Latest News
ESL Gaming and Maincast extend media rights agreement for four years
ESL Gaming, the world’s leading esports company, has today announced that it will extend its exclusive collaboration with Maincast for a further four years. With the current agreement running until 2023, the addition of multiple years ensures fans in Russia and the rest of the CIS region can keep enjoying ESL Gaming’s full premium product portfolio in their local language until Intel® Extreme Masters (IEM) Katowice 2027.
As part of the extension, Maincast keeps the exclusive rights to broadcast ESL Gaming’s tournaments on its Twitch channels in Russian and other CIS languages. Moreover, the agreement covers the complete product portfolio consisting of ESL Pro Tour Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), ESL Pro Tour StarCraft® II, and ESL Mobile, as well as ESL Gaming’s competitions for Dota 2.
ESL Gaming and Maincast joined forces in 2020, and their partnership has already seen ESL Gaming’s audience in the CIS region grow vastly, and the total amount of views doubled since then. Hitting a peak of 382,000 concurrent viewers during IEM Katowice 2020, Maincast delivered some of the best numbers for CS:GO globally. Additionally, ESL One Los Angeles 2020 became the most-watched online tournament in Dota 2 on Maincast’s Twitch channels with over 13 million views. These are but a couple of the success stories that show how Maincast excels in Russian-language broadcasts.
“Maincast is one of our biggest media partners and expertly localizes our competitions to fans all over the CIS region,” said Frank Uddo, Senior Vice President Global Media at ESL Gaming. “They are great to work with and we are particularly excited to see, through this seven-year partnership, how committed they are to significantly invest in esports long-term. It is a testament to how integral esports has become within the region and we look forward to building even more success in the future with them.”
“In 2020 Maincast signed a multi-year partnership agreement with ESL Gaming to broadcast their tournaments in Eastern Europe. In this period we’ve created an industry-defining product, finished numerous projects in close collaboration and provided on-site coverage of dozens of events,” said Andrii Grygoriev, CEO and co-founder of Maincast. “We are excited to announce that our partnership with ESL Gaming is extended up till Q2 2027. We’ve already begun working on long-term projects and looking for new ways of refining and improving our product. We will do our best to give our viewers even more high-quality broadcasts and on-site content, which you’ll always be able to find on our channels.”
Powered by WPeMatico
Latest News
WinSpirit’s UnValentine’s Day: A New Take on February Engagement
While most gaming brands lean into February with predictable romance-themed campaigns, WinSpirit has taken a different path. Instead of hearts, roses, and sentimental messaging, the brand’s new UnValentine’s Day campaign embraces humor, honesty, and emotional relatability — offering players a refreshing alternative to seasonal clichés.
Reframing the Valentine’s Narrative
Valentine’s promotions in the gaming industry often follow the same script: romantic visuals, love-driven bonuses, and polished messaging designed to evoke idealized relationships. But WinSpirit identified a quieter audience segment — players who feel disconnected from the seasonal hype or simply tired of it.
UnValentine’s Day flips the script. Rather than amplifying traditional romance, the campaign creates space for lighthearted honesty. It invites players to laugh at overused Valentine’s tropes and engage with the brand in a way that feels authentic and current.
This isn’t anti-Valentine’s — it’s anti-generic.
A Simple Yet Strategic Engagement Mechanic
At the center of the campaign is a playful interactive poll hosted on a dedicated landing page. Users are asked to vote for the Valentine’s cliché they find most annoying, turning a simple click into a meaningful re-engagement touchpoint.
There’s no heavy gamification or aggressive conversion push. No complicated mechanics. Just:
-
A quick interaction
-
A sense of being heard
-
A shared cultural moment
By lowering the barrier to participation, WinSpirit prioritizes emotional connection over transactional incentives — a subtle but powerful shift in campaign strategy.
Differentiation Through Empathy
What sets UnValentine’s Day apart is the strategic intent behind it. WinSpirit isn’t dismissing Valentine’s Day — it’s broadening the conversation. The campaign acknowledges that seasonal experiences aren’t universal and that humor can be one of the strongest tools for connection.
