Latest News

Premier League Football Stars, Shaun Wright Phillips and Jordan Stewart, Lead Investment in The Sports Metaverse

Published

4 years ago

June 2, 2022

Reading Time: 2 minutes

The Sports Metaverse pioneers esports with virtual land sales, metaverse personal training, sports betting and fan engagement

The Sports Metaverse, the world’s first virtual world specifically focused on sports, has announced that former professional football players, Shaun Wright Phillips and Jordan Stewart, have purchased land in the Sports Metaverse.

Shaun Wright Philips will use his land for events and to display his NFTs:

“I’m really excited to be involved in the Sports Metaverse. This is the new frontier when it comes to sports. The metaverse and owning a piece of it is about interaction and co creation – watching live sports with friends all around the world, hanging out with friends, and buying and selling NFTs are some of the things I’m really looking forward to doing here.“

Investment into VR real estate in the metaverse has grown exponentially, with brands like Adidas and top influencers looking to establish themselves in the virtual world. In the metaverse where possibilities are endless, investors see the potential to rent a virtual space for parties with sports stars, private lodges to view sporting events in VR stadiums, or offer key brands a space for sponsorship appearances. As a result, early investors are already making tenfold, million dollar profits. The returns are expected to continue to grow as Grayscale Research predicts annual revenues for the metaverse at $1 trillion, with $400 Billion for gaming worlds alone.

In addition to Shaun Wright Philips, Sports Metaverse announced that four companies have already pre-bought land. They include Phat Fantasy, Own the Moment, ThriveFantasy, Press Sports, and Beyond The Game Network. Brands can apply for the private sale here.

SportsIcon COO and Co-Founder Alexi Yovanoff said:

“Both Shaun and Jordan have played at the top of their profession, so it’s an honor to have these athletes join the Sports Metaverse. I still remember the goal that Shaun scored against Manchester United in 2004, and Jordan has had a great career here in the UK and in the USA.
What strikes me the most about these two is their passion for web3, communities, and the interaction with athletes that the Sports Metaverse will give to consumers.”

Shaun Wright Phillips is one of the best players of his generation, playing for England in the National Team, and for Manchester City and Chelsea. Jordan Stewart has had a successful career in both England and the United States at clubs such as Leicester City and the San Jose Earthquakes.

The Sports Metaverse is a digital world devoted solely to sports. It unites the most prominent sports stars, brands, and clubs together in one place. Sports Metaverse is built by SportsIcon and industry veterans from Sony, Doom, Playstation Home, and Nvidia. You can trade NFTs, buy land, interact with iconic sportspeople, and visit stadiums.

SportsIcon is backed by rapper turned investor Nas, Dapper Labs, Dapper Labs CEO Roham Gharegozlou, Youtube Founder Chad Hurley, Hedera and Reserve Founder Andrew Masanto, and ex NBA star Andrew Bogut.

Contributors Program

Gamblers Connect names Gali Hartuv as seventh 2026 Contributors Program voice

Published

6 hours ago

July 22, 2026

Wladimir P.

gamblers-connect-names-gali-hartuv-as-seventh-2026-contributors-program-voice

The Playa strategic advisor will publish on VIP operations, segmentation and retention, starting with an anonymous VIP Operations Survey 2026.

Gamblers Connect has confirmed Gali Hartuv, Strategic Advisor at The Playa, as the seventh voice to join its 2026 Contributors Program.

The independent B2B iGaming media platform said the programme will reveal one senior industry voice per month throughout 2026, with contributors publishing under the Gamblers Connect Contributor Editorial Code.

Gamblers Connect said Hartuv has more than 15 years’ experience in VIP management, including designing and optimising VIP programmes across more than 50 operator brands, and training “hundreds of professionals” now working in VIP roles across the industry.

Hartuv will publish across four areas: building VIP programmes that drive long-term value; AI-powered VIP identification and player segmentation; hyper-personalisation and retention strategy; and scaling VIP operations across different markets and cultures. His first contribution is a VIP Operations Survey 2026, an anonymous survey intended to benchmark how VIP teams work across iGaming operators, including portfolio sizing, tools, qualification thresholds, workflow standards and where time is spent during the week.

Partnerships and Operations Lead, Luka Dimitrijevic, said: “VIP management is where a great deal of an operator’s value is won or lost, and very few people can speak to it with Gali’s depth. He has spent his career turning high value player relationships into a discipline rather than guesswork, and he is refreshingly candid about what works and what does not. Through the Contributors Program he will share practical insight on VIP strategy, retention, and the smart use of AI, with content grounded in real results rather than recycled best practices.”

