Canada

Indian Esports Athletes and Industry bats for Esports Recognition as a Sport ahead of next year’s Asian Games

Published

4 years ago

August 29, 2022

Esports has exploded in popularity over the last few years in India. Esports (Electronic sports) is a competitive sport where esports athletes use their physical and mental abilities to compete in certain genres of video games in a virtual, electronic environment. Recently, the Indian DOTA 2 team produced a power-packed performance to clinch the bronze medal at the first-ever Commonwealth Esports Championship. The Indian Dota 2 team, comprising Moin Ejaz (captain), Ketan Goyal, Abhishek Yadav, Shubham Goli, and Vishal Vernekar, defeated New Zealand by 2-0 in a best-of-three format in Birmingham (6-7 Aug 22).

As esports is going to make its debut at the Asian Games 2022, earlier in 2018 it was there as a demonstration title when our esports athlete Tirth Mehta won a bronze medal (Hearthstone). The Asian Games 2022, originally scheduled for September this year, will now be held from September 23 to October 8, 2023. With the conclusion of the ESFI’s National Esports Championships in April 2022, India’s 18-member esports contingent for the Asian Games 2022 was finalised.

FIFA22 – Charanjot Singh and Karman Singh Tikka
Street Fighter V – Mayank Prajapati and Ayan Biswas
Hearthstone – Shikhar Choudhary and Karthik Varma
League of Legends – Captain Akshaj Shenoy, Samarth Arvind Trivedi, Mihir Ranjan, Aditya Selvaraj, Aakash Shandilya and Sanindhya Malik
DOTA 2 – Captain Moin Ejaz, Krish, Abhishek Yadav, Ketan Goyal, Darshan and Shubham Goli

Before this big tournament, for India to become an Esports nation, the game needs to be recognised as a Sport and build a solid grassroots structure in the country which can result in bringing more laurels to the country in competitive gaming. The same is advocated by esports athletes and industry players:

“After winning the medal at the Commonwealth Esports championship in Birmingham, it’s high time that esports should be recognised as a sport. Esports athletes need their due recognition and support from our government and help us in providing better facilities, coaches, health physios and all other things which other sports athletes get as getting a medal for the country need proper support.” said Indian DOTA 2 team captain Moin Ejaz

“With the medal wins at Asian Games 2018 & now at Commonwealth Esports Championship, the time has come to recognize esports as a sport. The potential of Indian esports and our athletes cannot be ignored and its recognition becomes more critical before the Asian Games 2022 (scheduled next year), this will open up doors for investments & opportunities which will lead to training & skill development of our athletes. It is encouraging to see our Hon’ble Sports Minister Shri Anurag Thakur ji launching a mobile video game “Azadi Quest: Heroes of Bharat & Match3” in line with India’s celebration of Azadi Ka Amritmahotsav, following should be recognition of esports as a sport” said Mr Lokesh Suji, Director, Esports Federation of India & Vice President of the Asian Esports Federation (AESF)

Charanjot Singh, FIFA 22 athlete who will represent India in the next year’s Asian Games said “Recognising esports as a sport will help a lot. This can lead to esports having a proper framework, facilities and opportunities for everyone. This will automatically lead to the growth of the Esports industry as well. More athletes would want to join in and want to represent the country at global stages.”

“It was a big achievement for India on winning the bronze medal in Commonwealth Esports. To make the industry more aligned, there should be information shared and communication between the government and stakeholders who have been investing in the Esports Ecosystem in India and including athletes and organizations. In order to have a healthy ecosystem, young athletes should also be given education in order to learn about the legal and financial nitty-gritty of Esports apart from the basic necessities of training, financial support and mental & physical well-being.” said Rohit Jagasia, Founder & CEO of Revenant Esports

“It will definitely help the players get more exposure and all the support players need from the government and from their family itself. Getting the right infrastructure and hardware is one of the most important aspects of preparing for the Asian Games. Players will show more dedication towards the games which will definitely give us top results in upcoming games too. We are already doing so much better and this would definitely be a big step for esports athletes.” said Mayank Prajapati, Street Fighter V athlete who will represent India at Asian Games 2022 on how recognising Esports as a sport will help the esports athletes before the next year’s Asian Games.

Canada

Gaming Corps expands Entain deal with Ontario live and Alberta launch planned

Published

10 hours ago

July 8, 2026

Wladimir P.

gaming-corps-expands-entain-deal-with-ontario-live-and-alberta-launch-planned

Supplier content is already live on BetMGM in Ontario, with Party Casino & Sports Interaction lined up ahead of Alberta’s July iGaming opening.

