Industry News
DAZN Calls for “New Deal” for Women’s Football
Brands, broadcasters and clubs are being invited to support a campaign to ensure a commercially robust future for women’s football.
DAZN, one of the world’s leading investors in women’s football, has already attracted commercial support, including from EA Sports and Adidas as global sponsors of UEFA Women’s Champions League coverage.
The New Deal for Women’s Football is named in recognition of a 1967 women’s football tournament in Deal, a seaside town in Kent. In staging the event, Arthur Hobbs, the organiser and a local carpenter, broke a ban imposed by the English FA since 1921. The tournament became a catalyst for change and the ban was lifted in January 1970.
DAZN sees the current environment as another watershed moment. “The women’s game is at a crossroads. We see two possible futures. In one, stakeholders come together to build a major global commercial sport. In the other, progress is slow and a golden opportunity to accelerate growth is lost.”
The New Deal for Women’s Football calls for:
• A new deal from clubs, improving the match day experience, providing better facilities and increasing marketing.
• A new deal from sponsors, adopting a long-term investment horizon.
• A new deal from media and broadcasters, delivering broad distribution, premium coverage and enhanced marketing.
• A new deal from rights holders, collaborating with clubs, brands, and broadcasters to maximise media value and drive growth.
In short, DAZN is calling for a new deal for fans, working together with all stakeholders to deliver consistently high-quality experiences wherever and however they enjoy the game.
For its part, on January 23rd DAZN is removing its paywall to the largest portfolio of women’s football worldwide. This will drive audience growth and provide a new global home for women’s football, offering greater access to games, content and the international women’s football community.
Women’s football now has an incredible platform for growth. The recent Women’s World Cup and Euros were hugely successful, capturing the attention of fans worldwide. The Barclays WSL, finework Liga F, Google Pixel Frauen Bundesliga, Serie A ebay, D1 Arkema, NWSL and other domestic leagues are breaking attendance records. TV and online audiences are growing and broadcasters are increasing their investment in media rights.
“Women’s football is the most compelling sports investment opportunity for a generation. To realise its potential the game needs another moment of bravery and rule breaking just like that 1967 tournament,” said Hannah Brown.
Esmeralda Negron, Co-CEO of Women’s Sport at DAZN, said: “We are committed to fostering and cultivating fandom for women’s football. Women’s football needs investment to realise its potential – developing a first-party relationship with fans across all demographics to scale its audience and become commercially viable.”
This comes in the wake of Karen Carney’s review of UK women’s football. The review aims to achieve world-leading standards for players and fans and calls for investment in building a sustainable pipeline of domestic talent, fully professional environments for the Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship, and increased investment in grassroots facilities. The Government has formally accepted all its recommendations.
Negron emphasises the importance of the grassroots, adding “Grassroots football has the potential to play a crucial role in driving the growth of the sport. Connecting the grassroots market to the women’s professional game is crucial in establishing a fanbase for women’s football from an early age.”
Play’n GO has published its 2025 Sustainability Report, framing the year as a milestone as the supplier marks 20 years in the gaming industry. The report covers performance across four pillars—Players, Partners, People and Planet—and positions sustainability as tied to product design, operations, and partner expectations.
On climate reporting, the company said it has “achieved and exceeded” its long-term 90% reduction target for Scope 1 and 2 emissions, and reported a 69% absolute reduction in Scope 3 emissions versus its 2023 base year. Play’n GO also said its total material emissions for 2025 were kept below 500 MTCO2e.
The report also points to a move into land-based delivery. In 2025, Play’n GO said it launched its first land-based gaming solution in partnership with Genting UK, positioning the rollout as part of a “player-first, low-footprint approach” for regulated venues.
On responsible entertainment, the company said it continues to reject game mechanics it believes “compromise player trust or wellbeing,” and highlighted participation in discussions on digital wellbeing and cognitive health, including at the United Nations and G7. “We have always believed that great entertainment should be fun, safe and fair,” said Vanessa Björkbacka, Director of CSR at Play’n GO.
