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Rugby sevens pools announced for Tokyo 2020 Olympics
The pools for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic rugby sevens competitions have been announced by World Rugby exactly one month ahead of the men’s final at Tokyo Stadium
Tokyo 2020 Olympic rugby sevens pools announced with less than a month to go; The 12 men’s and 12 women’s teams are in three pools of four teams; Reigning men’s gold and silver medalists Fiji and Great Britain will face hosts Japan; Women’s Olympic champions Australia to play USA, China and Japan; Rugby sevens set to thrill fans from 26-31 July at Tokyo Stadium.
The pools for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic rugby sevens competitions have been announced by World Rugby exactly one month ahead of the men’s final at Tokyo Stadium.
The 12 men’s and 12 women’s teams have been allocated to three pools of four teams, according to rankings based upon performances in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series and other World Rugby sanctioned tournaments over the past two years.
There are some mouth-watering encounters for fans around the globe to look forward to as rugby sevens makes its second appearance at the Olympic Games following an unforgettable debut in Rio.
Men’s competition
The men’s competition sees three of the top four placed teams from the Rio 2016 Olympic Games together in Pool B as reigning Olympic champions Fiji will face silver medalists Great Britain and hosts Japan, who finished a very creditable fourth in Rio, along with Olympic debutants Canada who claimed bronze at the last HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series event, which took place in Vancouver last year.
Pool A sees a renewal of the mouth-watering antipodean rivalry between current Rugby World Cup Sevens and World Series champions New Zealand and Australia, who met in the final of the last Series event in Vancouver, with the All Blacks Sevens winning a tightly contested match 17-14. Joining them in Pool A are Argentina, who finished sixth in Rio, alongside Olympic debutants the Republic of Korea who qualified for Tokyo by winning the Asian qualification tournament with an extra-time ‘golden point’ try to overcome Hong Kong.
South Africa, bronze medalists in Rio, and USA are in Pool C having both achieved direct Olympic qualification by finishing in the top four of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2019, where the USA Eagles finished runners-up after reaching the medal podium in seven of the 10 Series rounds. Joining them are Kenya, who qualified courtesy of their first Rugby Africa men’s sevens title since 2015, and Olympic debutants Ireland, who secured the final spot thanks to a thrilling 28-19 victory over France in the World Rugby Sevens Repechage in Monaco earlier this month.
Women’s competition
The women’s competition is equally fascinating with Pool C seeing hosts Japan grouped with Rio 2016 Olympic champions Australia alongside a powerful USA team, who qualified directly for Tokyo after finishing runners-up in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2019, reaching the medal podium in five of the six rounds. The pool is completed by Olympic debutants China, who secured their place in Tokyo with an emphatic 33-0 victory over Hong Kong in the Asian qualifier final.
Pool B is the only pool without an Olympic debutant as Rio 2016 bronze medallists Canada are joined by France, Fiji and Brazil. France were in fine form as they swept all before them to qualify for Tokyo via the World Rugby Sevens Repechage in Monaco earlier this month. Brazil qualified for Tokyo thanks to a 28-15 victory over Colombia in the South American qualifier, while Rio 2016 quarter-finalists Fiji overcame Papua New Guinea to qualify from Oceania.
In Pool A, current Rugby World Cup Sevens and World Series title holders New Zealand will face the Russian Olympic Committee team, Great Britain and Kenya. New Zealand beat both Kenya and Great Britain on the way to claiming the silver medal at Rio 2016, while Russia ended the Black Fern’s record-equalling 37-match winning run on the Series with a 17-17 draw in Kitakyushu in April 2019. The Russian team secured their Olympic debut via this month’s Repechage.
The top four placed teams in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2019 qualified directly for Tokyo while Japan were awarded their place as host nation. The remaining seven teams qualified via regional tournaments and the World Rugby Sevens Repechage in Monaco.
Following a successful test event involving members of the Japan national teams in April, preparations are on track for a world-class tournament at Tokyo Stadium, which proved to be an excellent host venue during Rugby World Cup 2019.
To ensure teams are as best prepared as possible to perform on the greatest sporting stage of all, World Rugby has invested US$4 million into Olympic qualified unions’ sevens programmes and towards the costs of hosting a number of high-performance preparation events, the last of which took place in Los Angeles, USA, and Townsville, Australia, over the past weekend.
World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin said: “Today’s announcement marks a very exciting step on the road to Tokyo with less than a month to go until the players run out in Tokyo Stadium to compete on the Olympic stage.
