eSports

SAF Global Gaming to Launch FIFA eSports Academy

Published

4 years ago

April 23, 2021

Niji Narayan

Reading Time: 2 minutes

SAF Global Gaming has announced that they are going to launch their own esports academy.

Tommy Mackie will be the first player to join the academy team, recently turning 15 he has already achieved multiple Top 200 finishers in FIFA Weekend League and has several 30-0 weekends. He could have a very bright future in FIFA esports with the guidance of SAF.

The SAF FIFA academy will be a way for SAF to identify FIFA players who are not yet eligible to play in FGS events at an early age and help develop them, guiding them into future esports when eligible.

European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)

The SAF coaching team will apply a similar process to traditional sports clubs in developing FIFA talent. Academy players will undergo a regime to help them initially identify and then improve areas within their FIFA and personal skills to mould them into an all-round esports athlete.

SAF has an extensive network with over half a million followers across various social media and streaming platforms within gaming and esports. This will allow the team to run large-scale talent searches globally via online and in-person tournaments.

SAF will work closely with players’ parents to ensure that players that join the team are achieving academic results, receive mentoring within the mental health aspects of esports and have a safe environment to hone their skills and learn.

The academy players will have access to the SAF FIFA trading team, which will allow players to trade effectively, minimising the need for huge spend within the game.

Within the SAF esports team, 4 players qualified for this year’s ePremier League representing Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Aston Villa, respectively. SAF also has 3 players qualified for the FGS playoffs with hopefully a 4th joining them to play for a chance to play in the FIFAe World Cup.

“I am delighted to announce our esports academy team, it has been something we have planned to do since I joined SAF over 18 months ago,” SAF esports Manager Jon Jarvis said.

“Having spoken to Tommy and his family about our intentions for the academy, we have found a player that matches our ethos, and we are delighted to be able to work with the next generation of FIFA players.”

“As more brands look to enter the esports space, we feel that it’s vital for our players to understand the importance of creating their own brand within SAF and the wider FIFA esports ecosystem. The SAF academy will be an important part of our organisation’s ability to create esports stars of the future,” Partnerships Manager Craig Winfield said.

BETER

BETER Teams Up with FIRST

Published

14 hours ago

October 1, 2025

George Miller

Reading Time: 2 minutes

In-demand fast-betting content provider brings its esports and sports products to a Tier-1 sportsbook supplier

BETER, the award-winning provider of fast-betting content and data for esports and sports, has entered into a strategic partnership with FIRST – Best in Sports, a Tier-1 sportsbook supplier.

Through this collaboration, FIRST will integrate fan-favorite ESportsBattle tournaments, initially taking eFootball and eBasketball, as well as world-renowned Setka Cup table tennis tournaments.

BETER delivers 24/7 live streaming, real-time data, and hyper-accurate odds for approximately 700,000 fast-paced events each year, offering up to 50 markets per event with an average operator margin of 7.5%+.

Its esports portfolio includes ESportsBattle tournaments, featuring eFootball, eBasketball, eHockey, and the recently launched eTennis. Its sports portfolio features the Setka Cup table tennis series, BSKT Cup basketball league, GTR Cup tennis tournaments, Padel tennis, as well as coverage of official cricket tournaments and leagues worldwide.

BETER ensures the highest standards of fairness and transparency across its content offerings, backed by collaborations with ESIC and IBIA.

FIRST – Best in Sports delivers a fully managed, high-performance sportsbook engineered for speed, scale and precision. With sportsbook specialization at its core, FIRST helps operators in LatAm, Europe and Africa compete at the highest level from day one, combining sharp pricing and risk, deep trading expertise, regional insight, and rapid rollout to accelerate performance.

Both companies were recognized among the best at the recent SBC Awards ceremony, with BETER receiving the Silver Award in the Live Betting Product category, while FIRST was named Sportsbook Supplier of the Year.

Gal Ehrlich, CEO of BETER, said: “The partnership between BETER and FIRST brings together two pioneering providers committed to delivering next-generation betting experiences.

“FIRST has launched our collaboration by integrating a suite of our most popular products—EsportsBattle for esports and Setka Cup for sports—both proven to engage players and deliver the fast-betting thrills they seek.

“This is a great partnership, and our teams are looking forward to a fruitful collaboration.”

Tom Light, CEO of FIRST, added: “BETER’s fast-betting portfolio fits exactly what FIRST was built for: a high-performance sportsbook crafted by specialists.

“Together, we give operators a direct route to Tier-1 competitiveness, faster time-to-market, higher player engagement, and the confidence to go head-to-head with the biggest brands across LatAm, Europe and Africa from day one.”

The post BETER Teams Up with FIRST appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Aquisitions/Mergers

GRID Acquires Bayes Esports Assets

Published

1 week ago

September 23, 2025

George Miller

Reading Time: < 1 minute

GRID, a game data and technology platform, has acquired the intellectual property assets of Bayes Esports following the company’s liquidation proceedings and will integrate the technology into its GRID Bet division.

The acquisition integrates strategic technology components developed by Bayes over nearly a decade, including live data trading solutions, prediction models, and fan engagement tools, into the GRID Data Platform. These technologies will now be powered exclusively by official esports data available only on GRID, accelerating product development and driving innovation across GRID’s entire portfolio, with a particular focus on GRID Bet, the company’s comprehensive solution for regulated esports betting.

“The acquisition of Bayes assets further accelerates GRIDs capabilities to create value for rights holders in esports and shape the next phase of esports betting in particular,” said Moritz Maurer, Founder & CEO of GRID.

The post GRID Acquires Bayes Esports Assets appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

BETBY

BETBY CELEBRATES SUCCESS AT SBC SUMMIT LISBON 2025 WITH ESPORTS SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR AWARD

Published

1 week ago

September 22, 2025

George Miller

betby-celebrates-success-at-sbc-summit-lisbon-2025-with-esports-supplier-of-the-year-award

Reading Time: < 1 minute

BETBY, a Tier 1 sportsbook supplier, successfully concluded an impactful presence at SBC Summit Lisbon 2025, where its booth became a central hub for clients, partners, and industry professionals. The summit served as a powerful platform for the company to spark new connections, exchange ideas, and engage in discussions on the latest trends shaping the global betting and gaming industry.

Positioned as “the global gaming and betting industry comes to do business,” SBC Summit provided the ideal stage for BETBY to showcase its cutting-edge sportsbook technology and innovative solutions. Visitors to the BETBY booth experienced first-hand the company’s latest tools designed to empower operators with robust, scalable, and future-proof technology.

The highlight of the event came as BETBY was honoured with the prestigious Esports Supplier of the Year Award. This accolade reflects the company’s unwavering commitment to delivering innovative, reliable, and high-performing solutions that address the evolving needs of sportsbook operators worldwide.

“Being recognised as Esports Supplier of the Year at the SBC Summit is an incredible achievement for our team,” said Leonid Pertsovskiy, CEO at BETBY. “It validates our focus on pushing technological boundaries and our mission to create solutions that bring real value to operators and their players. SBC Summit not only provided BETBY with the opportunity to highlight its achievements but also reaffirmed its position as an industry leader driving innovation in sportsbook technology.”

As BETBY looks ahead, the company is already preparing for its next major industry showcase at the SiGMA Europe Summit in November 2025, which for the first time will be held in Rome. There, BETBY will once again present its cutting-edge tools, insights, and expertise to operators across the globe.

The post BETBY CELEBRATES SUCCESS AT SBC SUMMIT LISBON 2025 WITH ESPORTS SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR AWARD appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.