Latest News

FACEIT’s AI admin tackling toxic behaviour learns to detect verbal toxicity and mic spam

Published

5 years ago

December 16, 2020

Reading Time: 2 minutes

FACEIT, the makers of Minerva, the first artificial intelligence powered admin, can reveal her upgraded capabilities in the fight against toxic behaviour in competitive games. Minerva can now hear and is able to understand voice messages in all languages. Detecting toxic behaviour on voice chat including verbal toxicity and mic spam.

Last year FACEIT embarked on a journey to reduce toxic behaviour in online multiplayer games by releasing Minerva, an artificial intelligence powered admin, able to detect and take action against toxic messages at infinite scale. According to surveys of FACEIT users, anti-toxicity solutions were one of the most requested features.
Since launch she has:
- Analysed more than 1.4bn chat messages
- Detected more than 1.9 million toxic messages and issues warnings
- Banned over 100k players
As a result, the FACEIT platform has seen:
- 21% fewer toxic messages sent
- 62% reduction in seriously offensive messages being sent
The first iteration of Minerva began by analysing thousands of text chat messages to detect abusive language and toxic behaviour, but there were other forms of toxicity relating to gameplay she was unable to detect including; players acting as obstacles for teammates, staying AFK, deliberate friendly fire, blocking, griefing and potential offensive and abusive language via voice channels
To detect and take action against negative behaviours in gameplay, FACEIT launched Justice, a community-driven portal, that thanks to the endless effort of many members of the community, has managed to resolve more than 60,000 cases, issuing almost 30,000 punishments since it’s launch in April.
The FACEIT community also fed back that text detection didn’t go far enough thus prompting the development in Minerva’s ability to listen. Now she is able to analyse audio sources of data and detect two different types of potential abuse: toxic verbal messages and microphone spamming.
Minerva is able to analyse full conversations among players during a match. An important aspect that makes the overall process more reliable and less prone to misleading interpretations that could come out by analyzing single and isolated messages.
In addition to detecting potential toxic voice messages Minerva is able to detect and sanction other forms of repetitive annoying user behaviours and sounds, which could worsen their teammates’ ability to concentrate and make the overall experience less enjoyable such as screaming or excessively loud music. To achieve this, Minerva reviews the audio file of the match and by applying a CNN (Convolutional Neural Network) technology, she can recognise a series of negative behaviours and issue either a warning or a ban in case the player has been caught multiple times.

To find out more about Minerva please head to https://fce.gg/minerva-gets-ears

iGaming

PokerStars sets $50m+ guaranteed Anniversary Series for May 10–June 3

Published

43 minutes ago

April 27, 2026

Wladimir P.

pokerstars-sets-$50m+-guaranteed-anniversary-series-for-may-10–june-3

Online festival spans 461 tournaments and includes three Main Events on May 24 plus a $500,000 GTD Sunday Storm PKO final on May 10.

PokerStars will run an online Anniversary Series with more than $50m in guarantees from May 10 to June 3, 2026, the operator said on April 27. The schedule includes 461 tournaments and is positioned to mark PokerStars’ 25th anniversary, alongside the 15-year milestone for Sunday Storm.

The festival’s buy-ins range from $5.50 to $15,000, with qualifiers starting at $0.55, according to the company. PokerStars said it will also distribute more than $650,000 in Anniversary Series Lucky Dip tickets during the series.

PokerStars is headlining the series with three Main Events on May 24:

a $109 tournament with a $1.5m guarantee,
a $1,050 Main Event with a $2.5m guarantee,
and a $5,200 Main Event with a $2m guarantee.

Weekly Sunday events include Sunday Million, Sunday High Rollers, and Mystery Bounty specials, with Second Chance Main Events (PKO) scheduled for May 31.

The operator is also running a Sunday Storm 15th anniversary Progressive Knockout tournament with a $500,000 guarantee for an $11 buy-in. Phase 1 events are underway, with Phase 2 set for May 10.

“We’re proud to celebrate 25 years of PokerStars bringing big money poker tournaments safely to players around the world,” said Steve Clarricoats, Associate Director of Online Scheduling. “Putting $50 million up in guarantees shows our focus remains on bringing the best of PokerStars to more players in a variety of tournaments.”

More relevant data as follows:

PokerStars: https://www.pokerstars.com/ Official operator site for tournament schedule and eligibility by market.
PokerStars Blog: https://www.pokerstars.com/poker/news/ Company’s news hub where the full Anniversary Series details and formats are typically published.
PokerStars Power Path: https://www.pokerstars.com/poker/promotions/power-path/ Source for information on the $0.50+ qualification routes referenced in the announcement.

The post PokerStars sets $50m+ guaranteed Anniversary Series for May 10–June 3 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Conferences

Alea shortlisted for two SBC Awards Europe categories

Published

43 minutes ago

April 27, 2026

Wladimir P.

alea-shortlisted-for-two-sbc-awards-europe-categories

The supplier is nominated for Game Aggregator of the Year and Employer of the Year ahead of SBC Summit Malta on April 29.

