Canada
DreamHack San Diego Sets Record As Largest-Ever U.S. Festival With More Than 41,000 Attendees

DreamHack San Diego, a three-day gaming lifestyle festival, has concluded with more than 41,000 total attendees, setting the record for the largest-ever U.S. DreamHack festival. On April 7-9 at the San Diego Convention Center, the first-ever DreamHack San Diego featured a variety of experiences for the gaming community, including esports tournaments across the most popular titles, an assortment of LAN competitions totaling nearly $1 million in prizing, musical performances, retro arcade, and much more.
“We are immensely proud of the success of DreamHack San Diego, breaking the record as the most attended U.S. festival in DreamHack history,” said Shahin Zarrabi, VP of Strategy & Growth for DreamHack. “Across three days, the festival showcased the best of gaming, esports, music, and pop culture under one roof – bringing together the global gaming community. Thank you to all our festival goers for their enthusiastic participation across both professional and amateur competitions, and congratulations to our winners.”
Special guests throughout the weekend included voice actors and actresses from the God of War, Overwatch, and Assassin’s Creed franchises, popular gaming influencers FaZe Sway and Jake Lucky, and many more.
FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
Dream Big by DreamHack and Autism Society San Diego
In celebration of Autism Acceptance month, DreamHack San Diego partnered with Autism Society San Diego to introduce its “Dream Big” initiative to raise funding and awareness for autism. As part of Dream Big, DreamHack donated $25,000 to the organization and raised additional proceeds for the non-profit to ticket sales. Dozens of celebrities attended DreamHack San Diego in support of Dream Big, including voices from the God of War, Overwatch, and Assassin’s Creed franchises, and famous cosplayers and content creators.
DreamHack gives back to local San Diego community
DreamHack launched multiple initiatives to support San Diego during its first visit to the city including contributing $1 million worth of tickets to students at schools through the area and providing discounts for U.S. military members.
Set It Off, City of Sound rocked centerstage on Saturday night
Los Angeles-based rock band Set It Off headlined the Main Stage on Saturday. The band, which has 528 million plays on its top 10 Spotify tracks, was joined by opening acts City of Sound and Scene Queen.
COMPETITION RESULTS
Rocket League Championship Series Winter Major
- $310,000 Prize Pool
- WINNER: Karmine Corp
The top 16 internationally ranked Rocket League squads battled it out in San Diego for the most exciting major of the season, with online viewership peaking at over 270,000. Karmine Corp edged out FaZe Clan to secure the victory and took home the lion’s share of the $310,000 prize pool.
Snapdragon Pro Series Powered by Samsung Galaxy Mobile Challenge Finals: North America
- $100,000 Prize Pool ($50,000 per title)
- BRAWL STARS WINNER: STMN Esports
- CLASH OF CLANS WINNER: Lotus Gaming
The Snapdragon Pro Series powered by Samsung Galaxy featured top North American mobile esports competitors as they battled for $100,000 in total prizing. Lotus Gaming took home the Snapdragon Pro Series Clash Of Clans championship title, while STMN Esports lifted the Brawl Stars trophy. Tribe Gaming and STMN Esports additionally secured spots at the highly anticipated $200,000 Mobile Masters competition at DreamHack Japan (May 13-14).
DreamHack Open Ft. Fortnite
- $250,000 Prize Pool
- WINNER: Kwanti & Threats
Kwanti & Threats claimed the top spot and their share of the $250,000 prize pool at the DreamHack Open Ft. Fortnite, which kicked off this weekend. The three-part Zero Build competition continues at DreamHack Dallas (June 2-4) and DreamHack Summer in Sweden (June 16-19), with the top 10 duos from each festival qualifying for the $2 million Gamers8 Featuring Fortnite event from July 6-9 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
DreamHack Fighters
- $100,000 Prize Pool
- WINNERS: All details are available on the website.
DreamHack San Diego featured a number of professional and amateur fighting game tournaments throughout the weekend, including Brawlhalla, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Street Fighter V, Tekken 7, and many more. More than 11,000 viewers tuned into the official DreamHack Fighters broadcast on the final day of competition, which featured some of the event’s top competitors.
