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Most controversial VAR decisions revealed ahead of Premier League

Published

5 years ago

August 9, 2021

George Miller

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Kurt Zouma’s cancelled strike against Manchester United was named the most controversial VAR incident.
30.92% of all English Premier League matches have seen a VAR intervention.
The data also shows a 23.96% year-on-year decrease in average VAR controversy.
The Premier League appears to be tracking UEFA’s roll out, with changes made just 0.62% more frequently in the English top flight.
PGMOL has announced a string of new rule changes.

The Premier League is hoping a string of new rule changes can inject new life into VAR technology when the 30th Premier League season gets underway on 13th August.

From thicker offside lines to new handball rules, the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) has set out its stall for the 2021-2022 domestic campaign which is almost upon us.

Accidental handballs in the build-up to goals will no longer be deemed an offence, while thicker offside lines will be used in order to eliminate situations where a goal is ruled out due to a toenail being offside.

And following a string of ‘armpit offsides’ last season, FIFA has also clarified that the bottom of a players’ armpit is to be classed as part of a players’ body.

While the technology’s use in the English top-flight has courted more than its fair share of detractors, Credible or VAR-cical by William Hill, can reveal a good level of progress has already been made with average controversy dropping by 29.36% last season.

The controversy rating of an incident, of which there has been 235 in total over the last two seasons, now sits at 5.14 having been 6.76 during its turbulent debut season. That equates to a change made by VAR every 3.23 matches.

Across the 504 matches under UEFA’s jurisdiction, from February 2019 through to the 2021 Champions League Final, there were 157 changes made, or a change every 3.21 matches.

Kurt Zouma’s cancelled strike against Manchester United in February 2020, ruled out by VAR official Chris Kavanagh, is considered the most controversial VAR call in Premier League history, with a controversy score of 10.7.

William Hill’s Credible or VAR-cical analysis has been tracking Premier League VAR incidents ever since Gabriel Jesus was ruled offside by David Coote on August 10, 2019 (the first ever VAR review in EPL history – rated at 7.92).

The data shows that in total, there have been a total of 235 incidents, or interventions, logged, with reactionary metrics such as Tweet volume, sentiment, articles generated and associated levels of engagement, culminating in a bespoke controversy rating being assigned to each.

Across the last two domestic campaigns, Wolverhampton (6.91) are the club which has been embroiled in the most controversial VAR incidents. Chelsea (6.5), Liverpool (6.34), Everton (6.25), Manchester United (6.19) make up the top five.

Brentford-based official Chris Kavanagh, who was promoted to the Select Group of referees in 2017, lands himself the unenviable title of ‘most controversial video assistant referee’, averaging 6.8.

David Coote (6.67), Kevin Friend (6.59), Lee Mason (6.51) and Andre Marriner (6.35) make up the rest of the top 5.

2026 EGR Europe Awards

RocketPlay won European Marketing Campaign of the Year – B2C at the 2026 EGR Europe Awards

Published

5 hours ago

February 20, 2026

Wladimir P.

rocketplay-won-european-marketing-campaign-of-the-year-–-b2c-at-the-2026-egr-europe-awards

RocketPlay Casino has been awarded European Marketing Campaign of the Year – B2C at the 2026 EGR Europe Awards for its innovative community-led campaign, RocketWisdom: The Book. The EGR Europe Awards recognise trailblazers and leaders shaping the iGaming industry across Europe, with winners chosen through a rigorous judging process.

What the Award Recognises

The European Marketing Campaign of the Year – B2C category honours marketing initiatives that achieve significant commercial impact or enhance brand development. Judges evaluate originality, creativity, quality of execution, and measurable results.

About RocketWisdom: The Book

RocketPlay’s winning campaign began as a player research project. Over two months, the casino invited its community to share their gaming habits and “rituals,” gathering over 1,000 responses. These insights were transformed into a book featuring 100+ authentic player stories, curated but not rewritten by the brand.

The campaign gained rapid momentum after streamers discovered the book. Within just three days, RocketPlay received around 1,000 direct requests, turning a private research initiative into a fully-fledged public campaign. The project was amplified across owned channels, social media, creator content, media coverage, and in-product activations.

Campaign Highlights

13,000+ downloads
~100 streams showcasing the project (~200,000 viewers)
50+ media outlets coverage

For RocketPlay, the award represents a major milestone and underscores the power of community-driven storytelling. The campaign demonstrates that authentic engagement can deliver measurable performance, not just visibility. RocketPlay continues to build its reputation in the community, maintaining top ratings across platforms including 9.8/10 on CasinoGuru, 9.1/10 on AskGamblers, 4.4/5 on Trustpilot, and 4.3/5 on LCB.

The post RocketPlay won European Marketing Campaign of the Year – B2C at the 2026 EGR Europe Awards appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

2026 EGR Europe Awards

RocketPlay won European Marketing Campaign of the Year – B2C at the 2026 EGR Europe Awards

Published

5 hours ago

February 20, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

RocketPlay Casino has won European Marketing Campaign of the Year – B2C at the EGR Europe Awards 2026 for its community-led campaign RocketWisdom: The Book. The EGR Europe Awards acknowledges innovators and leaders shaping Europe’s iGaming sector, with winners selected through a structured judging process.

What this award recognises

European Marketing Campaign of the Year – B2C rewards marketing initiatives that deliver major commercial impact and/or brand development, with judges assessing originality, creativity, execution quality, and measurable outcomes

About RocketWisdom: The Book

RocketPlay won with RocketWisdom: The Book — a campaign that started as a player research project. Over 2 months, RocketPlay invited its community to share real-life gaming habits and “rituals,” collecting 1,000+ responses. Those voices became a book featuring 100+ authentic player stories — curated, not rewritten by the brand.

The release gained momentum organically: after streamers discovered the book, RocketPlay received about 1,000 direct requests within 3 days, turning a private research initiative into a full-scale public campaign supported across owned channels, social, creator content, media coverage, and in-product activations.

Highlights of the campaign

13,000+ downloads
~100 streams featuring the project (~200,000 viewers)
50+ media outlets

For RocketPlay, the award is a major brand milestone — and a clear signal that community-led storytelling can drive real performance, not just attention. The brand continues to strengthen its reputation across the community, holding top ratings such as 9.8/10 on CasinoGuru, 9.1/10 on AskGamblers, 4.4/5 on Trustpilot, and 4.3/5 on LCB.

The post RocketPlay won European Marketing Campaign of the Year – B2C at the 2026 EGR Europe Awards appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.