Latest News
Football for Friendship holds expert discussion on sports development during pandemic
Experts of the international online discussion “Motivation and training in the context of the pandemic: the impact of Internet technologies on sports” reached the mutual conclusion that the pandemic will boost the development of e-sports and broaden the way sports are perceived in the world. It’s expected that the existing trend will strengthen: over the past 3-4 years, the audience of e-sports events has grown 5-6 times.
The discussion was initiated by the Gazprom International Children’s Social Programme Football for Friendship, which has, for the first time, brought the entire season online in 2020. Meanwhile, the annual World Championship for Young Participants from more than 100 countries is held in the new football simulator Football for Friendship World. In the future, the app will become a gaming platform where anyone can train, join mixed international teams, and play their favorite game in the Football for Friendship format without leaving the comfort of home.
The guest experts — football players and e-sports players — shared their views on how the pandemic is affecting the training process, and whether e-sports will be able to fully replace traditional sports in the future. Alexey Smertin, adviser to the President of the Russian Football Union and Ambassador of the Football for Friendship programme, and Alexandra Kosteniuk, grandmaster, three-times winner of the World Chess Olympiads, and European Chess Champion, spoke about the impact of the pandemic on professional sports. Igor Bugaenko, head of the Special Projects Department of the Russian eSports Federation (RESF), spoke about the development of Russian e-sports. The discussion was attended by representatives of FC Schalke 04: head of the e-sports division Tim Reichert, League of Legends coach Dylan Falco, and professional FIFA player Tim Schwartmann (“Tim Latka”). The discussion was moderated by Euronews TV host Andy Robini.
Igor Bugaenko expressed his conviction that the pandemic can also have a positive impact on sports: “Despite the cancellation of many offline sporting events, we are doing our best to maintain the quality and spirit of the competitions that are currently held online. The pandemic has affected how people spend their free time. I think the main achievement of this period has been to broaden the way sports are perceived, enabling people to re-evaluate the role of e-sports in the world”. The expert also noted that Russia was one of the first countries to officially recognize e-sports. According to Bugaenko, in the last 3-4 years alone, the audience of e-sports events has grown 5-6 times.
However, according to Alexey Smertin, e-sports are hard to compare to traditional sports, with their “physical overcoming of oneself, pain and hard-to-achieve results”. On the other hand, if we take a professional approach, in both traditional and e-sports it’s important to focus on achieving results; so, in this sense, there’s no difference between them.
Tim Schwartmann (Tim Latka) has a similar view: “If young people want to be successful — be it in e-sports or traditional football — they have to work hard, train a lot for the game, and never rest on their laurels”.
Today, many football clubs are developing e-sports as a separate area. “In recent years, the popularity of e-sports has become evident. By investing time and effort into developing e-sports, we hope to establish a dialogue with the younger generation of football fans”, explains Tim Reichert, head of FC Schalke 04’s e-sports division. Reichert expects that self-isolation will accelerate the merging process of traditional and digital sports several-fold. In his opinion, e-sports and traditional sports already have many things in common: league structures, competitions, psychological demands for players, and regular training.
Alexandra Kosteniuk noted that the past months have become a landmark in the history of sport: “The pandemic has opened up a real Pandora’s box for chess players: if earlier, part of our competitions were already being held online, now it’s the most convenient format for both the audience and participants”. As she explains, the pandemic has stimulated an increased interest in online competitions over the past few months, “even in the case of chess, which is not the most popular sport among viewers, not to mention the world of e-sports in general”.
About the programme:
The International Children’s Social Programme Football for Friendship is implemented by Gazprom since 2013. Over the previous seven seasons, the programme has united over 6 000 participants from 211 countries and regions and over 5 000 000 supporters.
Young Players and Young Journalists are the participants of the programme – boys and girls aged 12 including children with disabilities. Young Players represent different countries and cultures united in the mixed teams. They show that nationality, gender, and physical abilities aren’t a barrier to becoming a team. Young Journalists cover the events of the programme in the International Children’s Press Center. All participants become Young Ambassadors of the programme and continue to share their Football for Friendship experience and promote universal human values: friendship, equality, fairness, health, peace, devotion, victory, traditions, and honour.
UEFA, FIFA, football federations and the world’s leading football clubs, international charity foundations, famous athletes, politicians, and artists support Football for Friendship. The project has received multiple national and international awards in the field of social responsibility, sports, and communications, including the world record for the most nationalities in a football training session in history.
In 2020, Football for Friendship will be held in the online format. A special digital platform will unite over 10 000 players of all ages. It will become the home for international children’s competitions and a playground where anyone will be able to train, join into the international mixed teams and play their favourite game in the Football for Friendship format without leaving the comfort of their home.
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iGaming
New Slotegrator solution offers fastest time to market in iGaming
Slotegrator’s One-Click Casino, a preconfigured, ready-to-run iGaming business solution, now offers the fastest time to market in iGaming, with new projects ready to launch in as little as five business days*. The company will demo the new solution at stand S44 at iGB L!VE on July 1-2.
Slotegrator’s One-Click Casino, a preconfigured turnkey online casino platform, is now the fastest solution available to operators looking to start an iGaming project. One-Click Casino cuts the launch timeline for new projects to as short as five business days* with the use of backoffice presets. A demo of the new solution will be available at iGB L!VE on July 1-2, at the company’s stand, S44.
New operators choose turnkey solutions in order to accelerate their launch; however, the client is still responsible for configuring many aspects of the platform. The new One-Click Casino shortens the timeline even further with preconfigured projects featuring unique frontends based on player preferences in different markets and regions, making for a faster and more cost-effective launch.
