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Sergio Aguero: The history of the FA Cup meant it was always a special competition to play in
Stake’s global representative, Sergio Aguero, reveals his memories of playing in the FA Cup, why it was a special competition for him to win, how Pep Guardiola will keep his players motivated against Peterborough in their fifth round tie, and what this side could achieve this season.
The FA Cup has an amazing history and I am proud to have won the competition
The FA Cup was always one of my favourite competitions to play in because of its history and because of the many famous players and teams to have won it.
When I was living in Spain and here in Argentina, everyone knew about the competition and its history.
We came so close to winning the FA Cup in 2013 but were beaten by Wigan in the final. It was hard for us because we had a very good team, Carlos Tevez, Yaya Toure, David Silva, Vincent Kompany and Pablo Zabaleta all started that game.
But we were all very new to the club and it was only the start of our journey. I think we did okay in the end!
We were back at Wembley for my second FA Cup final in 2019 and that day went much better for us when we beat Watford.
We were so happy to win it and to be a part of FA Cup history was a very proud moment for me.
The tradition of the FA Cup is one of my favourite things about the competition, it was fun to meet Prince William to get my medal after the game and the celebrations with the fans afterwards was so special.
Everyone says that the FA Cup is magical and it is true, it was always really fun to play in and you felt proud to represent your team in the competition.
The day we played in the FA Cup was
always special because there was so much excitement in the team and the fans were always extra happy to see us play well.
Playing teams in lower divisions in the FA Cup is harder than you think, so Pep will have the City players focused ahead of the Peterborough match
Not many people know how hard it is to play in the FA Cup. In England, you play a lot of matches and a lot of competitions, but as a player, it’s really exciting because you have the chance to try and win lots of different competitions, and winning finals is something that you are always proud of as a footballer, which means every game is important.
To get to the final you have to play against lots of different teams and some new ones that you might not have ever played against before. Playing against new teams and new players and at new stadiums is always hard because you don’t know 100% what you’re going to be playing against. We watch the teams in the Premier League and Champions League a lot and we all have friends and international teammates that play for them, but when you draw a team in the FA Cup that you don’t regularly get to play against or know too much about, it’s always a difficult experience.
When we played against a new team or a side in a different division, we were always expected to win, but it’s not as easy as that. Every manager always made sure the preparation for an FA Cup game was exactly the same. The training was the same, we worked hard on our jobs for the match and we went into the game knowing what we had to do, it made no difference if it was the final or first round.
This is exactly what Pep Guardiola will be doing with the team this week. Pep is a winner and he hates to lose, you don’t win the number of trophies he has without this attitude. He will be making sure the Manchester City players are ready for the game against Peterborough in the same way as if it was any other match.
There’s added pressure on Manchester City to win in the FA Cup and Peterborough will look to familiar tactics to beat them
When you are the team in a higher league and you have to travel to a team in a league below you it is difficult because the crowd are always so excited that their team might cause an upset and get to beat a Premier League team! When you get to the ground you are quickly aware that everyone really wants you to lose – the fans let you know when you arrive. It’s not just the
home crowd that are extra excited to see you lose, but it is everyone watching at home also, we know this and try not to think about it and focus on our job for the day.
We played against Wigan, again, in 2018 in the Cup at their stadium and it was one of the hardest matches. They defended so well and frustrated us, we had all of the possession and so many chances, but they scored late and knocked us out, that’s how it is in knockout football. If Peterborough think that they can win then they should watch that game and do the same as Wigan did.
Peterborough will be tough for Manchester City because the team has just travelled to Portugal in the Champions League, had a tough game against Tottenham, then they’ll play away in the Premier League threes days before the match and then they have to play Manchester United after the FA Cup game, but the team has so many good players in every position and everyone is used to this way of playing now.
Manchester City are hungry to win every competition
At Manchester City, we wanted to win everything, every match and every trophy, and that will always be the case at the club now. I think Manchester City are in a great place to win the Premier League again, they also have a good chance in the FA Cup and in the Champions League too, but this might be competitive, but I think it is possible that they win all three. Winning a treble like this would be a huge achievement and they have a team and manager that can do it this season.
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AI agents
EveryMatrix Selects Cevro AI to Provide Operators with Fully Integrated empathic AI Support Agents
Reading Time: 2 minutes
A partnership that transforms player support with cutting-edge AI agents purpose-built for iGaming, delivering faster resolutions, personalised experiences, and seamless integration into the EveryMatrix platform at scale.
EveryMatrix today announced a strategic partnership with Cevro AI, the leader in AI agents for iGaming customer support. This collaboration sets a new benchmark for player experience, as operators gain access to advanced generative AI agent systems built and fine-tuned for the iGaming industry capable of resolving complex player support issues with human-level empathy, precision, and speed.
Cevro AI’s agent platform is built on a series of domain-tuned large language models specifically trained on real iGaming workflows, player behaviours, compliance rules, and operator processes. According to the company, this domain focus allows the AI to “be best in class” and “perform like a seasoned support agent that understands players from day one,”
Kevin Furlong, Group CPO, EveryMatrix, said: “We are constantly investing in technology that helps operators grow and scale with confidence. Generative AI is now at a point where it can make a real difference. With Cevro AI, our operators gain intelligent, empathic agents that support players around the clock and drive real business value through deep integration across the EveryMatrix ecosystem.”
