eSports
Entry into esports: Insurance group die Bayerische becomes new partner of Berlin International Gaming

The German insurance group breaks new ground and expands its sponsorship commitments to the market of esports. At the beginning of the 2021 season, die Bayerische will start as the official insurance partner of Berlin International Gaming (BIG), one of the most successful esports organizations in Europe. As BIG’s League of Legends team’s main partner, the insurance group also backs the department that has an EU Masters championship and multiple trophies under their belt.
“We have been watching the triumphant advance of esports in Europe with great enthusiasm for some time now,” says Martin Gräfer, member of the Board of Management of the insurance group die Bayerische. “With our commitment to Berlin International Gaming, we are now taking the first step in this young, dynamic and rapidly growing environment. It gives us immense pleasure to do this side by side with one of the absolute big players of German esports clubs. We can’t wait to go on a title hunt together with BIG and the BIG Family.”
“As a club, we are very honored to be able to accompany such a traditional insurance company as a partner in esports for the first time,” says Daniel Finkler, CEO Berlin International Gaming. “The partnership is another milestone in our history and shows the relevance of the German esports market. We are looking forward to a long-term cooperation.”
Based in Berlin, Berlin International Gaming (known worldwide by the acronym BIG) is one of the most successful European esports organizations. Currently, the German club employs top teams and players in the titles League of Legends, CS:GO, Quake, StarCraft, Valorant and Trackmania. Since 2017, the club has been able to establish itself at the top of the world and celebrate numerous respectable successes in various disciplines. BIG’s partner portfolio includes OMEN (HP), Corsair, Red Bull, Betway, SkinBaron, Backforce (Interstuhl) and Volvic.
BIG’s League Of Legends Team secured a total of six championships in 2019, including three Premier Tour wins and one German championship. The highlight of the team is considered to be winning the European Masters Summer 2019 in Katowice, Poland. Since 2020, the team has been playing in the Prime League, the most prestigious League Of Legends division in the DACH region.
As the official insurance partner of Berlin International Gaming, the two partners will develop target group-oriented esports products and services in the future.
As part of the partnership, die Bayerische acquires an extensive main partner rights package in League Of Legends as well as additional rights in the renowned game titles “Trackmania” with racing driver Dennis “Massa” Lotze and “StarCraft 2” with Tobias “ShoWTimE” Sieber.
Die Bayerische and Berlin International Gaming focus on brand visibility and addressing target groups via digital channels in all rights packages. In this way, the insurance group aims to raise its profile among the young target group and create added value for the esports community.
Since 2016, die Bayerische has been the main sponsor of the traditional football club TSV 1860 München and thus has a prominent presence in traditional sports as an insurance partner. In addition, the insurance company also supports clubs and projects in popular sports and is involved in social partnerships. The two brand ambassadors Samuel Koch and multiple Olympic champion Magdalena Neuner, brand ambassador of the sustainable insurance and pension brand Pangaea Life, round off the company’s current sponsorship portfolio.
The insurance group die Bayerische was founded in 1858 and consists of the companies Bayerische Beamten Lebensversicherung a.G. (parent company), BL die Bayerische Lebensversicherung AG and the composite company BA die Bayerische Allgemeine Versicherung AG. The total premium income of the Group amounts to over 600 million euros. The Group is continuously increasing its equity capital and is well above the industry average. Investments of over 4.8 billion euros are managed. More than 12,000 personal advisors are available to Bayerische customers throughout Germany. In a recent comprehensive company analysis, the rating agency Assekurata again awarded Neue Bayerische Leben a quality rating of A+ (“very good”), attesting to the company’s financial strength, which is far above the industry average.
Berlin International Gaming, known worldwide under the acronym BIG, is one of the most successful European Esport organizations with headquarters in Berlin. The German club currently employs top teams and players in the titles League of Legends, CS:GO, Quake, StarCraft, Valorant and Trackmania. Since 2017, the club has established itself at the top of the world rankings and celebrated numerous respectable successes in various disciplines. The partner portfolio of BIG includes OMEN (HP), Corsair, Red Bull, Betway, SkinBaron, Backforce (Interstuhl) and Volvic.
