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West Midlands Signs 10-year Strategic Framework Agreement with GEF

The West Midlands has agreed on a 10-year Strategic Framework Agreement (SFA) with the Global Esports Federation (GEF), accelerating the region’s commitment to driving international growth in the rapidly developing industry.
The partnership will see the West Midlands join a network of global hubs, including GEF’s headquarters Singapore and continued developments in Brazil, China, Turkey, Japan, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas, among others.
The agreement, led by the West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC), will cement the region’s position as a hotbed for the esports and gaming industry, with the West Midlands already responsible for one quarter of the UK’s output in the sector.
The partnership builds on the West Midlands’ position as a gaming and esports hub within the UK, with the region playing host to a total of 130 games companies – predominantly clustered around Leamington Spa – including the likes of Codemasters, Ubisoft, Playground, Sega Hardlight and others.
The sector employs a workforce of more than 3000 games professionals in the region. The University of Warwick has also been recently named the UK Esports University of the Year for the fourth successive year, following significant investment in state-of-the-art facilities and talent.
Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers has also committed heavily to Esports, hosting its own esports organisation with teams in the UK, Europe and China, as well as announcing last year a partnership with North American Esports giant Evil Geniuses.
Paul J. Foster, CEO of Global Esports Federation, said: “The GEF President, Chris Chan and the entire Board of the Global Esports Federation have earmarked strategic global hubs as anchors for our development of esports, sports, immersive technologies, innovative entertainment, and adjacent sectors. The leadership in the West Midlands continues to demonstrate a strong collective ambition and the diverse capabilities of this dynamic region. Through our partnership with the Commonwealth Games Federation for the upcoming Commonwealth Esports Championships and this historic Strategic Framework Agreement, we are proud to bring our support, expertise, and strong, tangible commitment to this region, unlocking a decade of limitless opportunities and accelerating growth for the people and businesses who are lucky to call it home.”
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “I was thrilled when we confirmed that the first ever Commonwealth Esports Championships would be staged this summer right here in the West Midlands and this exciting partnership with the Global Esports Federation showcases the scale of our region’s ambition – to be a global leader in what is the world’s fastest growing entertainment sector. We’re fortunate to already have huge gaming names like Sega Hardlight and Codemasters on our doorstep all contributing to the West Midlands’ growing status as an esports hub. Now we’re taking the next step by partnering with the Global Esports Federation to drive investment and create high-quality, state-of-the-art jobs in this incredibly dynamic sector. These are momentous times for the West Midlands, and I cannot wait to see this sector continue to thrive.”
Ian Ward, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “With Birmingham and the wider West Midlands synonymous with youth, vibrancy and pioneering new innovations, our region is well-placed as the new strategic centre of UK esports. Through our partnership with the Global Esports Federation, we’re turning this rapidly growing, global economic and cultural opportunity into a regional blueprint for growth. The 10-year commitment will help us to deliver more major events in the city – driving international footfall into the region – and includes the development of a new Esports Innovation and Research Centre, which has the potential to galvanise local tech capability. We look forward to bringing esports to new audiences of fans and talent, right here in Birmingham, starting with the inaugural Commonwealth Esports Championships this August.”
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National Platform Expands Its International Network of Partners: Memorandum Signed with IBIA

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The National Platform of Sports Integrity of Ukraine and the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) have signed a memorandum of understanding.
IBIA is the is the leading global voice on integrity for the regulated betting industry. It brings together more than 90 sports betting operators and over 200 brands across six continents. IBIA’s global monitoring network tracks over USD 300 billion in betting activity annually, detecting suspicious patterns in real time.
The organisation works closely with major international sports institutions such as FIFA, UEFA and the IOC, as well as with national gambling regulators worldwide.
The signing of the Memorandum opens new opportunities for the National Platform in identifying and countering sports competition manipulation, in particular:
- access to IBIA’s Monitoring and Alert Platform;
- the ability to receive alerts on suspicious betting patterns related to matches involving Ukrainian teams or athletes; and
- strengthened international cooperation on sports integrity.
The National Platform stated: “Cooperation with IBIA allows us to integrate into the global system for safeguarding sports integrity. For Ukraine, this represents a qualitatively new level of detection and prevention of competition manipulation. We gain access to advanced international response mechanisms and become part of the worldwide network fighting corruption in sport.”
Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA stated: “IBIA is delighted to be able to reach this important agreement with the Ukraine National Platform for combating competition manipulation. The move maintains our approach of widening our global integrity collaborations and partnerships and aligns with our Mission 2030 strategic objectives.”
The post National Platform Expands Its International Network of Partners: Memorandum Signed with IBIA appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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ELA Games in Rome: Studio to Showcase New Titles & Plans at the SiGMA Europe Summit

