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From Lara Croft to Thor, personal trainer re-creates the fitness regimes of iconic gaming characters
- Ebuyer have teamed up with expert PT Mike Harle to create week-long diet and workout plans tailored to popular gaming characters.
- If you’re wondering what it would take to get lean Lara Croft style or attain the body of a literal god (Thor), here is what it could take to maintain their physiques.
New year is here, and therefore it’s time to sign up for that annual gym membership you are probably, rarely, going to use. But have you ever sat at your console and wondered “how would they keep in shape” when it comes to gaming characters?
Well, Ebuyer have taken matters into their own hands to discover just that – not without a little help of course. Teaming up with expert PT and owner of the Frontrow gym in Yarm, Mike Harle, Ebuyer have created a week-long diet and workout plan specifically tailored to your favourite gaming characters.
So, if you’re wondering what it would take for Lara Croft to stay lean, or to maintain the body of a literal god (Thor), look no further.
Mario (Super Mario)
Although the live-action Super Mario movie is set to arrive in December 2022, the potbellied plumber’s short stature doesn’t exactly scream the Hollywood image of fitness. He’s not ripped, he’s not chiselled, but he’s stocky and my God can that plumber jump. And as it turns out, you don’t have to look far to find capable athletes of a similar build.
The workout and diet of a rugby prop fit Mario’s mould nicely. Bulky but physically fit, and fully capable of sudden spurts of speed, the use of weights and cardio workouts will help Mario build the muscle his body needs to jump into every pipe.
Of course, Mario will need to cut back on the heavy breakfast foods in favour of something healthier. However, given his proclivity for mushrooms, this means he can eat a huge variety of meal options by substituting meat for a tasty mushroom-based meat alternative.
Lara Croft (Tomb Radar)
Dodging the lethal traps of tombs and scaling ancient ziggurats is no simple feat. Lara Croft needs to be strong yet flexible, with plenty of athletic and gymnastic prowess to overcome her foes. That means developing a healthy level of muscle without bulking up.
Lara’s workout is all about Calisthenics, bodyweight training that works large groups of muscles simultaneously without the use of additional weights and exercise machines. This allows her to strengthen all the muscles in her body but leave herself slim enough to easily swing between ledges and squeeze through crevices.
As for diet, Lara is spoilt for choice. With her vast pockets of wealth, she can afford the best food from around the world, meaning she’ll have no trouble eating well while tailoring her diet to perfectly compliment her workout.
Thor (Thor: God Of Thunder)
With the Thor: Love and Thunder movie dropping on the 8th of July, Thor’s going to have to do quite a bit of work to shift his beer belly and regain his thunder post-Endgame. And in order to attain the body of a literal god, you need to do some pretty intense workouts and diet adjustments. So, what better place to turn to for inspiration than the fittest man on Earth, CrossFit champion Matt Fraser.
CrossFit is all about constantly varied, high-intensity weight and cardio movements that work the entirety of the body. Combine this with a diet designed to shed as much fat as possible and Thor will be well on his way to rebuilding his eight-pack in no time.
Of course, there are a few things even the God of Thunder can’t live without. There’s no keeping Thor off the beer, which is why his diet accommodates for a litre of the frothy beverage each day.
“New Year is here, and so are our annual resolutions to get fitter. So, it got us thinking over at Ebuyer – just what would it take for our favourite gaming characters to keep their shape and save the world” says Andy Roberts, E-Commerce Director of Ebuyer.
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DAZN Bet
Vibrez! A New, Mysterious Sports Betting Operator Gains ANJ Approval in France
The French online sports betting market, often described as one of the most tightly regulated yet least dynamic in Europe, is preparing to welcome a surprising new entrant: Vibrez!. The operator secured regulatory approval and is now gearing up for launch, marking one of the few truly new brand arrivals in recent years.
Regulatory Approval and Market Entry
In 2025, Vibrez obtained an operating license from the Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), under the authorization number 0063-PS-2025-05-15-AGR-00. The five-year renewable license covers only sports betting, with no authorization for poker or horse racing verticals.
At this stage, Vibrez’s website (www.vibrez.fr) is little more than a placeholder page. But the license approval signals the company’s commitment to entering France in 2026, timed closely with another newcomer, Bet365, which is in the process of getting its license just weeks later.
Who is Behind Vibrez?
The operator remains shrouded in mystery. Unlike market entrants backed by household names such as FDJ, Kindred, or Entain, Vibrez appears to be an independent French-facing brand.
The licensing application was submitted via BCFR, the same entity linked to brands like DAZN Bet, Circus Bet, and Vbet in France. This strongly suggests that BetConstruct, a B2B software and platform provider with experience powering multiple operators, is the technology backbone behind Vibrez.
While the corporate structure offers some clarity, Vibrez’s strategic positioning and long-term ambitions remain uncertain.
