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Football for Friendship eWorld Championship to be held for the second time in F4F World multiuser simulator

The Football for Friendship eWorld Championship (eF4F) will be taking place for the second time at the end of May. After sports fans from over 100 countries took part last year, 211 countries and regions will be represented this time round.
The important events in Gazprom’s International Children’s Social Programme Football for Friendship (F4F) will be taking place in a digital format this year too because of the pandemic. Following established tradition, a few highlights are being organised to take place in Istanbul, the host city for the final of the UEFA Champions League, from 28th to 30th May.
The 2021 Football for Friendship eWorld Championship (eF4F) will take place on the multiplayer simulator Football for Friendship World (F4F World), which was specially developed for F4F. International team matches can be organised on this platform in real time. The individual users, each of whom is a player on the team, come from different countries. The team consists of a goalkeeper, a defender, two midfield players and two attackers. There is also a trainer and some substitutes. A game runs for 2 halves of 3.5 minutes.
Since 19th April, football academies all over the world have been invited to nominate girls and boys aged 12 to 14 as players. The draw that will put the kids into International Teams of Friendship will be in the middle of May. The Football for Friendship eWorld Championship (eF4F) will take place from 27th to 29th May.
The winners of the 2020 Football for Friendship eWorld Championship were the team “Granular salamander”, whose players came from Bosnia Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, Latvia, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, and Turkey. In the course of the final events in the 8th season of “Football for Friendship”, a new GUINESS WORLD RECORDSTM title was set for the most users in a football video hangout. This year too F4F is aiming once more to set what would be a third GUINESS WORLD RECORDSTM title.
Since December 2020, F4F World has been available to anyone interested, outside of the eF4F tournament as well, free of charge in 27 different languages. An exciting match, in which the Nine Values of Football for Friendship: friendship, equality, fairness, health, peace, devotion, victory, traditions, and honour, are emphasised, awaits F4F World players. The particular features of F4F World include an original, hand-drawn design, a unique profile modification function, the option of playing in various divisions and leagues, of founding one’s own club or of inviting randomly selected players from around the world to take part in the match. In addition, participants can design their own player as they wish. For example, the players’ hairstyles show the colours of their respective national flags. The 2021 version will also offer some new features like training sessions. The F4F World game is available on MS Windows, Apple MacOS and iOS and was developed by the company DataArt.
Andrey Trusov, DataArt: “It was very interesting and motivating to have the opportunity to contribute to the development of F4F. For me, it was a new experience that there is such a competition for children – one that also promotes values like friendship, fairness, and peace. My colleagues and I engaged very intensively with the whole F4F concept in order to be able to give it form and expression in virtual reality.”
About the programme:
The International Children’s Social Programme Football for Friendship has been run by Gazprom since 2013. Over the previous eight seasons, the programme has brought together over 15,000 participants from 211 countries and regions and over 6,000,000 supporters.
Young Players and Young Journalists are the participants in the programme – boys and girls aged 12 including children with disabilities. Young Players represent different countries and cultures united in the mixed teams of the Football for Friendship World Championship. 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.
In 2020, Football for Friendship was held online. A special digital platform connected over 10,000 players of all ages. It has become the home for international children’s competitions and a playground where anyone can train, join in 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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Doug Pollard
Pollard Banknote Awarded Contract by the National Lottery of Belgium to Deliver Omnichannel Gaming Platform

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Pollard Banknote Limited has announced that, following a notice of intent to award and a mandatory 15-day standstill period under Belgian procurement law, the National Lottery of Belgium has awarded the company a contract to deliver and operate a next-generation Gaming Platform. The new Gaming Platform from Pollard Banknote will securely support Loterie Nationale’s core business, including the sale of draw games, instant games and more, across both retail and online channels. Valued at approximately €177 million (CAD $289 million), the 12-year agreement—effective immediately—underscores Pollard Banknote’s global growth and leadership in digital lottery innovation.
This project is a key strategic advancement as it marks the first omnichannel deployment of Pollard Banknote’s Catalyst Gaming Platform—a future-ready solution designed to unify and elevate the player experience. Built on a cloud-native, microservices architecture, Catalyst delivers unrivaled flexibility and scalability to evolve with the Lottery’s changing needs, and brings everything together into one seamless ecosystem, including:
• Omnichannel Central Gaming System to seamlessly sell lottery products across retail and digital channels
• Player Account Management to securely manage player information, wallets and preferences
• Player Engagement Technology to enhance interactions and responsibly drive long-term player value
• Game Aggregation Bridge to deliver diverse game content from leading game providers in one unified player experience
• Instant Ticket Management System to optimize warehousing, inventory control and instant ticket distribution
• Integrated Marketing Engagement Platform to deliver personalised, data-driven experiences at every player touchpoint.
“This award represents a significant milestone in Pollard Banknote’s history. By choosing Catalyst to power its core operations, Loterie Nationale has not only placed its trust in us, but has also endorsed our vision for the future of lottery innovation. Together, we’re redefining the global standard for how lotteries engage with players—securely, responsibly, and seamlessly across channels,” said Doug Pollard, Co-Chief Executive Officer at Pollard Banknote.
The post Pollard Banknote Awarded Contract by the National Lottery of Belgium to Deliver Omnichannel Gaming Platform appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Beşiktaş Esports
HAVIT Partners with Three Top International Esports Teams to Expand Global Presence