This empathy-driven positioning reflects a larger evolution in gaming marketing:
moving away from pressure-based promotions and toward relevance, personality, and genuine audience alignment.
UnValentine’s Day serves as a case study in how online casinos can stand out — not by shouting louder, but by listening better.
Built for Modern Player Expectations
Today’s players expect more than bonuses wrapped in holiday graphics. They value:
-
Transparency
-
Relatability
-
Entertainment that respects individuality
WinSpirit’s approach demonstrates that engagement doesn’t need to be complex to be effective. It just needs emotional intelligence.
The campaign succeeds because it:
-
Respects short attention spans
-
Builds alignment without forced sentimentality
-
Encourages organic conversation
-
Reinforces the brand’s fresh, responsive identity
A Micro-Campaign with Macro Impact
In a market where seasonal messaging often feels interchangeable, UnValentine’s Day stands out by doing something simple — acknowledging reality.
It proves that thoughtfully designed micro-campaigns can:
-
Strengthen brand voice
-
Increase meaningful user touchpoints
-
Drive engagement without relying on traditional promotional pressure
Now live on the WinSpirit platform, UnValentine’s Day invites players to engage differently this February — and signals a broader shift in how gaming brands can approach seasonal marketing.
For operators and marketers observing the evolution of player engagement strategies, it’s a campaign worth watching
The post WinSpirit’s UnValentine’s Day: A New Take on February Engagement appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
iGaming
Vegangster Launches Fully Integrated Lootboxes as a Native Platform Feature
Vegangster has unveiled a fully integrated lootbox system as a native feature within its iGaming platform, offering operators a powerful new tool to increase player engagement and unlock additional revenue streams. Early adopters report that lootboxes are already contributing between 5% and 7% of total Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) within the first month of launch.
Unlike third-party game integrations, Vegangster’s lootboxes are built directly into the core platform. This native integration gives operators complete control over configuration, performance mechanics, and lobby placement. In addition, the revenue share model is significantly more favorable compared to external game providers, improving overall margins.
“Brands already using lootboxes are generating between 5 and 7 per cent of their total GGR from lootboxes within the first month,” said Michael Oziransky, CPO at Vegangster.
A Familiar, High-Engagement Mechanic
The lootbox model draws inspiration from popular video game mechanics. Players purchase a lootbox at a fixed price and receive a reward determined by predefined probability settings. Depending on configuration and chance, rewards can exceed the original purchase value, adding excitement and replay potential.
Operators maintain full control over both technical and commercial settings. Prize categories, win probabilities, and RTP logic are configured directly within the Vegangster platform. This flexibility allows operators to tailor lootboxes to different player segments, campaigns, and strategic objectives.
Available rewards can include:
-
Cash prizes
-
Digital assets
-
NFTs
-
Physical merchandise
-
Custom operator-defined rewards
Once a player receives a reward, they can choose to keep it or sell it back for cash. This streamlined process keeps gameplay transparent while offering operators multiple payout and value-structuring options.
A Versatile Tool for Acquisition and Retention
Lootboxes can also be deployed as part of promotional campaigns. Operators may offer lootbox-based free spins to players, affiliates, or marketing partners. Different configurations can be aligned with specific goals, whether driving new player acquisition, increasing engagement, or improving retention metrics.
Part of a Broader Platform Roadmap
Lootboxes represent the first release in Vegangster’s roadmap of platform-native mini-games planned through 2026. Upcoming additions will include fast, session-based mechanics inspired by crash-style games, along with enhanced social engagement features designed to further boost player interaction.
About Vegangster
Vegangster delivers a full-stack iGaming platform engineered for speed, scalability, and operational control. Its turnkey, white-label, and sweepstakes solutions combine casino and sportsbook content, payments, CRM, compliance tools, and social features into a unified, mobile-first ecosystem. The platform enables operators to launch quickly and scale confidently in competitive markets.
