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EXCEL ESPORTS introduces The Power of Better into major brand update

Published

6 years ago

November 13, 2020

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The leading British competitive gaming brand unveils ambitious manifesto and vision of The Power of Better, incorporating purpose into its brand identity to help improve the gaming and esports industry and looking beyond the esports “lifestyle brand”

EXCEL ESPORTS, the leading British competitive gaming culture brand, with teams participating in the two biggest global video games, Fortnite and League of Legends, has today unveiled a significant brand update, a bold and unique visual identity in esports that will see EXCEL evolve into a professional team that adds purpose to its passion for gaming. The update signifies the next stage of EXCEL’s expansion, growth and its unique vision of The Power of Better; a commitment to improve in everything it does and to use its platform to have a positive impact on the wider gaming and esports community.

Since its inception six years ago, EXCEL has become the most prolific British esports team, making significant strides to represent, support and develop the esports ecosystem.

EXCEL now looks to the future and what it means to be a professional esports team, steering beyond the over-used “lifestyle” esports brand and carving out a new unique path in esports that will see it driven by performance and incorporating purpose, striving to be better and enacting positive change in esports and gaming through its vision of The Power of Better. Centered around two core principles, The Power of Better is the belief that improvement never stops – whether you’re part of an organisation or as an individual, you can be better tomorrow than you are today – and aims to challenge the status quo in the world of esports. It is a commitment by EXCEL to constantly review how it operates, continuously looking inwards and onwards.

EXCEL began its journey of improvement by creating the Performance Playbook, which focuses on the holistic development of its players both physiologically and psychologically as well as the Pyramid of Success, a philosophy for engineering improved levels of performance that is underpinned by its core values and beliefs of trust, respect, dedication, discipline and creating good habits. The Power of Better looks to go further than performance with EXCEL looking to be an inspiration for the wider gaming community by having a positive impact on everything it does.

To start, EXCEL has revealed the launch of the ‘Gaming for Better’ whitepaper series for gamers everywhere, with the first one created by EXCEL’s Head of Performance and sports psychology expert Fabian Broich. The whitepaper, published today, explores the common injuries experienced by gamers and provides advice on how to improve individual performance and become healthier by focusing on physical activity, lifestyle balance, and creating positive habits.

To illustrate its new ambitions and The Power of Better vision, EXCEL has unveiled a completely new visual identity with a new logo, colour palette, website and merchandise line. The logo will retain the ‘X’ and ‘L’ widely used and recognised by EXCEL fans. The design has been simplified to ensure it is easily identifiable and the forward arrow in the X embodies the brands forward thinking approach as well as the dynamic world of gaming. The new diverse and flexible colour palette allows for creativity, fluidity and change, reflecting EXCEL’s ambitions to forge its own path and allowing the brand to evolve as it continues its journey of improvement. The new website will act as a digital destination for fans, the centerpoint where the community can stay up to date with the latest EXCEL news. It will also incorporate a shop with new merch ranges.

“Over the last six years, EXCEL ESPORTS has seen immense growth, transforming from a bedroom hobby into a professional competitive gaming brand with players competing in the world’s biggest esports. When EXCEL was founded we wanted our identity to be motivational, competitive, and allow people to easily support us in-game with the XL tag. As we head into this next phase of our journey, it’s great to be able to showcase our roots and initial passion, whilst developing our brand so that it is fit for our future ambitions”, said Kieran Holmes-Darby, Co-Founder and Chief Gaming Officer, EXCEL ESPORTS.

“At EXCEL we have unlimited ambitions in the games we compete in, what we want to become as a team and as a brand. It’s now time for us to take our next step to grow as a globally recognised, respected and loved competitive gaming brand from Britain. This step is more than just a visual update, it’s our belief in our vision for ourselves, our talent, our community and our culture. We believe that too many try to copy each other, vying to be competitive or lifestyle without further meaning. Today, we will start our journey of The Power of Better with passion, professionalism, performance and purpose. This is more than just a brand update, it is EXCEL’s promise to be better every day and make our contribution to the future of competitive gaming,” said Wouter Sleijffers, CEO, EXCEL ESPORTS.

Awards

Slotsoo Awards 2026 Celebrate the Best Casinos and Game Providers

Published

54 minutes ago

July 24, 2026

Wladimir P.

slotsoo-awards-2026-celebrate-the-best-casinos-and-game-providers

Slotsoo is proud to announce the winners of the Slotsoo Awards 2026, recognising the online casinos and game providers that have delivered the best player experiences over the past year. Now firmly established as an annual celebration of excellence, the awards continue to recognise the companies setting new standards for quality and innovation across the iGaming industry.

Spotlighting the Best Game Providers of 2026

Following last year’s successful debut, the Slotsoo Game Provider Awards returned for a second year to recognise the studios pushing online slots forward through original ideas, engaging gameplay, and consistently high-quality releases. This year’s winners are:

The Machine MVP – Pragmatic Play
Bonus Buyer – Eurasian Gaming
Volatility Virtuoso – 1spin4win
Jackpot Jumbo – Platipus Gaming
Symphony Spinner – Peter & Sons
Reel Renegade – TaDa Gaming
Promising Prodigy – EXCO Game Studio

Pragmatic Play retained the prestigious Machine MVP award for a second consecutive year, while every other category crowned a new winner, highlighting the emergence of fresh talent and new ideas among game providers.

