as its official website and dedicated app, Fonbet is a major player in the betting industry throughout Russia and the CIS region, which will help Paris Saint-Germain to grow its fanbase further in those territories.

The Fonbet logo will appear during Paris Saint-Germain home matches in Ligue 1, via the club’s virtual LED solution, as well as on the club’s official website and app. Fonbet will offer its customers enhanced odds for Paris Saint-Germain matches and also collaborate on special promotions developed jointly with the club.

This partnership is the result of a strong bond created with Russian and CIS fans during the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The French team’s performance during this World Cup has considerably increased the interest of Russian and CIS fans in French football, particularly in Paris Saint-Germain.

Marc Armstrong, Chief Partnerships Officer at Paris Saint-Germain, commented: “We are delighted to welcome Fonbet to our family of regional partners at Paris Saint-Germain. The reputation of our club is growing steadily in Russia and the CIS and an association with the leader in sports betting in these regions will help both parties achieve our ambitious objectives. The partnership between the club and Fonbet aims to create a unique football experience for Paris Saint-Germain fans and football lovers in Russia and the CIS region.”

Alina Yakirevich, Fonbet CMO adds: “PSG is the strongest French team and a top European contender. The team gets a lot of support from fans in Russia and the CIS countries. I am confident that our partnership will last for a long time and help to consolidate Fonbet’s status as a leading player on the betting market in Russia and the CIS region.”

itl-set-to-showcase-latest-recyclers-and-facial-recognition-at-russia’s-vendexpo

ITL set to showcase latest recyclers and facial recognition at Russia’s VendExpo

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One of world’s cash handling technology leaders, Innovative Technology, are set to demo their latest products aimed at the vending and self-service market at Moscow’s VendExpo on 23-25th March 2021. The 14th international exhibition of vending technologies and self-service systems will be held at the Expo centre following the postponement of the event last year due to the pandemic.

Georgiy Frolov, Business Development Manager commented, “VendExpo is an important exhibition in the ITL calendar for the team in Russia, even more so this year given the lack of opportunities to reach our audience in person during the past 12 months. This new era of self-service is fast moving, technology-led and presents exciting opportunities for the future. VendExpo is an ideal platform to network with new and existing customers from the region to better understand their needs and requirements going forward.”

Georgiy continued, “Spectral note recyclers, coin hoppers, age verification and face recognition will all be present at our booth A302.”

“From discussions with our partners we are seeing that recycling has become a key trend. We co-operated on a bunch of projects in 2020 – all built around NV22 Spectral or NV11 Spectral. Our partners and customers report great results from the Spectral Payout field tests, so we look forward to being able to show its value to the market.  The Spectral Payoutisa state-of-the-art recycler which is ideal for medium volume applications requiring multi-denomination recycling at fast speeds.  An 80 note ‘true’ mixed denomination recycler itcan store all denominations from a given currency, eliminating change starvation & reducing the note float level required to keep machines operational- imperative for vending and self-service applications. Of course, security is key – Spectral Technology gives complete note image capture (highest spectral coverage) scanning millions of datapoints to authenticate the validity of notes and give the highest level of stained note detection. We are also proud of our SMART Coin System – a multi-denomination coin recycler, which is now able to work with 1-10 RUB coins.”

Concluding Georgiy commented, “Biometrics is another area of key interest, so we invite visitors to come and see our age and face recognition system in action. We are looking forward to showing our latest products to both manufacturers and operators of self-service solutions. Experts foresee the vending market to grow by almost 7% from now to 2026, and we are sure ITL products will find their place in the new solutions coming into the market.”

bwin-ends-its-operations-in-russia

Bwin Ends its Operations in Russia

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Bookmaker Bwin has decided to end its operations in Russia amid the changing legislation, according to a letter sent out to its local clients.

Bwin noted that it has entered into an agreement with another bookmaker Parimatch to “make leaving the Russian market as comfortable as possible for all customers.” Bwin customers will be able to switch to the Parimatch platform and keep their funds.

Changes made to the law on the regulation of bookmakers came into force in September 2020. Prior to the amendments to the legislation, bookmakers transferred 5% of their income to sports federations each quarter as targeted payments for the development of professional and youth sports. In accordance with the law, this amount could not exceed 15 million rubles (205,000 dollars at the current exchange rate).

After the amendments were made, bookmakers were obliged to make targeted deductions not only for bets on Russian events, but also on international ones. In addition, after the amendments were made, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the proposal of Finance Minister Anton Siluanov to at least double the targeted allocations from bookmakers.

primorye-to-expedite-permits-for-nagacorp’s-casino-resort

Primorye to Expedite Permits for NagaCorp’s Casino Resort

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The government of Primorye has said it will push through permits for foreign workers to help Hong Kong’s NagaCorp bring forward work on its casino resort near Vladivostok.

Konstantin Shestakov, director of the tourism department in Primorye, said the government wants to see progress on the development of the Primorye gambling zone.

Shestakov said: “Due to the situation with COVID-19, [Naga] was unable to bring the workers of its contractor from China.

“We hope that with the support of the Government and with the stabilization of the situation in the world, the investor will be able to complete the construction of a wonderful facility.”