BYOC LAN Tournaments & Freeplay
- $40,000 Prize Pool
BYOC LAN is the core of any DreamHack festival. DreamHack San Diego featured 10 BYOC tournaments across eight titles, including Overwatch 2, VALORANT, Rocket League, and more.
DreamHack Magic
- $130,000 Prize Pool
- WINNER: Joshua Willis
DreamHack San Diego hosted Round 2 of the United States Magic: The Gathering Regional Championship. The country’s best Magic: The Gathering players competed for their chance to qualify for The Gathering Pro Tour and the Magic World Championship.
Cosplay Championships
- $3,000 Prize Pool
DreamHack San Diego offered a hub for local and national cosplayers. Competitors toured the festival floor, participated in the Cosplay Championships, and walked the audience through their creative process.
Novice
- 1st — Ashleythegraham
- 2nd — X_PROT_492
- 3rd — Kat.Cos.11
Artisan
- 1st — VivSai
- 2nd — Maike Huster
- 3rd — Chaosplay Karma
Expert
- 1st — Sinister Propz
- 2nd — Divine Creations
- 3rd — Nylo Ren
Powered by WPeMatico
AGLC
Casino ATM Scam in Edmonton Reveals Money Laundering and Drug Links

Law enforcement in Alberta continues to search for the last suspect in a sophisticated fraud operation that targeted ATMs in Edmonton-area casinos and resulted in over CAD 1 million ($720,487) in losses throughout Western Canada.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has confirmed that Hisham Ismaeel, 28, remains at large with a province-wide warrant for his arrest. He faces charges of fraud exceeding $5000 and possessing proceeds of crime. Police have already arrested four other men linked to the scheme. Investigators describe the operation as a well-planned effort to exploit financial systems and clean dirty money.
The accused, Elliot Miao, 42, Van Bau Ta, 39, Hassan Jaafar Haydar Ahmad, 37, and Dennis Jones, 42, showed up in the Alberta Court of Justice last week. They face charges from fraud and money laundering to owning criminal property. Miao also has a narcotics trafficking charge after police found cocaine when they searched with warrants.
Investigators claim the group made coordinated withdrawals at several casino ATMs, timing their transactions to avoid getting caught. This action messed up ATM networks in the area and showed flaws in the systems that banks and casinos use to stop misuse.
The RCMP Federal Policing Northwest Region led an investigation that involved six search warrants in Edmonton. The Edmonton Police Service, the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC), Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC), and several banks supported this effort. Officials said the case shows how teamwork between public agencies and the private sector plays a key role in combating modern financial crime.
AGLC representatives pointed out that casino operators in the province must follow strict reporting and surveillance rules under Canada’s anti-money laundering laws. The specific casinos affected remain unnamed, but the Edmonton region has seven licensed facilities. AGLC said its policies helped spot problems and backed the RCMP’s investigation.
Compliance experts say this fraud shows how criminals change their methods to take advantage of weak spots in reporting limits and transaction checks. They claim that casinos, which deal with lots of cash, are still easy targets unless they keep improving their detection systems and teach their front-line workers to notice coordinated actions like several big withdrawals happening one after another.
For now, the case highlights both the money and crime aspects of casino-related fraud. Besides the million-dollar losses, finding drugs during the raids points to a bigger criminal operation where financial crimes and drug dealing overlap.
The post Casino ATM Scam in Edmonton Reveals Money Laundering and Drug Links appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
Bragg Gaming
Bragg Confirms Cyber Attack – Hackers Access Internal IT Systems

Bragg Gaming Group, a leading online gaming technology provider, has confirmed a major cybersecurity incident that compromised its internal IT infrastructure in the early hours of Saturday, August 16, 2025.
The company detected unauthorized intrusion attempts that successfully breached its internal network, triggering an immediate and comprehensive incident response.
Key Takeaways
-
Bragg Gaming Group experienced a cybersecurity breach involving access to internal IT systems.
-
No customer personal data or payment information appears to have been compromised.
-
The company has enacted full containment and investigation protocols.
Details of the Breach
According to a preliminary forensic analysis by Bragg’s internal security team, the attack was a targeted breach aimed at the company’s internal computer environment. While the exact method of intrusion is still under investigation, early indicators suggest a sophisticated exploit of internal network vulnerabilities.