“These will certainly be unique Olympic Games and we have been working very closely with the IOC, Tokyo 2020 and all other stakeholders towards delivering a safe, secure and highly impactful rugby sevens competition in Tokyo.
“Rugby sevens is a key priority for World Rugby and the inclusion of the sport for the first time in the Games at Rio 2016 had a profound effect, attracting an estimated 30 million new fans globally. With the recent launch of our new ‘This Is How We Sevens’ campaign we are confident millions more fans will engage with the thrilling, fast-paced and action-packed spectacle that is rugby sevens.
“As always, player welfare is at the heart of all our planning and we are confident that as it proved during Rugby World Cup 2019, Tokyo Stadium will be an excellent venue for the teams to inspire the world with their skill, athleticism, determination and the core rugby values of solidarity, integrity and respect.
“With the pools decided, we can now countdown the days and look forward what promises to be another memorable edition of Olympic rugby sevens.”
Mikako Kotani, Sports Director for Tokyo 2020, said: “Today, rugby sevens’ pool allocations for Tokyo 2020 are announced. This year, rugby sevens will return to the Olympic Games for the second time after its inclusion at the Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro 2016 for the first time.
“We had a successful test event at Tokyo Stadium in April and we are confident that we have an excellent venue for the players so that they will be able to show their best performances to inspire the world and connect the world together once more.
“We are excited to welcome an international rugby tournament back to Japan and we hope rugby’s One Team Spirit will touch the hearts of people in Japan and in the world. I wish the very best of luck to all the 12 men’s and 12 women’s teams. Good luck to all the athletes and look forward to welcoming you all soon.”
Rugby sevens is expected to be one of the most highly anticipated events of the Tokyo Games, following the outstanding success of Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan, which captured the nation’s imagination with record-breaking broadcast audiences and huge numbers of new rugby fans across Japan and Asia.
The men’s competition will take place from 26-28 July, with the women’s tournament following on 29-31 July with the gold medal match happening on ‘Super Saturday’. All the action will take place at Tokyo Stadium, which was the venue for the opening match of Rugby World Cup 2019.
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The Swedish Trade Association for Online Gambling – today presents a comparative study between how the gambling markets are regulated in Sweden and Denmark. The report has been carried out by the independent law firm Nordic Legal. In addition to the comparative study, 19 recommendations are made to the Swedish government and the Swedish Gambling Authority (SGA).
The report authors have found that Denmark’s gambling regulations is more successful in meeting its country’s gambling policy goals, in that Denmark over time has had a higher and more stable channelisation, but that Denmark’s position also seems to be under threat recently.
The report states that Sweden is unlikely to reach its 90 percent target in terms of channelisation unless a larger reform takes place, and the recommendations presented in the report can be used to increase the channelling rates.
The report also states that channelisation is important and should not be neglected as a marker for a well-functioning gambling market, something that has been proposed by policymakers in Sweden and elsewhere as a response to the difficulty to reach previously decided high ambition channelisation goals.
The report authors believe that no repressive measures will alone solve the channelisation problem, neither implemented nor future, as long as the licensed gambling market is not allowed to offer a sufficiently attractive gambling offer. Repressive action can include measures such as ISP blocking and payment blocking. Attractive gambling offers may, for example, include a somewhat less rigid bonus and loyalty regulation in Sweden.
The report also points to different government and authority cultures in Sweden and Denmark. According to interviews of licensees in the report, Sweden’s gambling authority is characterized by a punitive culture and a culture of fear, while Denmark is stated to be dialogue-oriented in the relationship between authority and licensees. The escalation ladder of measures in Denmark when licensees violate rules is mentioned as one positive characteristic. This should be compared with Sweden, which is stated to instantly apply the harshest possible sanctions.
“We hope that the report will be a useful tool and encourage Sweden to find inspiration in several of the measures and approaches that have been so successfully implemented in Denmark. Some of them are strictly rule based, such as how loyalty programs are regulated. Some are more difficult to approach and of a cultural nature, but just as important, and are connected to the policymaker’s attitude to the industry it is supervising”, says Gustaf Hoffstedt, Secretary General of BOS.
“Hopefully, this report can inspire policymakers in Sweden to choose the path of regulation that strengthens the licensed gambling market and as a consequence strengthen consumer protection, as neighbouring Denmark has successfully proven is possible,” Gustaf Hoffstedt concludes.