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HAVIT, a leading global consumer tech brand, officially announced strategic partnerships with three internationally renowned esports teams: Brazil’s Vivo Keyd Stars, Turkiye’s Galatasaray Esports and Beşiktaş Esports. This marks a new stage in HAVIT’s global esports expansion, further strengthening its influence in the global esports ecosystem.
HAVIT has achieved remarkable results in the esports sector across both the Turkish and Latin American markets.
In Turkiye, HAVIT’s gaming headsets consistently rank No.1 on the leading platform Trendyol. To further integrate into the local esports ecosystem, HAVIT partners with Galatasaray Esports and Beşiktaş Esports, celebrated for their prestigious legacy and youthful energy, each with a massive fan base. This collaboration not only reinforces HAVIT’s market leadership but also deepens its connection with the local esports community.
Moreover, HAVIT enters the second year of its partnership with Vivo Keyd Stars, Brazil’s leading esports team, providing high-performance gaming gear to support the team’s play. With HAVIT’s gear and their own relentless drive, VKS won the championship in LTA South 2025 Split 3 and will represent Brazil at the 2025 League of Legends World Championship. This partnership underscores both the team’s strength and HAVIT’s commitment to empowering Brazil’s esports development.
Brand Vision: Build a Global Esports Network
This strategic partnership across Brazil and Turkiye is a key step in HAVIT’s regional market expansion and lays a solid foundation for HAVIT’s future presence in wider esports ecosystems of Europe, the Americas and beyond.
“Partnering with these teams is a crucial implementation of HAVIT’s ‘For Fun. For Games. For Champions’ vision. By merging technology with esports, we aim to inspire gamers worldwide to break boundaries and shape the future of gaming,” Doug Pollard said.
The post HAVIT Partners with Three Top International Esports Teams to Expand Global Presence appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Daniel Lundberg Chief Revenue Officer at Shuffle Up
REEVO Games Set to Power Shuffle Up’s Global Rollout

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REEVO is thrilled to announce a dynamic new partnership with Shuffle Up, a rising force in the online gaming industry. Through this collaboration, REEVO’s in-house casino games is now available on Shuffle Up’s innovative, multi-brand platform, bringing high-quality, high-performance content to a wider audience of players worldwide.
This partnership reflects REEVO’s ongoing commitment to expanding its footprint through collaborations that align with its core values of innovation, scalability, and excellence in user experience.
Karl Grech, Head of Business Development at REEVO, shared: “At REEVO, we’re focused on connecting our partners with premium content that drives engagement and long-term value. Our partnership with Shuffle Up is a strong strategic fit, we’re excited to see our games powering the next generation of online casino experiences as Shuffle Up prepares to make its mark on the industry.”
Now live with a powerful content portfolio and a future-facing platform architecture, Shuffle Up is perfectly positioned for rapid expansion across regulated markets. The partnership will help accelerate Shuffle Up’s content rollout while reinforcing REEVO’s aggregator advantage in competitive territories.
Daniel Lundberg, Chief Revenue Officer at Shuffle Up, added: “Partnering with REEVO gives us access to some of the industry’s most engaging and polished in-house games. With our launch now live, it’s crucial that we align with top-tier providers who share our vision for quality and scalability. REEVO fits that perfectly, we’re excited about what’s ahead.”
This partnership is another milestone in REEVO’s journey to becoming the go-to aggregation hub for forward-thinking operators and studios.
The post REEVO Games Set to Power Shuffle Up’s Global Rollout appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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