One-Click Casino has presets for bonus systems, payment service providers, anti-fraud triggers, game content, and more, though the frontend is still customizable. The launch timeframe assumes the operator is already licensed. License acquisition can extend the timeline, but Slotegrator also offers license acquisition services.
“One-Click Casino removes many of the barriers that operators face when starting a new online casino,” says Maksym Shtun, product owner at Slotegrator. “Speed and flexibility are everything in iGaming. By preconfiguring so much of the backend, we’ve made it faster and easier than ever for new operators to start their project.”
An extensive launch timeline can sink a project, as every day that passes without generating revenue is a drain on investment. Operators can easily spend substantial sums before the first bet has even been placed, due to the costs associated with license acquisition, platform setup, developing a team, and integrating games and payment systems.
One-Click Casino has four types of available bonuses, with thumbnails, amounts, and wagering, as well as a Wheel of Fortune and cashback, including preset percentage and activation triggers. Multi-level loyalty programs are also available, as well as game categorization, such as new, top, and bonus-eligible games.
The solution’s preconfigured anti-fraud system includes behavior and IP analysis, as well as automatic multi-accounting checks at registration. Bonus preconfigurations include bonus group limits based on player profiles, mandatory verification before bonuses are awarded.
As an added bonus, the solution includes a preconfigured Telegram bot, to run an alternate frontend through the popular encrypted messenger app.
One-Click Casino is ideal for entrepreneurs who are looking to launch a new iGaming project but are put off by the costs, technical complexity, and launch timeline, such as operators of crypto or Web3 projects who’ve built a community but need a way to monetize it.
*Final timeline depends on client’s technical readiness, chosen market of operation, and licensing status.
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Since 2012, Slotegrator has been one of the iGaming industry’s leading software and business solution providers for online casino and sportsbook operators.
The company’s main focus is software development and support for online casino platforms, as well as the integration of game content and payment systems.
The company works with licensed game developers and offers a vast portfolio of casino content: slots, live casino games, poker, virtual sports, table games, lotteries, casual games, and data feeds for betting.
Slotegrator also provides consulting services in gambling license acquisition and business incorporation.
The post New Slotegrator solution offers fastest time to market in iGaming appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Altenar
Altenar to Showcase UK-Focused Sportsbook Solutions at iGB L!VE London 2026
Leading sportsbook provider Altenar will attend iGB L!VE London 2026 to meet with industry stakeholders and discuss the challenges and opportunities shaping one of the world’s most mature and competitive regulated gambling jurisdictions.
According to the latest data published by the UK Gambling Commission, online real-event betting generated £530 million in Gross Gambling Yield (GGY) during Q4 2025, underlining the scale of the UK’s regulated sports betting sector and the ongoing demand for high-performance sportsbook products.
Against this backdrop, operators are under increasing pressure to differentiate their offering, maximise player lifetime value, and remain fully compliant with evolving regulatory requirements.
Altenar’s sportsbook is designed to address these challenges through flexible technology, advanced trading capabilities, localisation tools, and a comprehensive suite of engagement and retention features.
The platform enables operators to launch and scale efficiently while delivering tailored betting experiences that resonate with UK audiences.
Giannis Papakonstantinou, Account Management Director at Altenar, said:
“The challenge in the UK is no longer simply entering the market. Operators need to acquire players efficiently, retain them for longer, and remain fully compliant in an increasingly demanding regulatory environment. Our role is to provide the technology, flexibility, and operational expertise that help partners achieve exactly that.
“Every operator faces different challenges, whether that’s managing multiple brands, improving sportsbook engagement, or creating stronger connections between casino and sports betting. At Altenar, we work closely with our partners to deliver solutions that support sustainable growth and long-term success.”
Altenar recently published a case study with L&L Europe, a UK-focused multi-brand operator, demonstrating how a scalable sportsbook strategy helped support rapid growth across its portfolio.
Altenar’s sales, account management, and senior leadership teams will be available at the expo. Attendees are invited to book a meeting with the Altenar team and visit stand P65 to discuss how operators can strengthen their position in today’s highly competitive UK market.
The post Altenar to Showcase UK-Focused Sportsbook Solutions at iGB L!VE London 2026 appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Latest News
Spin Genie says Fluffy Favourites leads its biggest jackpot wins
UK slots casino provider Spin Genie has published an analysis of its 10 biggest progressive jackpot wins, with Fluffy Favourites the most frequent franchise in the list, according to the operator.
Spin Genie said players landed “tens of thousands of euros” across the 10 results, with the largest recorded progressive jackpot in the dataset reaching €13,447. The operator added that Fluffy Favourites accounted for multiple entries and was responsible for the biggest jackpot amount.
The analysis points to a concentration of top payouts among familiar brands. Spin Genie said many of its biggest jackpots were won on long-established slot titles and recognisable franchises, despite the steady flow of new game launches.
Dom Aldworth, Head of Brand Marketing at Kinetic Digital, said:
“Jackpot games continue to be among the most exciting experiences available to online casino players, and it’s fascinating to see which titles have delivered the biggest wins over time.
“What stands out from the data is the continued success of some of the industry’s most recognisable slot franchises. While players are always eager to explore new releases, many of the biggest jackpots are still being won on games that have built strong reputations over many years. It highlights the lasting appeal of these titles and the excitement that progressive jackpots continue to generate.”
The post Spin Genie says Fluffy Favourites leads its biggest jackpot wins appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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