Gaming Corps has expanded its partnership with Entain, extending distribution of its casino content across more Entain brands and markets, with Canada positioned as a key near-term focus.

The supplier went live with Entain’s joint venture BetMGM in Ontario in December 2025, followed by a wider Entain rollout in the province in March 2026. Gaming Corps and Entain are also preparing for Alberta’s regulated iGaming market opening in July, with Gaming Corps content “ready to go live from day one with BetMGM” and Party Casino & Sports Interaction to follow.

Outside Canada, Gaming Corps said it completed a full content launch in Brazil with Sportingbet and Betboo in May, and launched 3 Pigs of Olympus exclusively across Entain’s UK-facing Ladbrokes, Coral Gala and Foxy brands in June. The company also said additional launches are being prepared for Portugal, Spain and New Zealand.

The latest phase includes football-themed titles such as Penalty Champion, Goals to Glory: Football Fever and Goals to Glory: Instant Blitz, alongside the supplier’s 3 Pigs IP. Graham Greensmith, Chief Commercial Officer at Gaming Corps, said: “For Gaming Corps, this is a huge milestone. Entain is one of the biggest names in global gaming, so to see our relationship grow in this way is a clear sign of the trust, performance and commercial value we have built together.

“What makes this particularly exciting is the scale of the opportunity. This is not a single-brand launch or a one-market rollout. Entain is continuing to take Gaming Corps content into more territories, across more of its brands, and that says a lot about where we are as a business.

“We have worked hard to build a portfolio that gives major operators real flexibility, from high-performing IP to timely, event-led content and new game formats. To see that strategy being recognised by a partner of Entain’s calibre is incredibly rewarding, and we are very excited about what comes next.”

Obdulio Bacarese, Global Gaming Director at Entain, added: “Gaming Corps has been a valuable partner over the last four years. The strength of the relationship lies in how easily the content can be activated around different commercial priorities, from supporting new market entries to adding timely releases around key calendar moments. The studio understands the need for content that is flexible, relevant and easy to position locally, and we are pleased to continue building on the partnership.”

The post Gaming Corps expands Entain deal with Ontario live and Alberta launch planned appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Canada

Gaming Corps expands Entain partnership with major Canadian rollout

Published

10 hours ago

July 8, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

gaming-corps-expands-entain-partnership-with-major-canadian-rollout

Gaming Corps, a publicly listed game development company based in Sweden, has expanded its partnership with Entain, one of the world’s largest sports betting and gaming groups, marking the latest phase of a relationship that began with the companies’ original partnership agreement in 2022 and now spans multiple Entain brands.

Canada is a major focus for the extended partnership. Gaming Corps went live with Entain’s Joint Venture, BetMGM in Ontario in December 2025, followed by a wider Entain rollout in the province in March 2026. Both are now preparing for the opening of Alberta’s regulated iGaming market in July, with the studio’s content ready to go live from day one with BetMGM and Party Casino & Sports Interaction following shortly after.

The partnership has also continued to grow internationally, with Gaming Corps completing a full content launch in Brazil with Sportingbet and Betboo in May of this year, followed by the exclusive launch of 3 Pigs of Olympus across Entain’s UK-facing Ladbrokes, Coral Gala and Foxy brands in June.

Additional market launches in Portugal, Spain and New Zealand are also being prepared.

The latest phase includes a mix of Gaming Corps’ most recognisable content, from football-themed titles such as Penalty Champion, Goals to Glory: Football Fever and Goals to Glory: Instant Blitz, to the studio’s high-performing 3 Pigs IP.

Graham Greensmith, Chief Commercial Officer at Gaming Corps, said: “For Gaming Corps, this is a huge milestone. Entain is one of the biggest names in global gaming, so to see our relationship grow in this way is a clear sign of the trust, performance and commercial value we have built together.

Obdulio Bacarese, Global Gaming Director at Entain, added: “Gaming Corps has been a valuable partner over the last four years. The strength of the relationship lies in how easily the content can be activated around different commercial priorities, from supporting new market entries to adding timely releases around key calendar moments. The studio understands the need for content that is flexible, relevant and easy to position locally, and we are pleased to continue building on the partnership.”

The post Gaming Corps expands Entain partnership with major Canadian rollout appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.