Casino Awards Return for a Fourth Year

Since their debut in 2023, the Slotsoo Casino Awards have celebrated the operators raising the standard for online casino experiences. This year’s winners continue that tradition, earning recognition for excellence across bonuses, withdrawals, gamification, and overall quality. The seven winners for 2026 are:

The Gambling GOAT – Lunar Spins
The Bonus Buff – Go4Casino
The Loyalty Lord – Valhalla Wins
The Withdrawal Wizard – Taste Vegas
The Gamification Guru – Lucky Fuel
The Payout Professor – Stupid Casino
The Noisy Newcomer – Kudos Bet

While the Game Provider Awards saw several first-time winners, the Casino Awards reflected the continued strength of a few established operators. C24 Partners enjoyed a particularly successful year, with four awards going to brands from its portfolio, including the main trophy The Gambling GOAT.

Recognition That Goes Beyond Popularity

Unlike many industry awards, the Slotsoo Awards are not decided by public voting. Winners are selected by the Slotsoo team after evaluating casino operators and game providers throughout the year. Each nominee is assessed on factors such as player value and innovation.

This approach ensures that both established industry leaders and ambitious newcomers have an equal opportunity to be recognised. Whether it’s a casino redefining loyalty rewards or a game studio introducing fresh mechanics, the awards highlight companies that genuinely move the industry forward.

Other News from Slotsoo.com This Summer

The Slotsoo Awards weren’t the only milestone for the company this summer. In June, the team attended the HIPTHER Baltics & Nordics Gaming Conference in Tallinn, connecting with industry professionals, exploring the latest developments in iGaming, and returning home with plenty of inspiration.

July marked the publication of Slotsoo’s first book, The Casino Player’s ABC, written by Markus Björk, Head of Content. This tongue-in-cheek ABC book for adults takes a humorous look at the ups and downs in slot gaming. Markus Björk comments:

“The awards and the book may seem like very different projects, but they share the same goal. Both are about celebrating what makes this industry unique and helping players navigate it with a sense of humour.”

With another successful awards season, the publication of their first book, and an active presence at industry events, 2026 has been one of Slotsoo’s busiest and most exciting years to date.

The post Slotsoo Awards 2026 Celebrate the Best Casinos and Game Providers appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

BETBY

BETBY Builds on a Strong Start to 2026 with Solid H1 Sportsbook Growth

Published

54 minutes ago

July 24, 2026

Wladimir P.

betby-builds-on-a-strong-start-to-2026-with-solid-h1-sportsbook-growth

BETBY, the Tier 1 sportsbook supplier, has continued its strong start to 2026, delivering solid year-on-year growth across its business during the first half of the year. Building on the positive Q1 results reported in April, the supplier’s performance was supported by continued market expansion, product innovation, and strong activity across its operator partnerships.

During the first half of 2026, BETBY’s sportsbook Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) increased by 42.7% compared to H1 2025. The number of active players across the provider’s partner network grew by 47%, while the total number of bets placed rose by 21.2%, reflecting sustained growth across both new and existing operator partnerships.

The period also saw BETBY further expand its product ecosystem through several key launches and developments. Among them was BETBY Predictions, the industry’s first fixed-odds prediction markets feed, opening a new betting vertical for operators. The supplier also introduced Stories, an engagement feature built around a familiar, interactive content format and delivered directly within the sportsbook experience.

The FIFA World Cup provided an additional boost during the last three weeks of June, generating high levels of betting activity across BETBY’s partner network and demonstrating the scalability and reliability of its sportsbook during the world’s largest sporting event.

BETBY’s proprietary esports feed, Betby Games, also delivered continued growth during H1 2026, recording a 28% year-on-year increase in Gross Gaming Revenue. Active players grew by 46%, while the number of bets placed rose by 14.8%. These figures reinforce Betby Games’ importance within BETBY’s broader product portfolio.

Leonid Pertsovskiy, Chief Executive Officer at BETBY, said: “After a strong first quarter, we are pleased to see that the positive trend continued throughout the first half of the year. These results reflect the strength of our long-term strategy, combining continued market expansion with a clear focus on product innovation and helping our partners grow.

“The launch of products such as BETBY Predictions and features like Stories, alongside the continued evolution of Betby Games, demonstrate our commitment to delivering solutions and technology that create measurable value for operators. We are proud of what we have achieved so far this year and remain focused on continuing this progress throughout H2.”

The post BETBY Builds on a Strong Start to 2026 with Solid H1 Sportsbook Growth appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

GamCare

GamCare Launches Market Engagement

Published

54 minutes ago

July 24, 2026

Wladimir P.

GamCare has launched a market engagement exercise as part of Project Nexus, an initiative exploring how technology can best support the delivery of our services in the years ahead.

As the leading provider of support for people affected by gambling-related harm in England and Scotland, GamCare delivers a wide range of services, including the National Gambling Helpline, treatment services, education programmes and community outreach. Every year, GamCare’s services support more than 100,000 contacts through telephone, online chat, email and WhatsApp.

To ensure that GamCare’s technology continues to meet the needs of those who rely on its services, GamCare is engaging with the market to better understand emerging technologies, innovation and best practice in areas including customer communications, case management, safeguarding, reporting and data management.

Building services around people

GamCare’s ambition is to create a technology environment that supports an integrated, person-centred and data-informed service model. GamCare want to ensure that people can move smoothly through their support journey, from first contact and assessment through to treatment, onward support and aftercare.

Through this engagement, GamCare is seeking supplier insight on how technology could help to:

• Improve access to support across multiple communication channels.

• Enhance safeguarding visibility and escalation processes.

• Provide timely access to relevant service user information.

• Strengthen reporting and operational insight.

• Improve interoperability with partner organisations and healthcare systems.

• Support future innovation while maintaining high standards of information governance and service continuity.

The post GamCare Launches Market Engagement appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.