In 2019, the German club was able to secure a total of six League Of Legends championships. In addition to the three Premier Tour wins, they also finished the last ESL Championship season in first place. The highlight of the League Of Legends team has been the championship title of the European Masters Summer 2019 in Katowice. Since the beginning of 2020, the German team is playing in the Prime League, the highest rated national league in League Of Legends.
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eSports
GIANTX wins Madrid’s heart during a historic weekend for European esports

Global esports organisation GIANTX has come away from Madrid with a landmark victory, outstanding performances, and the affection of thousands of fans, after the Spanish capital turned into the European hub for esports over the weekend. The LEC Roadtrip, hosted by Movistar KOI — the organisation led by Ibai Llanos — proved to be a resounding success in terms of attendance and organisation. GIANTX, with roots in London and Málaga, played a starring role. Only a narrow defeat against the hosts prevented a perfect weekend. Now, the focus shifts back to Berlin, where GIANTX will fight for a place in the playoffs of the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC), the continent’s premier esports league.
For the first time, the LEC temporarily moved its competition from Berlin to Madrid. The Spanish capital once again demonstrated the strength and passion of its esports community, particularly in League of Legends. Around 10,000 spectators filled the Madrid Arena over two days, witnessing four thrilling matches — all decided on the final map — alongside fan activities and community events. The success of the Roadtrip has reignited calls for more international esports events to be hosted in Spain.
GIANTX approached the weekend with two objectives: to improve their standings by securing key victories and to reaffirm their status as one of Europe’s most historic esports organisations, with more than 15 years of tradition and success. The support for GIANTX was immense, with fans travelling from across the country to gather in Madrid. While the team fell just short of a perfect weekend, they earned the respect and affection of the entire arena.
On the competitive front, GIANTX made a strong start by defeating G2 Esports, the historic powerhouse of European League of Legends. It was GIANTX’s first-ever victory over G2, following a tense three-map series that also played out heavily on social media. In the first game, Lot and Jackies led the charge with standout performances on Jax and Yone. Although GIANTX faltered in the second map after a promising early game, they pulled off an unforgettable comeback in the decisive third map, overcoming a formidable performance from G2’s superstar Caps.
Later on Sunday, GIANTX faced KOI in another fiercely contested series. After a standout performance with Tristana in the second game, GIANTX forced a third map but could not maintain their momentum. KOI, who had defeated Fnatic the day before, emerged victorious and closed out the weekend as Roadtrip champions. Fnatic, meanwhile, secured a win over G2 to salvage their weekend.
GIANTX proved itself a top-level contender at the Madrid Arena, but earlier inconsistencies during the Spring Split now weigh heavily in the standings. To qualify for the LEC playoffs, GIANTX must defeat Team BDS next weekend and Team Heretics the following one. The team currently holds a 2-5 record — results that do not fully reflect the positive performances seen in Madrid.
The post GIANTX wins Madrid’s heart during a historic weekend for European esports appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Daily Fantasy Sports
Assessing the esports DFS opportunity in the US

Oliver Niner, Head of B2B says that DFS remains a compelling vertical with huge growth potential especially if operators expand their offering into esports
The roll out of legal online and mobile sports betting across US states has presented a significant opportunity for operators, but the market has proved harder to crack than many anticipated.
The cost of customer acquisition is skyrocketing, building brand equity is taking much longer than expected, and there’s been a slowdown in new states embracing regulation and licensing.
This has led to a run of operators exiting the market as the numbers simply don’t add up.
But while this is happening, the daily fantasy sports space continues to thrive and remains a compelling opportunity for operators.
DFS has a unique legal standing in many states where sports betting is still restricted, allowing operators to reach audiences they otherwise couldn’t.
It also fosters deeper engagement with those who play – players aren’t just betting on outcomes; they’re actively managing lineups and pitting their knowledge and skills against others.
This is the perfect combination for retention and loyalty – something sportsbooks struggle to achieve with players easily swayed to join another brand simply because of a generous free bets offer.
There’s also an untapped opportunity in bringing the worlds of esports and daily fantasy sports together, allowing operators to connect with an entirely new audience.
Until now, traditional DFS brands have focused on the major sports, but the younger, digital-native audiences are more interested in esports such as CS2 and LoL than the NFL.
Why the DFS model works:
Before discussing how operators can get in on the esports DFS action, it’s important to understand why the DFS model works so well in the US, especially for those looking to diversify their offering.
