Press Releases
Gazprom Football for Friendship 2021: Young Participants from 211 countries and regions to set new GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title

Gazprom launches the Ninth Season of the International Children’s Social Programme Football for Friendship, which will be held online on May 14-29, 2021. For the very first time, representatives of football academies and journalists will gather in Istanbul during the UEFA Champions League Final celebrations to discuss children’s football development at the Football for Friendship Ambassadors Forum.
This year, Football for Friendship will once again unite Young Participants, boys, and girls, from 211 countries and regions. Young Players aged 12-14 will unite into 32 Teams of Friendship to participate in the 2021 Football for Friendship eWorld Championship. The Championship will be held in the F4F World the football simulator available for free in 27 languages on MS Windows, Apple macOS, Android, iOS. Young Journalists will cover the events of the program in the International Children’s Press Center and share with their peers the key values of the program: friendship, equality, fairness, health, peace, devotion, victory, traditions, and honor. The official attempt to obtain the program’s third GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS titles for the most nationalities in a football training session in history and the most users in a football video hangout.
On May 29, football experts and journalists from different countries will come together at the Football for Friendship Ambassadors Forum that will take place in Istanbul during the UEFA Champions League Final. Representatives of the football community will discuss the challenges of children’s sports development and share their experiences. Over the years, Football for Friendship has become an important international platform for discussing relevant issues of children’s sports and football.
The International Children’s Social Programme Football for Friendship is implemented by Gazprom since 2013. Over the previous eight seasons, the program has united over 15 000 participants from 211 countries and regions. Over 6 000 000 people have participated in sports, educational, and ecological events of the program. 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 over 50 national and international awards in the field of social responsibility, sports, and communications.
Carmen Pozo, co-founder of the Women’s Football Academy Las Superpoderosas, winner of the First International Football for Friendship Award, Bolivia: “The Football for Friendship program provides football experts with a platform for dialogue. This is especially important right now since we are facing new challenges in the development of children’s and youth sports. Exchanging experience and projects at the Football for Friendship Forum helps football academies and organizations in solving these issues.”
Robin O’Day, director of the O’Day Football Academy, Ireland: “Football for Friendship is a unique program that gives children from all over the world the opportunity to dive into an intercultural environment without barriers, make friends with peers from opposite parts of the globe, instills in them universal values and makes it possible to be heard. These are important elements in educating future world leaders.”
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Conferences in Europe
SOFTSWISS Developer Conference Highlights Engineering Strength in High-Load iGaming

SOFTSWISS, a global igaming software provider, has hosted one of its largest internal developer conferences. The closed-door event in Warsaw brought together over 100 product and engineering specialists to share their experience on building robust iGaming infrastructure, scalability, and technology resilience.
Designed to accelerate cross-functional collaboration and drive technical excellence, the conference agenda featured ten selected talks focused on mission-critical topics such as platform architecture, high-load performance, risk management, and structured thinking – all vital to the stability and success of modern iGaming operations.
“Behind every seamless gaming experience is a robust, well-architected platform that can perform under pressure,” said Sergey Kastukevich, Deputy Chief Technology Officer at SOFTSWISS. “This conference reflects our belief that high-performance technology is the foundation of long-term operator success. It’s where ideas are tested, knowledge is shared, and better systems are built.”
The speaker line-up was curated from a highly competitive pool, with three applications submitted for every available slot. The final agenda reflected both the technical depth and practical expertise required to operate at scale in the iGaming industry, offering value beyond core engineering topics.
“Most of the topics revolved around strategic challenges aimed at improving efficiency, stability, speed, cost, and process optimisation. That defines who we are as a company: we are a global tech company with 16 years of experience, our products are mature, and what matters now is how we process large volumes of data reliably and build scalable knowledge bases. These are applied, enterprise-level issues,” highlighted Stanislau Biarkovich, Principal Architecture Manager and one of the internal organisers of the conference.
Among the standout sessions were:
“An Economist’s Guide to Architecting and Building Web-Scale Platforms” – a talk connecting infrastructure decisions with economic principles, delivered by Brian Azzopardi, Head of Engineering.
“How Risk Management Techniques Could Make Business – and Your Life – More Effective” – a session by Sergei Laiter, Risk and Process Manager, highlighting the strategic thinking behind resilient tech systems.
Attendees included engineers and product leaders from SOFTSWISS offices across Europe.
As part of its broader commitment to innovation and community engagement, SOFTSWISS also participated in Code Europe 2025, one of the continent’s top tech festivals. Representing the company on the public stage, Artem Bychkov, Deputy Chief Security Officer, delivered a keynote titled “Groundhog Day: Lessons from 20 Years in Security”, shedding light on recurring cybersecurity blind spots and their impact on digital business resilience – including in iGaming.
With demand for stable, scalable, and secure platforms at an all-time high, SOFTSWISS continues to invest in its global engineering culture to ensure that its partners – including operators, aggregators, and affiliate programs – can grow with confidence.
About SOFTSWISS
SOFTSWISS is an international technology company with over 15 years of experience in developing innovative solutions for the iGaming industry. SOFTSWISS complies with a number of gaming licences and provides comprehensive software for managing iGaming projects. The company’s product portfolio includes the Online Casino Platform, the Game Aggregator with over 30,000 casino games, the Affilka Affiliate Platform, the Sportsbook Software and the Jackpot Aggregator. In 2013, SOFTSWISS revolutionised the industry by introducing the world’s first Bitcoin-optimised online casino solution. The expert team, based in Malta, Poland, and Georgia, counts over 2,000 employees.
The post SOFTSWISS Developer Conference Highlights Engineering Strength in High-Load iGaming appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Compliance Updates
HIPTHER Launches Responsible Gambling Assessment Tool Across Its Global Gaming Media Network

