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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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“Cheer Like a Corinthian”
In a World Cup year, Corinthians’ master sponsor uses the unwavering loyalty of the club’s fanbase as an example.
Brazilians’ relationship with the national team and their passion for football take on a new perspective in a World Cup year.
Master sponsor of Corinthians, Esportes da Sorte reinforces the club supporters’ long-standing reputation for unconditional loyalty with the launch of the “Cheer Like a Corinthian” manifesto, a movement aimed at reconnecting Brazilian fans with the national team.
Created by Agência Brenda, the project seeks to redefine the term “to choke” (“amarelar” in Portuguese), transforming it into a call for unwavering belief and determination.
“The campaign draws inspiration from the symbolic strength of Corinthians fans and football’s power to emotionally unite the country.
The idea is to encourage Brazilian supporters to reconnect with the national team through values such as loyalty, presence, and unconditional support,” said Davi Oliveira, Sponsorships Head at Grupo Esportes Gaming Brasil, owner of the Esportes da Sorte brand. Watch the video here.
The campaign debuted on Sunday (10), airing on TV Globo during programs such as Em Família, Eliana, and Fantástico. Simultaneously, the video was displayed on the giant screen at Neo Química Arena during the Corinthians 3–2 São Paulo derby, valid for the 15th round of the Brazilian Championship.
To bring the concept to life, players entered the pitch wearing shirts featuring the phrase “Cheer Like a Corinthian,” which was also displayed across the stadium’s LED boards.
Fans received handheld banners in the stands, while a giant flag bearing the campaign slogan was unveiled by supporters.
Directed by Lucca Meloni and Adriano Alarcon (Nocandy), the film’s visual identity uses symbolic elements to reinforce a sense of persistence.
Rain appears in unexpected settings, while the soundtrack, based on authentic fan chants — creates an immersive sensory atmosphere.
The production also featured real supporters, including historian Fernando Wanner and iconic Corinthians fan Wanda Vitorino, adding authenticity to the message.
“This campaign was developed with great responsibility because we were entering sacred territory. Hearing from legendary players like Marcelinho Carioca that we were on the right path was extremely important,” said Raphael Pinteiro, partner at Agência Brenda.
“Our intention was to inspire Corinthians fans through pride while making supporters of other clubs agree with the message: Brazil’s supporters need this spirit and determination,” added Bernardo Barbosa, also a partner at the agency behind the campaign.
“Convoque” campaign
Also inspired by the World Cup, Esportes da Sorte launched the “Convoque” campaign on Friday (8), using the brand’s iconic blue hat as a portal to a playful universe.
The film features celebrities such as Léo Santana, Jojo Todynho, and Marcelinho Carioca, transforming the user journey into a fun and immersive experience while always promoting responsible gaming.
Esportes da Sorte
Esportes da Sorte is one of Brazil’s leading sports betting platforms, operating entirely within the country and licensed by the Ministry of Finance (SPA/MF) under Esportes Gaming Brasil — the group that also owns the Onabet and Lottu brands.
The company belongs to a Great Place to Work-certified group and generates around 1,000 direct and indirect jobs. Its core pillars include innovation, responsible gaming, and support for market regulation.
Esportes da Sorte maintains strategic partnerships with institutions such as ANJL, IBIA, Sportradar, EBAC, and IAA, strengthening practices related to oversight, gambling harm prevention, and user protection.
Beyond sports betting, the company consistently invests in sports, culture, and social initiatives. It serves as master sponsor of clubs including Corinthians, Ceará, Ferroviária, and Náutico, while also supporting major cultural events such as Galo da Madrugada, Carnival celebrations in Recife, Olinda, Salvador, Maceió, Natal, Caicó, Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo, as well as the Parintins Festival.
The brand also expands its digital presence through creative campaigns and influencer partnerships, strengthening engagement with audiences across online platforms.
The post Esportes da Sorte campaign celebrates fans’ resilience in support of Brazil appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
Este artículo de opinión del CEO de Pay4fun, Leonardo Baptista, analiza por qué Pix se ha convertido en una de las herramientas más estratégicas para combatir el mercado ilegal de apuestas en Brasil y por qué el rastreo financiero puede ser más efectivo que simplemente bloquear sitios web.
Segun su publicación en el portal Poder360, existe actualmente una pregunta recurrente cuando hablamos del mercado de apuestas en Brasil: ¿por qué el sector ilegal sigue operando incluso después de la regulación?
La respuesta es simple y, al mismo tiempo, incómoda: porque aún no hemos abordado el problema de la forma más eficiente.
Durante mucho tiempo, los esfuerzos para combatir las apuestas ilegales se centraron en el bloqueo de sitios web. Es una medida importante, pero insuficiente.
La dinámica es conocida: se bloquea un dominio hoy, otro aparece mañana con pequeñas variaciones. Es una tarea casi interminable, a menudo descrita por el propio sector como “una lucha sin fin”.
Si realmente queremos ser efectivos, necesitamos cambiar el enfoque.
El camino es otro: seguir el dinero — y es precisamente aquí donde Brasil tiene una enorme ventaja competitiva: Pix.
Hoy, Pix es el único medio de pago aceptado en el mercado de apuestas del país. Por primera vez, esto proporciona a las autoridades un instrumento capaz no solo de rastrear, sino principalmente de interrumpir el flujo financiero que sostiene estas operaciones.
