Latest News
Football for Friendship eWorld Championship to be held for the second time in F4F World multiuser simulator
The Football for Friendship eWorld Championship (eF4F) will be taking place for the second time at the end of May. After sports fans from over 100 countries took part last year, 211 countries and regions will be represented this time round.
The important events in Gazprom’s International Children’s Social Programme Football for Friendship (F4F) will be taking place in a digital format this year too because of the pandemic. Following established tradition, a few highlights are being organised to take place in Istanbul, the host city for the final of the UEFA Champions League, from 28th to 30th May.
The 2021 Football for Friendship eWorld Championship (eF4F) will take place on the multiplayer simulator Football for Friendship World (F4F World), which was specially developed for F4F. International team matches can be organised on this platform in real time. The individual users, each of whom is a player on the team, come from different countries. The team consists of a goalkeeper, a defender, two midfield players and two attackers. There is also a trainer and some substitutes. A game runs for 2 halves of 3.5 minutes.
Since 19th April, football academies all over the world have been invited to nominate girls and boys aged 12 to 14 as players. The draw that will put the kids into International Teams of Friendship will be in the middle of May. The Football for Friendship eWorld Championship (eF4F) will take place from 27th to 29th May.
The winners of the 2020 Football for Friendship eWorld Championship were the team “Granular salamander”, whose players came from Bosnia Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, Latvia, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, and Turkey. In the course of the final events in the 8th season of “Football for Friendship”, a new GUINESS WORLD RECORDSTM title was set for the most users in a football video hangout. This year too F4F is aiming once more to set what would be a third GUINESS WORLD RECORDSTM title.
Since December 2020, F4F World has been available to anyone interested, outside of the eF4F tournament as well, free of charge in 27 different languages. An exciting match, in which the Nine Values of Football for Friendship: friendship, equality, fairness, health, peace, devotion, victory, traditions, and honour, are emphasised, awaits F4F World players. The particular features of F4F World include an original, hand-drawn design, a unique profile modification function, the option of playing in various divisions and leagues, of founding one’s own club or of inviting randomly selected players from around the world to take part in the match. In addition, participants can design their own player as they wish. For example, the players’ hairstyles show the colours of their respective national flags. The 2021 version will also offer some new features like training sessions. The F4F World game is available on MS Windows, Apple MacOS and iOS and was developed by the company DataArt.
Andrey Trusov, DataArt: “It was very interesting and motivating to have the opportunity to contribute to the development of F4F. For me, it was a new experience that there is such a competition for children – one that also promotes values like friendship, fairness, and peace. My colleagues and I engaged very intensively with the whole F4F concept in order to be able to give it form and expression in virtual reality.”
About the programme:
The International Children’s Social Programme Football for Friendship has been run by Gazprom since 2013. Over the previous eight seasons, the programme has brought together over 15,000 participants from 211 countries and regions and over 6,000,000 supporters.
Young Players and Young Journalists are the participants in the programme – boys and girls aged 12 including children with disabilities. Young Players represent different countries and cultures united in the mixed teams of the Football for Friendship World Championship. They show that nationality, gender, and physical abilities aren’t a barrier to becoming a team. Young Journalists cover the events of the programme in the International Children’s Press Center. All participants become Young Ambassadors of the programme and continue to share their Football for Friendship experience and promote universal human values: friendship, equality, fairness, health, peace, devotion, victory, traditions, and honour.
In 2020, Football for Friendship was held online. A special digital platform connected over 10,000 players of all ages. It has become the home for international children’s competitions and a playground where anyone can train, join in the international mixed teams and play their favourite game in the Football for Friendship format without leaving the comfort of their home.
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Bally’s Intralot
Intralot Ireland Limited Signs Seven Year Contract Extension with Premier Lotteries Ireland
Bally’s Intralot announced that its subsidiary Intralot Ireland Limited has signed a seven year contract extension, through November 2034, with Premier Lotteries Ireland (PLI). The agreement supports PLI’s continued operation of the Irish National Lottery through the remainder of its license period and reinforces Bally’s Intralot’s role as a trusted technology and services partner.
Under the terms of the agreement, Bally’s Intralot will modernise PLI’s technology ecosystem by deploying its next-generation LotosX Omni solution and PlayerX Player Account Management platform. The solution will provide a modern, cloud-based technology foundation supporting lottery operations across retail and digital channels, while incorporating advanced retailer management, instant games management, device management and content management capabilities. The agreement also includes comprehensive support and maintenance services, along with cloud operations and cybersecurity services for the first year, designed to ensure the long-term reliability, security and performance of PLI’s technology environment.
Through this partnership, Bally’s Intralot will support PLI in delivering a future-ready operating environment designed to enhance operational efficiency, accelerate innovation and strengthen player engagement. The modernisation will provide a secure, scalable and resilient platform that enables PLI to continue evolving its offerings while improving time-to-market implementation of new initiatives, along with maintaining the highest standards of reliability and service to players and retailers across Ireland.
