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Global Esports Tour Los Angeles Crowns Champion

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Team Kraken battled to victory at the Grand Final of the Global Esports Tour’s first Hearthstone® event, in the game’s first LAN event in two years

Yesterday saw Team Kraken take first place in the initial stop of the Global Esports Federation and FACEIT’s new worldwide esports invitational – the Global Esports Tour. The winning team, led by Jeffrey “TrumpSC” Shih with Jerome “Monsanto” Faucher and Mihai “languagehacker” Dragalin, dominated during the two-day event, beating David “Killinallday” Acosta’s Team Gryphon in the final with a solid performance played on Hearthstone® Classic Mode.

Team Kraken bags the champion’s trophy in the first Global Esports Tour Los Angeles. From left: Mihai “languagehacker” Dragalin, Jerome “Monsanto” Faucher, Jeffrey “TrumpSC” Shih, Dr. Melita N. Moore, GEF Board Member and Chair of Health & Wellness Commission, Paul J. Foster, CEO of GEF, and Christopher ‘MonteCristo’ Mykles.

Team Kraken began the tournament with a shaky start, dropping their first match to Team Gryphon with a 4-1 loss. However, moving down to the lower bracket they began to find their groove, winning their following two matches against Frank “Fr0zen” Zhang’s Team Mammoth 4-3 and Alexandra “Alliestrasza” MacPherson’s Team Phoenix 4-0.

In the Final against Team Gryphon, Team Kraken stormed forward in the first four games, gaining a 3- 1 lead against the tournament favourites. Team Gryphon’s Jeffrey “Tarei” Liu pulled back a victory in Game 5, before Mihai “languagehacker” Dragalin closed the show with a victory against Tarei in Game 6.

The GEF team caught up with Team Kraken after the Grand Final and spoke to the winners. “Thank you GEF. This was a lit tournament. We really love what you are doing for esports. The cities chosen are the hot spots in the world for esports,” said Jeffrey “TrumpSC” Shih, captain of the winning team.

Mihai “languagehacker” Dragalin added, “It’s really cool, honestly. This entire tour that you’ve set up is really incredible. For the first edition to be Hearthstone®, and for us to be a part of it, it’s incredible. We didn’t really expect to win it all, and that’s just speaks for how cool this event is.”

Four teams of North America’s best players were invited to compete in this best of seven, double elimination conquest form, for a US$50,000 prize. Made up of three plyers each, the teams entered with six decks, all from a unique class. Team captains TrumpSC, Fr0zen, Alliestrasza, and Killinallday led their respective squads:

Team Kraken

Jeffrey “TrumpSC” Shih

Jerome “Monsanto” Faucher

Mihai “Languagehacker” Dragalin

Team Phoenix

Alexandra “Alliestrasza” MacPherson

John “Dekkster” Kotrich

Andrew “TidesofTime” Biessener

Team Mammoth

Frank “Fr0zen” Zhang

David “Justsaiyan” Shan

George “hyped” Maganzini

Team Gryphon

David ‘Killinallday” Acosta

Jeffrey “Tarei” Liu

Mark “Ant” Trevino

Pro gamer and game designer turned broadcaster, Brian Kibler, strategy game expert Nathan ‘Admirable’ Zamora, and Cloud9 player Cong “StrifeCro” Shu, provided their expert commentary and analysis during the event.

The GET is the GEF’s Pro-Team tournament staged in key global cities throughout the year. GET 2021 offers a total prize pool of US$500,000. The tournament showcases skills and talent from different game genres from around the world with Hearthstone®, PUBG MOBILE, and CS:GO the chosen games. FACEIT has joined the GET as the GEF’s Strategic Partner, Esports Services and was also the tournament organiser for this Hearthstone® stop.

In October, the GET heads to Riyadh (October 24-26, 2021) with PUBG MOBILE, and on to Dubai (November 26-27, 2021) with CS:GO.

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Bragg Strengthens Executive Team for Enhanced Content Strategy, North American Growth, and AI-First Transformation

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Bragg Gaming Group has announced the appointment of Morten Tonnesen as its new Chief Operating Officer and the promotion of Garrick Morris to the position of Executive Vice President of Global Content, US and Canada.

These immediate management changes emphasize Bragg’s strategic focus on aggressively scaling and expanding the high-margin content business globally, especially throughout the US and Canada. This global content business demonstrated significant growth, increasing by 76% in Q4-2025 compared to Q4-2024 and achieving 69% growth for the full year 2025 compared to 2024. This growth is supported by the acceleration of the “Bragg AI Brain” initiative and the company’s future presence in key emerging markets, such as Historical and Live Racing and Prediction markets. The organizational realignment represents the necessary final steps following the structural cost changes announced in January 2026.

Matevž Mazij, CEO of Bragg Gaming Group, said: “I’m thrilled to welcome Morten to Bragg and congratulate Garrick on his promotion. Both leaders are highly qualified, bringing extensive iGaming expertise that will be vital as we embark on our next chapter: becoming a global B2B leader in Content, Engagement, and Infrastructure and what we believe will be iGaming’s ‘AI-First’ company. Our cutting-edge tech stack has moved beyond the investment phase and is now a proven cash generator engineered for horizontal scaling.

“We believe their contributions will strengthen our ability to deliver operational leverage, meet our goals to streamline internal processes, enhance overall efficiency across our organization, and advance us further along the path toward EBITDA growth and net profitability. Importantly, with Morten streamlining operations and Garrick focused on U.S. and Global content expansion, we also believe that we are uniquely positioned to provide the robust iGaming ecosystems required by leading players in the evolving Historical and Live Racing and Prediction markets. We believe Bragg will stand out as the sole B2B provider operating at the convergence of iGaming, Sports, and Predictions.”

As Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Tonnesen’s mandate includes driving operational leverage and implementing Bragg’s ambitious artificial intelligence (AI) transformation. The goal of this transformation is to establish Bragg as an AI-First company by 2027. This transition is supported by specific 2027 objectives: ensuring AI-Enhanced Products are standard in over 90% of new launches and integrating AI into more than three-quarters of Bragg’s operational workflows.

Mr. Tonnesen brings over 17 years of progressive leadership experience in the iGaming, sports betting and technology sectors. He is recognized for his expertise in scaling complex businesses, driving cost efficiencies and operational excellence, and successfully executing high-impact initiatives to expand into new markets and achieve profitable growth. Before joining Bragg, Mr. Tonnesen served as Chief Growth Officer at Xtremepush, a leading provider of AI-powered CRM and loyalty marketing. Prior to his role at Xtremepush, which he joined in 2024, he was Chief Commercial Officer at Shape Games, an award-winning digital B2B platform and service provider for the iGaming industry, which was subsequently sold to Kambi. Earlier in his career, he co-founded and successfully exited the sports betting operator BetWarrior, now a major player in LatAm. He also spent six years in various roles at PokerStars. Mr. Tonnesen holds a Bachelor of Science in General Economics and a Master of Science in Strategy, Management, and Organisation from Copenhagen Business School.

Mr. Tonnesen said: “It has been captivating to watch the scale, scope and speed with which Bragg is already building the Bragg AI Brain and, thereby, transforming itself into an AI-first company. With Bragg navigating a combination of increasingly complex regulatory compliance requirements and recent tax headwinds in the Netherlands and other regions, exciting new emerging market opportunities in the U.S. and elsewhere, and potential consolidation in the overall global iGaming and Prediction markets, my near-term focus will be squarely on helping steer the Bragg AI Brain toward protecting the Company’s cash runway and driving its EBITDA growth.”

Mr. Morris first joined Bragg as Senior Vice President Commercial for the U.S. & Canada in 2024. In an iGaming management career spanning more than 15 years, before joining Bragg, he served as Chief Operating Officer at Digital Gaming Corporation, Operations Manager at Microgaming, and IT Platforms Manager at Derivco. Mr. Morris has a Bachelor of Economics from Stellenbosch University.

Mr. Morris said: “Since I first joined Bragg in May 2024, we have significantly expanded our U.S. content footprint through the launch of our newest games, Remote Gaming Server technology, and Player Account Management platform. I look forward to working with the team to help further accelerate growth, including via our planned strategic entrance into the Historical and Live Racing, and Prediction markets segments, with the aim of enhancing value for our shareholders.”

The post Bragg Strengthens Executive Team for Enhanced Content Strategy, North American Growth, and AI-First Transformation appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

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Wazdan’s North American Growth Accelerates Following FanDuel Alliance

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Wazdan, the player-centric developer, has further strengthened its notable North American presence by forming a partnership with FanDuel, a top iGaming company in the area.

The deal represents a crucial milestone in Wazdan’s continuous global growth, as FanDuel introduces two feature-packed games at the same time in Ontario and Michigan, enabled by Light & Wonder’s aggregation platform.

In Ontario, gamers can experience Mighty Fish: Blue Marlin and 36 Coins, two games that highlight Wazdan’s distinctive blend of familiar themes and performance-focused mechanics. In Michigan, 12 Bells and Hot Slot: 777 Crown will offer players captivating gameplay designs centered on clarity, rhythm, and extensive features.

After the initial launch, FanDuel’s famous iGaming platform, FanDuel Casino, will have its collection expanded by a wide array of new slot games, each meticulously selected to include various Wazdan features that enhance player engagement like Cash Infinity™, Hold the Jackpot, and Sticky to Infinity™, all aimed at increasing entertainment and providing tangible growth for operators.

The newest expansion capitalizes on Wazdan’s progress in North America, succeeding in Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and previous entries into West Virginia.

Radka Bacheva, Head of Sales at Wazdan, said: “Partnering with FanDuel represents a major milestone in Wazdan’s North American growth strategy and underlines the strong demand for our engagement-driven portfolio across regulated markets.

“FanDuel’s reach and reputation make them an ideal partner, and launching simultaneously in Ontario and Michigan is a powerful way to introduce our games to new audiences. We are confident that our feature-rich titles and proven mechanics will resonate strongly with players and deliver tangible value for FanDuel as we continue to scale our presence across the region.”

The post Wazdan’s North American Growth Accelerates Following FanDuel Alliance appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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PointsBet Canada to Contest Proposed 5-Day Suspension by AGCO

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PointsBet Canada confirmed it will request a hearing before the independent Licence Appeal Tribunal to contest the Notice of Proposed Order issued by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) on February 12, 2026, proposing a five-day suspension of its operator registration.

PointsBet claims that the proposed sanction overemphasized an isolated incident that was a result of human error, not a systemic issue. The company also said that it did not intentionally withhold information from gaming regulators, and it immediately sent the necessary information once it was discovered.

The operator, which launched in Ontario in April 2022, also said that it cooperated fully with the AGCO’s investigation.

“We have a strong compliance record in Ontario and remain fully committed to the highest standards of integrity and player protection. We look forward to presenting our case at the Tribunal,” said Scott Vanderwel, PointsBet Canada Chief Executive Officer.

The post PointsBet Canada to Contest Proposed 5-Day Suspension by AGCO appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

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