The report also outlines internal development and reporting infrastructure. Play’n GO said 43% of employees engaged in AI-related learning during 2025 and that average training time exceeded seven hours per employee globally. It added that reporting was further aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and World Economic Forum Stakeholder Capitalism Metrics, alongside investment in “secure, AI-supported carbon data management.” “As expectations on transparency and accountability continue to rise, we see it as our responsibility to lead,” Björkbacka added.
The post Play’n GO publishes 2025 Sustainability Report with emissions and governance updates appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Casino Guru’s Complaint Resolution Center (CRC) published 3,986 complaints in Q1 2026 and says it resolved 1,321 cases, returning $5,304,894 to players during the quarter.
Casino Guru said March was one of the CRC’s most active months on record, with the second-highest number of published complaints to date. The company added that ongoing cases exceeded 1,300, pointing to rising demand for third-party dispute mediation.
By volume, the most active complaint markets were Germany (657), the United Kingdom (270), Canada (240), Italy (207) and Australia (194), according to the CRC update.
Delayed payments remained the most common player-reported issue. Casino Guru also reported a March shift in complaint mix, with self-exclusion-related complaints rising to the second most frequent category for the first time in CRC history. KYC-related issues and blocked accounts were also among the most common complaint types, often linked to withdrawal delays.
Casino Guru said the quarter’s results reflect the increasing role of independent mediation as players look to third-party platforms to resolve disputes.
The post Casino Guru CRC returns $5.3m to players in Q1 2026 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
RubyPlay has launched Firerose, a new studio aimed at building operator-specific casino game experiences, as suppliers and operators push for more branded content to stand out in crowded markets.
The company said Firerose is designed to let operators combine RubyPlay’s existing game catalogue with the studio’s technology and creative resources, using operator-led insight to shape games around an operator’s brand identity rather than standardised supplier content.
RubyPlay said Superbet is among the first operators to launch Firerose-powered titles. The supplier did not disclose game names or specific performance figures, but said early results showed “strong engagement metrics”.
Firerose becomes part of RubyPlay’s multi-studio structure alongside Koala Games, Mad Hat Games, Ruby Studio, and Xslots, which the company said share technology, infrastructure and distribution.
Dima Reiderman , Chief Commercial Officer at RubyPlay, said: ”Firerose represents a deliberate shift in how we think about content creation and partnership. The market is no longer driven solely by volume, but by identity. Operators want experiences that feel native to their brand and help them clearly differentiate in increasingly competitive casino environments.”
Dr. Eyal Loz, CPO at RubyPlay, added: “Firerose was created to put the operator’s voice at the centre of the creative process. Every game starts with their brand, their audience and their story, and our role is to bring that to life through the full weight of RubyPlay’s creative capabilities.
“We’re shaping experiences that players immediately associate with the operator itself. That level of ownership is what allows operators to stand out in increasingly crowded casino environments.”
The post RubyPlay launches Firerose studio for operator-specific casino games appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
-
B2B gaming licence6 days agoWicked Games wins Swedish B2B gaming licence
-
Compliance Updates6 days ago
Ukraine Launches Online Portal for Gambling Licence Applications
-
Canada6 days ago
DraftKings Announces Intent to Launch Online Sportsbook and Casino in Alberta, Canada
-
Balkans5 days ago
Pasha Hotel & Casino Group and Platinum Casino Launch Pasha Platinum Casino at Grand Hotel Plovdiv in Bulgaria
-
Amusnet6 days ago
Amusnet’s Type S27 Slot Cabinets Debut in Ireland
-
Game Development6 days ago
Nailed It! Games and Lottomart launch co-branded Goal Bonanza slot
-
AGCO5 days ago
Endorphina secures AGCO supplier registration in Ontario
-
Adjarabet5 days ago
Galaxsys Enters into Strategic Partnership with Adjarabet