Branding and Market Positioning: Hints of Community?
Even the usually well-informed French website lebonparisportif.com, which monitor the iGaming market in France, cannot say much about what this new bookmaker will offer, but they wrote a few guesses about in an article in French (“Qui se cache derrière Vibrez?”) that we translate some key suggestions here:
According to them, the brand name “Vibrez” (French for “feel the thrill” or “vibrate”) and the teaser slogan “prépare-toi à vibrer” hint at a potentially community-driven or experience-focused positioning. This suggests Vibrez may experiment with new betting formats, perhaps inspired by simplified or binary-style markets such as “Yes/No” propositions, aiming to differentiate from more traditional sportsbook offerings.
The French market, while sizable, leaves little room for pure replication strategies. To gain traction against entrenched competitors like Winamax, Betclic, and ParionsSport (FDJ), Vibrez will need to bring innovation, either through product design, gamification, or marketing strategies that resonate with younger demographics.
The French Market: A Rare Case of New Entrants
The arrival of Vibrez is significant precisely because new operators are rare in France. DAZN Bet, is the most recent betting site launched in France.
With two brand launches expected before the end of 2026, observers anticipate a modest shake-up in an otherwise mature and concentrated market. Whether Vibrez will bring genuine disruption or simply serve as a niche challenger remains to be seen.
What Comes Next
Vibrez has yet to announce an official launch date, though industry insiders expect the platform to go live in 2026, probably before the World Cup this summer, which should be a highlight in the sports betting world this year. Welcome bonuses are likely to follow the French market standard, capped at €100 in free bets due to ANJ’s strict promotional guidelines.
Until then, Vibrez represents one of the most intriguing mysteries in French iGaming: a brand with no legacy, no major international parent, but potentially bold ambitions to “make the market vibrate.”
The post Vibrez! A New, Mysterious Sports Betting Operator Gains ANJ Approval in France appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
blask
Greece Led Europe’s iGaming Growth in 2025 — Now the Drivers Are Fully Explained
In the second half of 2025, Greece emerged as Europe’s fastest-growing iGaming market. While several major jurisdictions slowed or declined, Greek market demand rose by more than 50% between June and December, standing out as one of the year’s clearest growth stories.
According to data from Blask, the surge was not the result of a single tournament or seasonal spike. Instead, it reflected a structural shift driven by a combination of sports momentum, regulatory reform and casino market dynamics — factors that can now be traced in detail through Blask’s newly released Market Explanation feature.
Continuous sports momentum without demand gaps
Greece’s growth was underpinned by a tightly stacked sports calendar that sustained engagement across multiple months. EuroBasket 2025 in late August, the kickoff of the Stoiximan Super League, UEFA Champions League matchdays under the new league-phase format, and the EuroLeague season featuring Greek clubs created a continuous rhythm of high-interest betting cycles throughout autumn.
Rather than short-lived peaks followed by sharp declines, demand remained elevated well beyond individual events. This is a pattern clearly visible on the Blask Index trend line.
Casino reform reshaped demand behavior
One of the most significant contributors came from the casino segment. Greece’s decision to raise RNG stake limits from €2 to €20 altered the mechanics of the market, allowing online casinos to absorb demand during sports off-peak periods.
As sports-led acquisition increasingly converted into casino play, operators reported double-digit iGaming growth. Market Explanation analysis shows that this effect persisted over time, confirming the shift as structural rather than seasonal.
Enforcement redirected demand to licensed operators
Regulatory action further reinforced the upward trend. In December, Greek authorities blocked approximately 11,000 illegal gambling domains. Instead of suppressing demand, the move redirected player interest toward licensed platforms, strengthening regulated market performance.
The impact was amplified by the adoption of IRIS instant payments, which reduced deposit friction and improved conversion from interest to activity.
From tracking trends to understanding causes
To surface these drivers, Blask has introduced Market Explanation — an AI-powered layer within the Blask Index that allows users to click on any country’s trend line and instantly see a sourced breakdown of the forces behind the movement. Sports calendars, regulatory changes, casino dynamics and macro factors are analyzed together, turning raw demand signals into actionable market context.
Greece’s 2025 performance illustrates how this approach changes market analysis. Rather than simply observing that demand is rising, operators, suppliers and investors can now see why it is happening — and which levers are shaping the trajectory of a market in real time.
The post Greece Led Europe’s iGaming Growth in 2025 — Now the Drivers Are Fully Explained appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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GR8 Tech Delivers 1.6× Higher Deposit Conversion and 3× Reduction in Transaction Costs for Crypto Turnkey Clients
Unlock Your Crypto Advantage at ICE Barcelona 2026
The post GR8 Tech Delivers 1.6× Higher Deposit Conversion and 3× Reduction in Transaction Costs for Crypto Turnkey Clients appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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