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

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.
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PlayUZU Teams with OCESA to Power Live Music at Iconic Mexican Venue

PlayUZU, Mexico’s leading online casino brand, is turning up the volume on entertainment. In a powerful new partnership with OCESA, Latin America’s top live entertainment promoter, the Skill-On-Net brand has signed on as an official sponsor of the iconic Palacio de los Deportes for the 2025–2026 season.
From March 2025 to February 2026, PlayUZU will be front and centre at more than 40 world-class concerts and live events, featuring top international artists and top-tier productions. PlayUZU players will have the chance to win tickets and VIP access to some of the hottest shows in the country via exclusive promotions and giveaways, gaining access to premium concert experiences and once-in-a-lifetime events.
The sponsorship is the centerpiece of PlayUZU’s blockbuster new campaign, “Sounds Like PlayUZU”, which positions music, fun, and excitement as the cornerstones of the brand. The campaign seeks to connect with the Mexican public by creating unforgettable moments, both in the digital world on the PlayUZU platform and at iconic venues like the Palacio.
PlayUZU continues to expand its presence in Mexico and offer added value that goes beyond online gaming. From backing the local entertainment scene to putting user safety and responsible gaming first, the brand is all about creating safe, fun, and meaningful experiences for its community.
Iñaki Paz, Country Manager of PlayUZU Mexico, said: “By teaming up with OCESA and the Palacio de los Deportes, we’re bringing the thrill of live entertainment directly to our community — on stage and online. This isn’t just a sponsorship. It’s an invitation: Join the movement. Live the music. Feel the excitement. Experience PlayUZU.”
The post PlayUZU Teams with OCESA to Power Live Music at Iconic Mexican Venue appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
BetPlay
BetPlay Partners with TAPPP and DirecTV to Launch New Betting Service

Colombian operator BetPlay has partnered with interactive payment provider TAPPP and satellite television provider DirecTV to launch the first in-broadcast betting experience available directly from a television screen.
The product, which went live on Colombian Division A soccer games last week, enables BetPlay customers who subscribe to DirecTV to open an overlay on their TV screens while watching a live soccer match and place a bet within the same screen.
TAPPP’s patented payment technology facilitates the transaction between the broadcast and BetPlay, within both linear TV services and DirecTV’s streaming platform for the first time.
Reflecting on the launch at SBC Summit Americas in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, last week, TAPPP Chief Executive and Founder Sandy Agarwal said, while the product has only been live for six games, initial data shows that 14.5% of people watching the games clicked, age-verified, and accessed the betting experience. Moreover, 6.5% scrolled through to see what kind of bets were available and 37.5% showed intent to bet by linking their accounts.
Agarwal also said that early data from trials showed that when viewers placed even a modest bet, their engagement with the game rose from an average of 10 minutes to 21 minutes.
The technology has the potential to revolutionize the way that bettors engage with sports and entertainment on TV, enabling a more intuitive and social online betting experience.
BetPlay board member Paola Echeverri said the operator hoped to see the offering expand across sports and entertainment programming. “A year from now, this is going to be a lot bigger, and it’s going to be a lot more entertaining and a lot more fun than we’re seeing right now,” she said.
“That overlay will hopefully have transformed into a new way of consuming sports and a new way of expressing your passion, which is what our brand is all about, betting on your passion. We are completely betting on transforming that passion in our customers and hopefully, with TAPPP and DirecTV, creating something completely new that we can’t envision right now, but that we completely feel coming our way.”
The project has taken almost 18 months to deliver after DirecTV accepted TAPPP’s proof of concept in January 2024. Describing the process as “very complex, business wise and technology wise,” Agarwal said it took a team of 60 full-time engineers nine months to deliver the product ready for launch.
However, with sports betting rolled out, Agarwal is ready to expand TAPPP’s innovative payments technology to multiple use cases. “We want to be ubiquitous,” he said. “We’ve taken practice swings with almost every sport. The platform is, in lot of ways, plug and play.”
TAPPP has received investment via two funding rounds. The first was in 2018, followed by a $10 million Series B funding round co-led by Accomplice and Verance Capital in 2022.
Other backers included Stephen Pagliuca of the Boston Celtics and Peter Tomozawa of the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Sounders. As well as Permit Ventures, London-based Oakvale Capital and ADvantage, which counts sports betting entrepreneur Laila Mintas among its venture partners.
The post BetPlay Partners with TAPPP and DirecTV to Launch New Betting Service appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
Caliente
SYNOT Games Announces Strategic Partnership with Caliente in Mexico

SYNOT Games has announced a new partnership with Caliente, one of Mexico’s top gaming platforms. This collaboration marks an exciting expansion for SYNOT Games, as it brings its acclaimed portfolio of gaming content to the Mexican market. It enhances Caliente’s offerings with an extensive array of high-quality slot games such as Respin Joker, Book of Secrets, Realm of Lions, and Forest Maiden, designed to captivate players and boost engagement.
Caliente with its strong presence in Latin America, is the perfect partner for SYNOT Games’ expansion into the region. The partnership aims to deliver an exceptional gaming experience, combining SYNOT’s visually rich, innovative games with Caliente’s extensive reach and reputation.
Kristína Ďaďová, Sales Manager at SYNOT Games, said: “This collaboration is a key step in our strategy to expand our reach and introduce our high-quality gaming content to new audiences. Together with Caliente’s powerful market presence, we are poised to enhance the gaming experience for players across Mexico with our innovative and visually engaging slot games.”
The post SYNOT Games Announces Strategic Partnership with Caliente in Mexico appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
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