Alea has been named a finalist in two categories at the upcoming SBC Awards Europe: Game Aggregator of the Year and Employer of the Year. The company announced the nominations on April 28 from Barcelona.

Founder Alexandre Tomic said the double shortlisting reflects a link between product delivery and company culture. “If people don’t care about what they’re building, it shows immediately. In the product, in the details, everywhere. Reliability can’t be bolted on later, it’s a consequence of that care.”

“We’ve spent years building a team that takes ownership and holds a certain standard. Seeing both nominations together just tells me we’re doing something right.” Tomic added.

The news comes ahead of SBC Summit Malta, where Alea said Tomic and COO Ramon Glieneke will take part in conference sessions on April 29. Tomic is scheduled to appear on “Casino vs Sports: Can Gamification Truly Cross Over?” while Glieneke is due to join “The COO Horizon: Challenges and Opportunities in 2026/27.”

Alea said its wider team will be onsite throughout the summit at Booth D22.

More relevand data as follows:

SBC Awards: https://sbcevents.com/sbc-awards/ Primary source for the awards programme, categories and shortlisted companies.
SBC Summit Malta: https://sbcevents.com/sbc-summit-malta/ Event page for agenda context and verification of sessions and timing.
Alea: https://alea.com/ Company website for background on the supplier and its product offering.

The post Alea shortlisted for two SBC Awards Europe categories appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Latest News

POKERSTARS CELEBRATES 25 YEARS WITH OVER $50M GUARANTEED ANNIVERSARY SERIES

Published

43 minutes ago

April 27, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

pokerstars-celebrates-25-years-with-over-$50m-guaranteed-anniversary-series

Bumper $6m guaranteed Main Events headline month-long online festival; as PokerStars turns 25 and Sunday Storm reaches 15 year milestone

PokerStars is marking 25 years at the heart of the game with an Anniversary Series guaranteeing over $50 million. Running from May 10 to June 3, the series celebrates a quarter century of leading the online poker revolution and kicks off with Phase 2 of the Sunday Storm as part of its 15th anniversary.

The Anniversary Series has been built with buy-in levels aimed at all players, with qualifiers starting at $0.55 and buy-ins moving all the way up to a high-rolling $15,000. A 461-tournament schedule will provide the big fields, big moments, and big prizepools that have defined PokerStars.

Players will also get the chance to take their share of over $650,000 of Anniversary Series Lucky Dip tickets that are going to be given away. In addition, Anniversary Series leaderboards will run from May 10 to June 3, featuring $100,000 in cash prizes across weekly Low, Medium, and High tiers, alongside the overall Player of the Series Leaderboard.

$50M SERIES, BUILT FOR EVERY PLAYER

The Anniversary Series delivers a full spectrum of buy-ins, from $5.50 to $15,000, as well as must-play flagship events that are expected to attract big fields:

Three-tiered Main Events on May 24:
- $109 Main Event: $1.5M GTD
- $1,050 Main Event: $2.5M GTD
- $5,200 Main Event: $2M GTD
Weekly Sunday highlights, including:
- Sunday Million
- Sunday High Rollers
- Mystery Bounty specials
Second Chance Main Events (PKO) on May 31, giving players another shot at major prizes

The full tournament schedule, which includes various formats and structures, can be seen at: pokerstars.ro/poker/learn/news/anniversary-series/

CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF POKERSTARS

The Anniversary Series is more than a tournament festival, it’s a celebration of PokerStars’ legacy as a global leader in poker. Over the past 25 years, PokerStars has dealt more hands, hosted more tournaments, and created more life-changing moments than any other poker site.

“We’re proud to celebrate 25 years of PokerStars bringing big money poker tournaments safely to players around the world,” said Steve Clarricoats, Associate Director of Online Scheduling. “Putting $50 million up in guarantees shows our focus remains on bringing the best of PokerStars to more players in a variety of tournaments.”

SUNDAY STORM ANNIVERSARY

PokerStars is also celebrating the 15^th anniversary of the Sunday Storm with a Progressive Knockout tournament with a $500,000 guarantee for just a $11 buy-in. Phase 1’s are underway with Phase 2, the final stage, taking place on May 10.

QUALIFY FOR LESS THAN A DOLLAR

True to PokerStars’ commitment to accessibility, players can qualify for the biggest events from as little as $0.50 via Power Path and $0.55 via satellites.

In addition, PokerStars will also introduce a revamped Power Path Pass on April 27, including a new $530 Bronze Pass offering 25% added value throughout the summer. The upgraded edition will be redeemable as an online ticket bundle for the Anniversary Series events, giving players the opportunity to unlock $530 worth of Anniversary Series tickets, plus 25% extra. More Bronze Passes with 25% added value will be redeemable soon.

For more details head to the PokerStars website, or visit the PokerStars blog.

The post POKERSTARS CELEBRATES 25 YEARS WITH OVER $50M GUARANTEED ANNIVERSARY SERIES appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.