According to the government official, the US$150m NagaCorp facility is around 60% complete.

fonbet-becomes-official-sports-betting-partner-of-ac-milan

Fonbet Becomes Official Sports Betting Partner of AC Milan

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Fonbet has become the new Official Sports Betting Partner of AC Milan in Russia and the CIS region.

As part of the partnership, the Fonbet brand will be visible in Russia and the CIS region during AC Milan home games in Serie A, as well as on the official Rossoneri website and mobile app.

Fonbet is working jointly with AC Milan on some unique promotions for its customers and will produce exclusive content for the Rossoneri fans in Russia and the CIS countries.

“We are delighted to welcome Fonbet to our family of regional partners at AC Milan. Football is driven by emotions and passion and this strategic partnership allows us to share our global growth path with one of the most innovative and solid brands in Russia and the CIS region,” Casper Stylsvig, Chief Revenue Officer of AC Milan, said.

“We are delighted to announce the beginning of such a significant partnership for Fonbet. Our spirit and values are very close. This new agreement with AC Milan leads us to a higher international level. Fonbet is one of the most innovative brands, not just in Russia, but also in the CIS region. This new partnership will help us strengthen the image of a solid and leading betting company. We are planning various activities with AC Milan for our fans in the region, so stay tuned!” Alina Yakirevich, Chief Marketing Officer at Fonbet, said.

russian-central-bank-clamps-down-on-gambling-payments

Russian Central Bank Clamps Down on Gambling Payments

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Online casinos and illegal bookmakers are feeling the squeeze after the Russian central bank has made it very difficult for punters to get paid.

Indeed, many operations have seen their activities in Russia paralysed since mid-January after gamblers have largely lost the ability to place bets in any currencies other than Bitcoin.

Russian business publication The Bell reports that this is the culmination of actions taken by Russia’s central bank targeting payment systems to illegal online casinos and bookies.

In December and January, there was a flurry of reports that several major payment systems such as Qiwi and Yoo.Money (formerly Yandex.Money) had been temporarily banned from carrying out transactions with foreign countries.

It later transpired that these moves are likely linked to the central bank’s efforts to crack down on payments to illegal gaming operators. A total of ten banks and payment operators are believed to have faced sanctions. Small banks such as Fintekh and Onego have even had their business licenses pulled.

A reporter with The Bell tested the situation by trying to place bets at the largest illegal online casinos, such as Admiral777, JoyCasino, and Gaminator. It turned out that all of them now accept payments only in Bitcoin, and not with major Russian bank cards (Tinkoff, Sberbank) or online payment systems like Yandex.Money.

There is, however, one alternative for long-standing and wealthy punters. Two sources familiar with the industry told The Bell that online casinos are now visiting such players in person in large cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg and taking cash directly.

vulkanbet-to-leave-russian-market

VulkanBet to Leave Russian Market

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Russia’s new gambling tax has forced another betting company to leave the market. VulkanBet.ru has announced that it will cease operating in the Russian Federation from January 1.

The site has already stopped accepting new wagers and customer registrations, but promises to honour “all obligations to players and contractors” by December 31.

The company said it plans to “focus its development on markets with more loyal conditions for conducting betting business.”

VulkanBet did say that it would continue to “monitor the development of the situation in Russia and does not exclude the possibility of a return to the Russian gambling industry in the future.”

VulkanBet spokesperson Anna Dmitrieva later issued a statement saying the proposed legislation – which is scheduled for its second reading in the Duma on December 22 – contained details that “arouse suspicion and do not give confidence in the future.”

VulkanBet had sponsored several eSports teams and tournaments, as well as an amateur football league, and Dmitrieva said the company was “ready for an increase in earmarked contributions [to Russian sport] but not in such volumes.”

aspire-global-expands-to-russia-by-signing-platform-deal-with-russian-national-lottery’s-operator-sports-lotteries-llc

Aspire Global Expands to Russia by signing Platform Deal with Russian National Lottery’s Operator Sports Lotteries LLC

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Aspire Global has expanded to the Russian market by signing a platform and lottery agreement with Russian National Lottery’s operator Sports Lotteries LLC. Through this landmark agreement, Aspire Global’s BtoBet will provide its technologically advanced Player Account Management (PAM) module platform and provide access to lottery games on online and retail channels to the Russian state lottery operator, one of only two licensees in the country.

The contract covers the span of three years with the option for further extension, and includes the provision of ten instant lotteries in the form of classic printed tickets for retail sales only, and five drawbased lotteries for both online and retail sales channels.

Ratmir Ronami, Project Manager for Sports Lotteries LLC, said: “We are proud to embark on this multiyear strategic partnership with Aspire Global’s BtoBet that will see us go from strength to strength by using the valuable insights and best practises that Aspire Global and BtoBet are renowned to employ. I am positive that this partnership will result in the fruition of entertaining games that will be highly popular with the Russian players as well as it will take the Russian lottery industry to a whole new level.”

Tsachi Maimon, CEO of Aspire Global, said: “Aspire Global and BtoBet are proud to have been chosen as the technological partner by Sports Lotteries LLC for the provision of multi-channel lottery games. We are committed and determined to support Sports Lotteries in becoming not only a leader in its field but also a point of reference for the Russian lottery industry. The lottery vertical is highly popular in Russia resulting in sales which were around €1 billion in 2019. We are confident that together with Sports Lotteries we will contribute in a significant way to the industry’s exponential growth.”