With native-level fluency in 100+ languages, Cevro AI autonomously connects to the EveryMatrix Player Account Management (PAM) platform and back-office to take action and instantly process requests, handling withdrawals, deposit issues, bonus requests, and account-related tickets with personalisation and a natural, conversational tone. The Cevro agents are trained with trust-layer controls, ensuring full alignment with responsible gaming (RG), GDPR and operator compliance requirements.
Chaim Heber, CEO of Cevro AI, added: “For us, partnering with EveryMatrix is a significant moment for Cevro AI. It’s proof that empathic AI is ready for the biggest operators in the industry. Our mission is to help brands deliver support that feels human at any scale, and this partnership accelerates that vision in a meaningful way.”
Nige Roberts, Founding Sales Lead at Cevro AI, commented: “Empathic AI is the future of iGaming support. EveryMatrix recognised that instantly. This partnership accelerates that future worldwide.”
The post EveryMatrix Selects Cevro AI to Provide Operators with Fully Integrated empathic AI Support Agents appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Bet It Drives
Bet It Drives Season 3 Premiere: Eman Pulis on Legacy, Risk, and Why Rome Changes Everything
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Rome wasn’t built in a day. Neither was SiGMA World.
But when Eman Pulis rolls through the Eternal City in Season 3 of Bet It Drives, he’s not just another iGaming founder with a war story. He’s the gladiator who fought COVID, broken rules, outplayed industry skeptics—and came out building schools in Ethiopia while running eight conferences across three continents.
“Now I’m free,” Eman says, quoting Hans Zimmer’s Gladiator soundtrack—his victory song for after SiGMA Central Europe wrapped and the chaos settled. Free from the rules that almost sank him. Free to build tribes, not just teams. Free to prove that legacy beats profit, every single time.
Season 3 of Bet It Drives, powered by GR8 Tech and hosted by Yevhen Krazhan, CSO, launches where champions are made: on the road, in motion, with no script and nowhere to hide. Rome sets the stage. Eman brings the empire.
In the episode, Eman reveals:
- The COVID gamble that saved SiGMA: How 14,000 people walked through doors that were supposed to stay shut—and why he’d do it again
- Why Rome, why now: The strategy behind planting the flag in Europe’s second-biggest gaming market (and why Malta stays in the picture)
- From beach in Phuket to existential crisis: The moment everything felt too perfect—two weeks before COVID hit
- 350 people, 8 offices, one tribe: How a multicultural team became SiGMA’s secret weapon across Manila, São Paulo, Cyprus, and beyond
- Business is done between people, not brands: The mantra that turned boozy Malta meetups into a global events empire
- Politics or impact? Why helping millions through the foundation beats governing 400,000 people in Malta
- The “zoom out” rule: Crisis survival advice from someone who almost became redundant overnight
“We covered a lot of ground—literally and figuratively,” said Yevhen Krazhan, CSO at GR8 Tech and host of Bet It Drives. “And Rome was the perfect place to kick off Season 3. The city represents where the industry is right now—ancient foundations, modern chaos, and endless opportunity.”
Season 3 keeps the momentum rolling with upcoming episodes featuring Valentina Diaco and Karolina Pelc—two more amazing leaders with stories worth hearing.
Watch or listen to Season 3, Episode 1 with Eman Pulis on:
The arena is open. The conversations have started. Season 3 of Bet It Drives is here—and it’s just the beginning.
The post Bet It Drives Season 3 Premiere: Eman Pulis on Legacy, Risk, and Why Rome Changes Everything appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Belatra
Belatra invites players down to the Frozen Barrel Tavern to celebrate the festive season
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Belatra Games, the specialist online slots developer, has rolled out the red carpet to the Frozen Barrel Tavern to celebrate the festive season. Players are warmly welcomed into a cosy winter tavern that radiates holiday cheer and buzzes with Christmas chatter.
In the standard game and free games feature, winning symbols explode and the empty positions are replaced with new symbols until no further wins occur. Big symbols that land are either 2×2 or 3×3 and act the same as 4 or 9 identical standard symbols. The large x2 and x3 barrels substitute for 4 or 9 identical standard symbols and also multiply the Global Multiplier above the reels.
During the Base Game and Bonus Games, multiplier symbols ranging from 2x to 250x can land. After each cycle, all multiplier symbols are added together, and if the Cumulative Multiplier is greater than 1, it is included. The winning total, visible at the top of the reels, is multiplied by this amount. Flying barrels have the potential to enter the fun and will replace the non-winning symbol with the multiplier symbol.
The Cumulative Multiplier begins at 1 at the start of both the base game and the Free Games round. During Free Games, any Multipliers that appear on the reels are added to the Cumulative Multiplier at the end of each spin, and the updated value carries over to the next Free Game. When the round ends, the total winnings are multiplied by the combined value of the reel Multipliers and the Cumulative Multiplier, if it is greater than 1.
Players finding four or more Scatters on the reels will be awarded with 10 Free Games. Three or more Scatters in Free Games trigger five more Free Games – the limit is capped at 100.
Tis’ the season, so the Frozen Barrel Tavern has a Happy Hour. Six Scatters appearing triggers the special Bonus game. Here the initial Cumulative Multiplier takes a value between 2 to 10, big wins appear more often, and the maximum win is 12000x.
Misha Voinich, Head of Business Development at Belatra, commented: “Frozen Barrel Tavern is the perfect place to celebrate the holidays – and hopefully land some big wins. Warm lights, fun features, and a touch of seasonal magic make this festive treat a fantastic addition to our portfolio.”
The post Belatra invites players down to the Frozen Barrel Tavern to celebrate the festive season appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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