Fortunately, the company’s customer-facing systems, including sensitive user data and financial information, appear to have been unaffected. Bragg’s existing encryption protocols and access control systems successfully prevented the attackers from accessing customer information.
Immediate Response Measures
In response to the breach, Bragg launched a multi-tiered containment strategy, including:
-
Network Segmentation to isolate affected systems
-
Enhanced Monitoring of data flows across its Remote Games Server (RGS) platform
-
Security Audits of critical infrastructure, including the Bragg Hub and PAM systems
-
Engagement of Independent Cybersecurity Experts to assist in incident analysis and system hardening
Bragg’s Security Operations Center has also elevated its alert level, initiating 24/7 monitoring across all server clusters and network endpoints. In addition, company-wide penetration testing is now underway to proactively identify any residual vulnerabilities.
Business Continuity Maintained
Despite the severity of the breach, Bragg reports that its operations remain unaffected. All gaming services, including iCasino and sportsbook offerings across regulated markets, continue to function without disruption.
“While this incident is deeply concerning, we are confident in the rapid and thorough response initiated by our team,” a company spokesperson stated. “We remain committed to protecting our infrastructure, our partners, and most importantly, our players.”
Looking Ahead
As part of its response, Bragg has also launched mandatory security awareness training for all employees to reinforce best practices and prevent future incidents.
Cybersecurity analysts will continue working with Bragg to determine the full scope of the attack, improve system resilience, and maintain the trust of its users and stakeholders.
Bragg’s handling of the incident highlights both the evolving nature of cybersecurity threats and the importance of robust, responsive defense systems in the digital gaming sector.
Source: cybersecuritynews.com
The post Bragg Confirms Cyber Attack – Hackers Access Internal IT Systems appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
AGCO
AGCO Removes Cap on Seller Commission for Charitable Lottery Products

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has updated several lottery policies to remove the cap on seller commission for Paper Raffles and Media Bingo, along with removing the prohibition on Catch the Ace paper lotteries, to align with other charitable lottery products.
Licensed charities may now negotiate commissions directly with sellers and determine commissions, provided they are reasonable and tied to the cost of service provided by the seller.
These updates further the AGCO’s commitment to adopt an outcomes-based regulatory approach and reduce burden for the charitable gaming sector. Local charitable organizations will have greater flexibility to make decisions that best serve their fundraising objectives.
Important Reminders
• Charities must still receive approval for other expenses incurred under their licence and retain receipts for seller commission paid.
• Licensing authorities will not require documentation to be submitted as part of the application process, however, charities are still subject to audit to determine compliance.
• Charities are reminded of their legal requirement to meet their obligations under the Criminal Code and with respect to conducting and managing a charitable gaming scheme.
• As with all licensed charitable lottery events, charities must take the necessary steps to ensure that they are conducting and managing the lottery event within Ontario.
For charitable gaming-related inquiries, email an AGCO Eligibility Officer at [email protected] or call AGCO Customer Service at 1-800-522-2876, Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The post AGCO Removes Cap on Seller Commission for Charitable Lottery Products appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
-
Latest News3 days ago
GAMESCOM 2025: GAMELOOP INTERACTIVE CHANNEL COMING TO SAMSUNG GAMING HUB
-
Bragg Gaming4 days ago
Bragg Confirms Cyber Attack – Hackers Access Internal IT Systems
-
Bell Link Jackpot3 days ago
EGT’s top-performing Bell Link jackpot and General cabinets with a successful debut in Argentina
-
Latest News4 days ago
BC.GAME Launches “Nezha” Slot with Up to 46,656 Ways to Win and 10,000x Max Payout
-
BMM Innovation Group2 days ago
BMM Innovation Group to Spotlight Product Compliance, Cybersecurity, and Training Expertise at CGS Recife in Brazil This Week
-
Latest News3 days ago
Million Games Launches Temple X: A New Jungle-Themed Crash Adventure and Follow-Up to Chicken X
-
Asia2 days ago
Indian Gaming Industry Expresses Concern About Proposed Online Gaming Bill
-
Latin America3 days ago
EGT’s top-performing Bell Link jackpot and General cabinets with a successful debut in Argentina