Cuando se corta el flujo de pagos, se corta el negocio.
Este movimiento ya ha comenzado.
La Secretaría de Premios y Apuestas (SPA) ahora cuenta con herramientas de fiscalización más estrictas contra instituciones que operan de forma ilegal. Las multas pueden alcanzar valores extremadamente significativos.
Al mismo tiempo, el Banco Central ha aumentado sustancialmente los requisitos para las instituciones de pago.
Este segundo punto es fundamental.
En los últimos años, Brasil ha sido testigo de la proliferación de instituciones más pequeñas, muchas veces con estructuras de control débiles.
Con requisitos más estrictos de capital, cumplimiento y prevención de lavado de dinero, muchas de estas operaciones han salido del mercado.
En la práctica, esto ya ha reducido el espacio para la actividad ilegal.
Pero aún no es suficiente. El mercado irregular sigue representando una parte significativa del sector: las apuestas ilegales representan actualmente entre el 41% y el 51% del mercado brasileño, según una investigación de Instituto Locomotiva y LCA Consultoria Econômica.
En otras palabras, estamos hablando de un enorme volumen de recursos que no generan impuestos, empleo ni protección al consumidor — pérdidas que podrían alcanzar hasta R$40 mil millones por año en ingresos fiscales, según las mismas estimaciones del sector.
Esto nos lleva a otro punto importante: no tiene sentido discutir aumentos de carga tributaria o restricciones adicionales para las empresas que operan dentro del mercado regulado mientras una parte tan grande continúa operando fuera de la ley.
Si aumenta la presión sobre los operadores regulados, el efecto es directo: los operadores — y muchas veces los propios usuarios — se desplazan hacia el mercado ilegal.
La forma más eficiente de aumentar la recaudación no es subir impuestos, sino traer la actividad ilegal al mercado legal. Si eso ocurre, el sector regulado prácticamente se duplicaría en tamaño y, con ello, también los impuestos recaudados.
Por eso, el enfoque debe ser claro: fiscalización.
La supervisión de los medios de pago, proveedores y operadores en ambos lados del mercado es esencial. Ya no hay espacio para empresas que permanezcan “en la zona gris”, atendiendo simultáneamente al mercado regulado y al ilegal.
Otro punto que necesita avanzar es la integración regulatoria.
El Banco Central y la Secretaría de Premios y Apuestas deben trabajar cada vez más en conjunto. La lucha contra la ilegalidad depende directamente de esta coordinación.
Brasil ha construido un modelo regulatorio sólido para las apuestas en relativamente poco tiempo. El mercado está funcionando, generando ingresos, empleo y protección al usuario.
Ahora el país entra en una nueva fase: la consolidación.
En esta etapa, no debe haber dudas sobre dónde concentrar los esfuerzos.
La lucha contra el mercado ilegal no ocurrirá en la superficie, simplemente eliminando sitios web. Ocurrirá a través de los flujos financieros. Pix nos da esa posibilidad.
Quizás sea la herramienta más poderosa que tenemos hoy.
La pregunta no es si puede ayudar. La verdadera pregunta es hasta qué punto estamos dispuestos a utilizarla de forma efectiva.
Leonardo Baptista
Es CEO y cofundador de Pay4Fun, una institución de pago reconocida por su tecnología, seguridad y prevención del lavado de dinero en el mercado regulado de apuestas en Brasil.
Con más de 20 años de experiencia en los sectores de gaming y tecnología de la información, creó en 2004 el primer bingo online del país. En 2022 fue nombrado uno de los 10 CEOs más inspiradores por CIO Business Review.
The post ¿Por qué Pix es central en la lucha contra el mercado ilegal de apuestas? appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
Flashscore has been ranked the fastest sports results platform by UK fans, according to new research into how audiences consume live sport.
In the UK survey of 2,000 sports fans, 46% identified Flashscore as the quickest platform. Flashscore said the pattern was similar in Italy, where 49% of 2,000 respondents named Flashscore the fastest, and in Brazil, where 53% of 3,300 participants reached the same conclusion.
Respondents also associated Flashscore with reliability. In Italy, Flashscore (known locally as Diretta) was recognised as being more accurate than competitors and national broadcasters’ platforms, while in the UK and Brazil it was recognised as being equal to or close to competitors and national broadcasters’ platforms.
Flashscore Director of Engineering Tomáš Kavka said: “It is not one magic technology that solves everything, it is a lot of small and larger right decisions over time.
“Serving a user in South America from Europe is technically possible, but speed is in our DNA. If we want to be the fastest on every continent, we need to be as close as possible to the user. And the data needs to reach that location the moment it appears in our database.”
The company said it continues to scale globally in its 20th year since launch, reporting more than 125 million monthly users worldwide, more than 400 million app downloads across its portfolio, and approximately 145 billion monthly impressions. Flashscore also reported over four million UK downloads, more than two billion monthly impressions, and average daily time spent close to 30 minutes. On infrastructure, Flashscore said it moved to a new data centre in Prague in 2024, tripling processing capacity, and uses a distributed cloud architecture. It added that during a major Champions League matchday earlier this season it handled 34 million users in a day, delivered 700 million notifications, and processed up to 1.3 million requests per second.
The post Flashscore tops speed rankings in UK fan survey ahead of 2026 World Cup appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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