The post Gamblers Connect names Gali Hartuv as seventh 2026 Contributors Program voice appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Alberta

St8 extends TonyBet partnership to Alberta after securing supplier registration

Published

7 hours ago

July 22, 2026

Wladimir P.

st8-extends-tonybet-partnership-to-alberta-after-securing-supplier-registration

St8 has extended its partnership with TonyBet into Alberta, expanding their Canada footprint following an earlier launch in Ontario this year.

Under the expanded agreement, TonyBet will use St8’s game aggregation platform through a single API integration. St8 said this provides access to its wider catalogue of casino content for players in Alberta.

St8 said the Alberta rollout follows its newly acquired registration to operate in the province as an iGaming Services Supplier, allowing it to provide aggregation services to licensed operators in the market. The company said its platform connects partners to more than 200 game providers via a single API.

David Fall, Business Development Manager at St8, said:

“Entering Alberta’s regulated market is a strong step for St8 that represents our continued efforts to bring our offerings to as many territories as possible, delivering top-tier results for partnerships at the local, national and international stage. We share this commitment with TonyBet, a company that we are very fortunate to be working with so collaboratively and closely as we continue to grow our presence across North America.”

Kiryl Liudvikevich, Head of Product at TonyBet, said:

“We’re proud that our work with St8 has enabled us to continue expanding across Canada. Through St8’s aggregation platform, we can seamlessly access games from the industry’s leading providers via a single integration, helping us scale efficiently while maintaining a strong focus on the player experience. St8 has cemented itself as our go-to partner for expansion into regulated markets, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration as we grow into new jurisdictions.”

The post St8 extends TonyBet partnership to Alberta after securing supplier registration appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Alberta

St8 continues partnership with TonyBet with an expansion into Alberta

Published

7 hours ago

July 22, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

st8-continues-partnership-with-tonybet-with-an-expansion-into-alberta

Casino game aggregation platform and full-service technology provider St8 has extended its ongoing partnership with TonyBet into Alberta, furthering both companies’ expansion into Canada.

As part of the extended agreement, Tonybet will benefit from St8’s next-generation platform via a single API integration, unlocking seamless access to a wide portfolio of games from the industry’s leading providers and enhancing its casino offering for players in Alberta.

The move is the latest in St8’s successful relationship with TonyBet, having previously launched in Ontario earlier this year in a bid to continually grow in regulated markets worldwide.

This expansion was made possible thanks to St8’s newly acquired registration to operate in Alberta as an iGaming Services Supplier, enabling St8 to provide its next-generation game aggregation services to licensed operators in the region, giving partners access to more than 200 premium game providers through a single API integration.

Featuring over 3,000 games from more than 60 providers, TonyBet, meanwhile, has gone from strength to strength in its 17-year history, establishing itself as one of the industry’s leading game studios by delivering engaging titles that combine player appeal with premium gameplay.

Holding licenses in 10 different jurisdictions including Spain, the Netherlands, the UK, Ireland and Estonia, among others, Tonybet’s partnership with St8 has seen them now launch in two separate territories in Canada, with both companies working collaboratively to explore the opportunities available in exciting new markets. This latest agreement reinforces St8’s strategy of expanding its premium content portfolio while helping operators simplify integration, accelerate market entry, and deliver engaging gaming experiences across multiple regulated jurisdictions.

Speaking on the expansion, David Fall, Business Development Manager at St8, said: “Entering Alberta’s regulated market is a strong step for St8 that represents our continued efforts to bring our offerings to as many territories as possible, delivering top-tier results for partnerships at the local, national and international stage. We share this commitment with TonyBet, a company that we are very fortunate to be working with so collaboratively and closely as we continue to grow our presence across North America.”

Kiryl Liudvikevich, Head of Product at TonyBet, had this to say: “We’re proud that our work with St8 has enabled us to continue expanding across Canada. Through St8’s aggregation platform, we can seamlessly access games from the industry’s leading providers via a single integration, helping us scale efficiently while maintaining a strong focus on the player experience. St8 has cemented itself as our go-to partner for expansion into regulated markets, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration as we grow into new jurisdictions.”

The post St8 continues partnership with TonyBet with an expansion into Alberta appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.