HIPTHER, a leading media and events brand in the Gaming and Tech industries, has launched a new Responsible Gambling Assessment Tool, now live across all of its gaming media platforms. This quick, anonymous self-test is designed to help players better understand their relationship with gambling, encouraging safer play through awareness and early self-checks.
The “Play Responsibly” tool is backed by clinical research and built with user privacy at its core, based on the globally recognized Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) – a 9-question framework used to assess gambling risk levels, from low to moderate or high.
No sign-up needed. No Cost. No data collected. No Judgement. Just honest insight.
Whether you’re simply curious or looking to take a proactive step toward support, this free tool delivers instant results and practical next steps – all in under two minutes.
Key Features:
- Completely anonymous – no registration or personal data required
- Instant results with tailored guidance
- Available in 5 languages
- Mobile-first and accessible across all devices
- Fully GDPR compliant
Designed to meet WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards, the tool ensures a smooth and inclusive user experience for everyone. With multilingual support and local resource integration, it helps diverse populations connect with trusted support networks in their region.
“While our media platforms primarily serve the B2B side of the industry, we know they’re also visited by players looking for insights and updates. That’s why it’s important for us to go beyond headlines and contribute real tools that support safer play. This assessment is one small, meaningful step toward that.” – Zoltán Tűndik, Co-Founder and Head of Business at HIPTHER.
Take the assessment today and share it with your community.
Because gambling should always be safe, informed, and fun.
Try it now on any of HIPTHER’s gaming media platforms:
By launching this tool, HIPTHER reaffirms its ongoing commitment to promoting transparency, responsibility, and player well-being in the global gaming industry. Together with our partners and audiences, we continue working toward a safer, more informed future for players everywhere.
The post HIPTHER Launches Responsible Gambling Assessment Tool Across Its Global Gaming Media Network appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Compliance Updates
HIPTHER Launches Responsible Gambling Assessment Tool Across Its Global Gaming Media Network

HIPTHER, a leading media and events brand in the Gaming and Tech industries, has launched a new Responsible Gambling Assessment Tool, now live across all of its gaming media platforms. This quick, anonymous self-test is designed to help players better understand their relationship with gambling, encouraging safer play through awareness and early self-checks.
The “Play Responsibly” tool is backed by clinical research and built with user privacy at its core, based on the globally recognized Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) – a 9-question framework used to assess gambling risk levels, from low to moderate or high.
No sign-up needed. No Cost. No data collected. No Judgement. Just honest insight.
Whether you’re simply curious or looking to take a proactive step toward support, this free tool delivers instant results and practical next steps – all in under two minutes.
Key Features:
- Completely anonymous – no registration or personal data required
- Instant results with tailored guidance
- Available in 5 languages
- Mobile-first and accessible across all devices
- Fully GDPR compliant
Designed to meet WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards, the tool ensures a smooth and inclusive user experience for everyone. With multilingual support and local resource integration, it helps diverse populations connect with trusted support networks in their region.
“While our media platforms primarily serve the B2B side of the industry, we know they’re also visited by players looking for insights and updates. That’s why it’s important for us to go beyond headlines and contribute real tools that support safer play. This assessment is one small, meaningful step toward that.” – Zoltán Tűndik, Co-Founder and Head of Business at HIPTHER.
Take the assessment today and share it with your community.
Because gambling should always be safe, informed, and fun.
Try it now on any of HIPTHER’s gaming media platforms:
By launching this tool, HIPTHER reaffirms its ongoing commitment to promoting transparency, responsibility, and player well-being in the global gaming industry. Together with our partners and audiences, we continue working toward a safer, more informed future for players everywhere.
The post HIPTHER Launches Responsible Gambling Assessment Tool Across Its Global Gaming Media Network appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
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