Press Contact
Romans Kozlovskis
[email protected]
The post Vegangster Launches Fully Integrated Lootboxes as a Native Platform Feature appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Latest News
WinSpirit’s UnValentine’s Day: A New Take on February Engagement
While most gaming brands flood February with romantic visuals and heart-shaped incentives, WinSpirit has chosen to challenge tradition with an unexpected twist. The brand’s new seasonal campaign, UnValentine’s Day, moves away from idealized love stories and toward something many players crave more—relatable honesty and lighthearted fun.
Reframing the Valentine’s Narrative
Traditional Valentine’s campaigns often follow a familiar formula: roses, candlelit dinners, and generic love messaging. But WinSpirit saw an overlooked segment — those who feel disconnected from the seasonal hype, or even fatigued by it.
With UnValentine’s Day, WinSpirit offers something different: a moment of comic relief, emotional resonance, and brand interaction. Instead of pretending every player is in the mood for romance, the brand invites them to speak their truth — and laugh about the clichés that usually go unspoken.
A Simple Yet Strategic Mechanic
The core of the campaign centers around a playful, interactive poll hosted on a dedicated landing page. Users are encouraged to vote for the Valentine’s cliché that annoys them the most — with the act of voting becoming a low-barrier touchpoint for re-engagement.
There’s no gamification overload or pressure to convert. Just one click, a sense of being heard, and a chance to take part in a conversation that feels current and real.
Brand Differentiation Through Empathy
What makes this campaign noteworthy isn’t just its originality — it’s the strategic mindset behind it. WinSpirit isn’t mocking Valentine’s Day; it’s expanding the dialogue around it. The brand acknowledges that not everyone experiences the season the same way and that humor can be a powerful connector.
This kind of empathy-driven positioning reflects a broader shift in how brands build engagement — moving away from promotional pressure and toward emotional relevance and genuine user alignment. UnValentine’s Day stands as a strong case study in how casinos can apply this approach in a meaningful, scalable way.
Built for Today’s Players
WinSpirit’s approach reflects a broader evolution in user expectations. Today’s audiences value transparency, relatability, and entertainment that respects their individuality. Campaigns like UnValentine’s Day show that engagement doesn’t have to be elaborate — just emotionally intelligent.
It’s an activation that:
- Respects user attention spans
- Builds emotional alignment without sentimentality
- Generates conversation organically (without incentives as the main driver)
- Reinforces brand identity as fresh, responsive, and non-generic
The Bigger Picture
As seasonal messaging becomes increasingly homogenized across the gaming sector, WinSpirit’s UnValentine’s Day stands out by simply listening. It proves that thoughtful micro-campaigns can both elevate brand voice and increase user touchpoints — without relying on traditional promotional pressure.
UnValentine’s Day is now live on the brand’s platform and serves as an open invitation to engage differently this February. For operators and marketers watching the evolution of seasonal gaming engagement, it’s a campaign worth noting.
The post WinSpirit’s UnValentine’s Day: A New Take on February Engagement appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
-
Brasil on Track6 days agoODDSGATE LAUNCHES “BRASIL ON TRACK”, A STRATEGIC PLATFORM FOR NAVIGATING BRAZIL’S REGULATED IGAMING MARKET
-
0006 days agoCash Pig 2 Debuts from Booming Games with 15,000 Top Prize
-
40 Glossy Hot6 days agoAmusnet Releases “40 Glossy Hot”
-
Amusnet5 days agoWeek 6/2026 slot games releases
-
BETANO6 days agoPlaybook Fusion launches with Betano in Brazil
-
Digitain6 days agoDigitain Earns Double Nomination at SiGMA Eurasia Awards 2026
-
Finland6 days agoData-Driven Analysis of Finnish Gamblers’ Preferences and Behavior
-
AGLC6 days agoPointsBet Canada Officially Begins Registration Process in Alberta