The first is regulatory accessibility. DFS is legal in more states than traditional sports betting, allowing operators to enter markets where sportsbook licensing is unavailable or complex.
DFS has much lower acquisition costs while serving as a gateway to paid gaming. It often attracts a younger, more engaged audience at a lower CPA compared to traditional sports betting.
Strong user retention is another upside. Unlike one-off bets, DFS players return regularly to manage lineups, track stats and compete in contests, driving retention rates way beyond sports betting.
It’s also esports ready. Esports fans are highly engaged with player performance stats, making DFS a natural fit. It can then serve as an introduction to real-money esports betting when regulations allow.
The esports DFS opportunity to be explored:
DFS is an established and thriving vertical and while some operators offer esports within their proposition, it often lacks depth, innovation and mainstream adoption.
Esports fans are naturally engaged with stats, player performance metrics and in-game analytics, so easily segue into the DFS format.
Titles like LoL, CS2, Dota 2 and Valorant offer rich data sets that allow for creative and competitive fantasy formats, but most operators are yet to really get into it.
This leaves a major gap in the market and a huge opportunity for those who put together a compelling esports DFS product, especially as the popularity of esports betting grows.
What a compelling esports DFS product looks like:
The foundation of any esports DFS product is reliable, real-time data and the ability to provide a range of engaging contest formats.
This is where companies such as PandaScore come in. We provide operators with comprehensive esports data including player and team stats across all the major disciplines.
We supplement this with accurate odds and DFS pricing models, helping operators to set accurate and competitive odds – both our data and odds feeds are integrated seamlessly via API.
We also provide unrivalled market expertise; the team has years of experience powering esports betting which we leverage to ensure our partners can succeed with esports DFS.
In addition to markets and odds, players need to be able to access deep performance metrics so they can make informed decisions.
It’s also important for the operator to provide a smooth and intuitive experience via a seamless UX and mobile first approach to site and app navigation.
The diversity of the contests offered needs to be considered, too. This includes classic salary cap formats as well as pick’em games and more.
It goes without saying that social interaction needs to be baked into the experience through features such as leaderboards, private leagues and head-to-head challenges.
Operators need to get ahead in a rapidly evolving market:
The US sports betting and iCasino market is fast moving with the landscape constantly changing – just look at the conversation around sweepstakes casinos.
For me, DFS and especially esports DFS remain an underutilised growth channel that operators need to take advantage of.
As esports betting gains traction – PandaScore recently surpassed €1bn in bets through its platform – DFS serves as a vital entry point through which operators can build brand recognition and engage a digital-first audience primed and ready to play.
This audience might not be familiar with real-money betting today, but by providing them with an experience they are familiar and comfortable with, they can become the bettors of tomorrow.
At PandaScore, we are here to help operators capitalise on this opportunity with best-in-class data, pricing models and strategic support.
For operators, this means the numbers will always add up when it comes to esports daily fantasy sports.
The post Assessing the esports DFS opportunity in the US appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
Asia
Hero Esports Announces Venues for ACL Grand Finals 2025

Hero Esports, an industry leader and the largest esports company in Asia, has announced its championship venues for the Asian Champions League (ACL) Grand Finals 2025 taking place May 16-18 in Shanghai. The landmark event will transform three of the city’s most iconic venues into battlegrounds for nine premier esports titles, cementing Shanghai’s status as the global esports capital.
The tournament is expected to attract 80,000+ live attendees across three venues, with global broadcasts reaching millions via Twitch, YouTube and TikTok. Participating teams will be competing for a total prize pool of $2 million. Selected ACL winners will earn direct entry to the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia—the largest esports event in history due to take place from July to August.
“Shanghai’s selection as our host city reflects its unmatched esports infrastructure and passionate community. By combining elite competition with DreamHack’s festival energy, we’re creating a new blueprint for global esports events,” said Jonny Wang, CEO of ACL.
“This is Hero Esports’ most ambitious project to date. The ACL bridges Asian talents with the world stage while delivering unforgettable fan experiences through cutting-edge production,” said Danny Tang, Co-Founder & CEO of Hero Esports.
The post Hero Esports Announces Venues for ACL Grand Finals 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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