“We are pleased to extend our partnership with Bally’s Intralot, a relationship built on trust, commitment to excellence, and shared ambition since 2014. As we look to the future, this agreement provides a strong platform for continued innovation and growth, ensuring we can deliver a modern, secure, and world-class National Lottery that places responsible play at its heart while continuing to benefit communities across Ireland,” said Cian Murphy, CEO of PLI.
Robeson Reeves, CEO of the Bally’s Intralot Group, said: “We are proud to extend our long-standing partnership with Premier Lotteries Ireland for a further seven years. This agreement reflects the strength of our technology and the trust we have built with PLI over more than a decade of collaboration. We look forward to continuing to support the National Lottery of Ireland and to delivering innovative, responsible gaming experiences to players across the country.”
The post Intralot Ireland Limited Signs Seven Year Contract Extension with Premier Lotteries Ireland appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Artificial Intelligence
Kambi Delivers Record-breaking World Cup with More Than 100 Million Bets as Bet Builders and Player Props Take Centre Stage
Kambi, the home of premium sports betting solutions, and its global network of Turnkey Sportsbook partners have exceeded 100 million bets placed during the ongoing FIFA World Cup, with data showing the continued evolution of player betting preferences towards higher-margin products.
Data from Kambi’s global partner network shows the continued growth of player props and Bet Builder, reducing the dependency on traditional core markets to drive engagement and margin performance. This is illustrated by last week’s semi finals which had more than 700,000 unique combinations placed on each game.
The expanded tournament has delivered on the increased turnover potential that was anticipated, yet Kambi has also exceeded average turnover per match and seen an increase in average stake compared to 2022. Kambi’s geographically diversified partner network has driven betting volume across a wider range of markets and time zones, while diversifying risk and liabilities across its broad global partner base.
Key World Cup 2026 betting trends (versus 2022) across Kambi’s Turnkey Sportsbook include:
• Pre-match Bet Builder turnover up 3.6x
• Average pre-match Bet Builder selection size now 3.5 compared to 2.9
• Player shots on target is the top pre-match Bet Builder offer by turnover, generating 2x the turnover of match winner market
• Share of pre-match turnover from bets other than match winner up from 57% to 63%
• Live Bet Builder turnover up 10x
• Player shots on target is the most popular live bet, accounting for 15% of live turnover
Together, these trends underline the transition to more complex, higher-margin recreational play, helping Kambi sustain a strong tournament margin despite a competition in which the top four seeds reached the semi-finals and leading strikers frequently scored.
This shift has been facilitated by Kambi’s AI trading system, with the tournament becoming the first World Cup where bet offers across both pre-match and live were fully compiled and traded by Kambi’s proprietary algorithmic capability. This has supported greater efficiency and scalability while enabling a broader, deeper betting offer.
Combining advanced AI-driven technology with the vast data generated by its global network has enabled Kambi to deliver a wide range of product improvements, from expanded player props markets and increased Bet Builder combinability to reduced suspension times, lower live delays and enhanced uptime.
Werner Becher, CEO of Kambi, said: “Surpassing 100 million bets before the final demonstrates both the scale of our network and the progress we are making in sportsbook innovation. This is the first World Cup fully traded by our AI-powered capabilities and we’ve seen the impact in stronger product performance, greater engagement with player props and Bet Builder, and a betting mix that continues to evolve beyond traditional markets. At a tournament where results have not always been favourable for some bookmakers, these advances have enabled us to continue performing strongly and delivering for partners.”
Kambi will publish its Q2 2026 Report on 22 July, when it will share further insights from the World Cup and provide additional detail on the performance of its sportsbook products during the tournament.
The 100 million bet milestone applies to Kambi’s Turnkey Sportsbook only and does not include the millions of bets driven by Kambi’s Odds Feed+ product.
The post Kambi Delivers Record-breaking World Cup with More Than 100 Million Bets as Bet Builders and Player Props Take Centre Stage appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Compliance Updates
The MGA Publishes Notice on Websites Impersonating Licensed Operators
The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has observed a pattern of websites impersonating MGA-licensed operators and misleading consumers into believing that they are licensed, regulated or otherwise authorised by the Authority in accordance with the Gaming Act (Chapter 583 of the Laws of Malta) and the regulatory instruments issued thereunder.
In light of this, the MGA published a list of three websites impersonating licensed operators. The websites are:
• www.manekicasino.bet
• www.dragonaracasino.uk.com
• www.slot-hunter.at
“The MGA is hereby declaring that it has no connection with the above listed URLs and any other website, platform and/or entity impersonating the Authority and/or MGA-licensed operators. Any reference to the MGA and/or gaming licence/s said to be issued by it, as stated on these domains, are false and misleading,” the MGA noted.
“The MGA would like to remind consumers not to utilise services provided by an entity unless they have ascertained that the entity in question is duly authorised to provide such services by the Authority. Whereas MGA-licensed operators comply with strict legal requirements in the interest of consumers, the activities of unlicensed entities are unregulated, and do not provide the necessary safeguards delineated by virtue of the gaming regulatory framework, making transactions with such entities risky for consumers.”
The post The MGA Publishes Notice on Websites Impersonating Licensed Operators appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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