The post BOS presents comparative study between gambling regulations in Sweden and Denmark appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Dmitry Starostenkov CEO at EvenBet Gaming
Elantil adds poker to online marketplace with EvenBet Gaming integration
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Pioneering platform solutions provider adds first poker solution to Elantil’s Marketplace after teaming up with award-winning software company
Elantil, the disruptive iGaming technology company looking to revolutionise the industry through its adaptable platform solutions, has announced it has added its first poker product to its innovative online marketplace after integrating with EvenBet Gaming.
Named “Best Poker Supplier” at the EGR B2B Awards 2024, EvenBet Gaming is a company with over 20 years’ experience powering online card games. Enabling operators to launch their own poker room or connect to a vast network that shares databases and hosts common tournaments, EvenBet Gaming offers a number of unique solutions to maximise liquidity and increase revenue.
Providing upwards of 40 poker variants – including mixed games such as Omaha Hi/Lo mixed and H.O.R.S.E. that help operators engage different player segments – EvenBet Gaming software is currently used by over 200 customers with 72 million players and can be integrated with any major cryptocurrency.
With this presenting operators with a unique opportunity to connect with new audiences and add another highly sought-after vertical to their line-ups, EvenBet Gaming will undoubtedly be a popular addition to Elantil’s Marketplace for all partners looking to broaden their market share.
As with all Elantil’s Marketplace partnerships, clients will be free to reach out to the provider directly and form their own agreements, with this ensuring that they will have control over a fully-customisable contract capable of supporting their unique business needs.
John Debono, Chief Technical Officer at Elantil, said: “At Elantil, we’re always looking to broaden the range of services that are available via our online marketplace – and by integrating with EvenBet Gaming, we’ve added yet another string to our bow that will provide partners with a flexible and cost-effective way to tap into the booming online poker and crypto poker markets.”
Dmitry Starostenkov, CEO at EvenBet Gaming, said: “Becoming the first poker solution to feature in Elantil’s online marketplace certainly speaks volumes about the trust the company has placed in our products, and we’re excited to repay that faith by showing their clients why our software is currently being enjoyed by over 72 million players in 41 countries worldwide.”
The post Elantil adds poker to online marketplace with EvenBet Gaming integration appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Aristocrat Interactive
Logifuture strengthens relationship with Aristocrat Interactive through new Simulate integration
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Unique virtual product offers instant action for sports fans
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Simulate adds thousands of daily betting events and a consistent margin
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This follows the successful integration of the Zoom Soccer product
Logifuture, a leading supplier of iGaming products, has expanded its relationship with Aristocrat Interactive
with the integration of its unique virtual sports product, Simulate.
Unique in its genre, Simulate lets users enjoy the excitement of football and basketball real-event outcomes without the wait. After placing their real-world multiple selections, users can simulate the action instantly – either by watching the matches unfold over 30 seconds or receiving immediate results, with fast payouts every time. Users can run up to 15 simultaneous simulations of the same betslip, enhancing the entertainment while ensuring a seamless experience.
Aristocrat Interactive, a leading global real money gaming (RMG) supplier, will add Simulate to its iGaming platform offering, allowing more sports fans real-time betting experiences. This follows the previous successful integration of Zoom Soccer, another of Logifuture’s industry-defining virtual sports products.
Simulate by Logifuture | The Future Of Responsible Sports Entertainment
Niccolo Cassettari, Chief Business Development Officer at Logifuture, said: “Expanding our relationship with Aristocrat Interactive marks an exciting step forward for Simulate – and reinforces our mission to build next-generation betting experiences. Their decision to adopt multiple products from our portfolio is a strong signal that we’re on the right path.
“We’re seeing a growing appetite for fresh, innovative sports entertainment – and for operators, it’s a chance to showcase innovation and position themselves ahead of the curve – offering users a fresh, engaging experience that sets them apart from the competition.”
Nir Hakarmeli, Managing Director at Aristocrat Interactive iGaming & Sports, said: “We’re constantly striving to add cutting-edge products that can enhance the experience for our partners and their players in a responsible and sustainable way. Simulate is an exciting addition to our portfolio – a fast, engaging and highly original concept that fits perfectly with the demand we’re seeing in key growth markets while aligning with our commitment to delivering safe and enjoyable play.
“As part of our extended agreement with Logifuture, we’re pleased to bring Simulate to a wider audience through this latest integration.”
The post Logifuture strengthens relationship with Aristocrat Interactive through new Simulate integration appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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