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ELA Games is set to attend the SiGMA Europe Summit in Rome from 3 – 6 November. The event gathers global iGaming leaders to discuss innovations, future technologies, and rising companies.
Representing ELA Games will be:
- Yaroslav Soloshenko, Head of Business Development
- Peter Vonarshenko, Senior Business Development Manager
They will reveal the studio’s latest titles, such as the festive Witches’ Book, high-energy Piñatas Festival, and highly successful Buffalo Force, which experienced record growth statistics. Additionally, attendees will get a sneak peek into ELA Games’ upcoming title, Riches Express (30 October release), and other forthcoming plans.
Yaroslav and Peter will also unveil exciting new expansion plans in Greece and what that means for the studio’s future content developments.
Special Panel Appearance
On 4 November (11:30 – 12:10, Stage 3 | Affiliate Leaders), Yaroslav Soloshenko will take part in a special panel discussion titled “Battle for the Bottom Line: Does Product or Marketing Drive Growth?”
The session will bring together leading industry experts, from star streamers to product innovators, to explore the strategies that fuel player acquisition, retention, and revenue. Yaroslav will share his insights on ELA Games’ multifaceted approach to growth, including strategic game development and relevant marketing.
Yaroslav commented, “The conversation around strong product development versus marketing is always evolving. For ELA Games, true growth happens when the two work together. A great product generates stories and memories worth sharing, which is what we try to revolve our marketing strategies around. I look forward to sharing more in-depth insights at my panel discussion at the SiGMA Europe Summit.”
Meet ELA Games in Rome
Attendees can book a 1-on-1 meeting with Yaroslav and Peter to learn more about how diverse content can boost operator growth and keep players engaged for longer.
ELA Games’ standout titles, such as Buffalo Force, have been a driving growth factor, experiencing record engagement metrics in just 3 weeks. Operators can explore the studio’s diverse and ever-growing portfolio to discover more highly engaging content that players love.
Join the team at the SiGMA Europe Summit in Rome from 3 – 6 November.
Secure a meeting now — limited slots available!
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FairPlay Sports Media and JOE Kick Off Betting Strategy Partnership

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FairPlay Sports Media, the fan and AI-powered global sports media network, has announced its latest strategic betting partnership with leading UK & Ireland sports and entertainment publication, JOE, which will see its sporting content bolstered by FairPlay’s BetTech and AI-powered tools, as well as access to premium content and betting sponsorship opportunities.
JOE’s 28m global following will now experience more dynamic, betting-related content on-site, which will complement the brand’s premium editorial content with seamless, higher converting bet placement user journeys with bookmaker partners.
Similarly, FairPlay’s betting network and expertise will leverage JOE’s brand equity and original editorial output for additional monetisation opportunities. These will initially include widget integrations within sporting content, deep-linked to partner website betslips and showcasing best value prices to the user.
Social media and video branding opportunities will follow that combine consideration and performance strategies for betting partners. 1.7bn minutes of content was watched on JOE during 2024 and this will now be underpinned by FairPlay’s extensive operator network.
Stuart Simms, Group CEO at FairPlay Sports Media, said: “JOE has become a household name for sports news and engaging content in the last decade, both in its core Irish market but also worldwide. As a brand, it’s an ideal fit for FairPlay Sports Media’s BetTech and betting consultancy services, which together will enhance editorial content, deliver new revenue streams, and ultimately, create a better fan experience.
“As a network, we’ve proven that we can offer huge value to partners by integrating complementary tools, adding sharper betting insight which levels the playing field for users, and facilitating the link between sportsbooks and prominent media brands, like JOE, in order to fulfil their engagement and monetisation potential.”
Paul O’Donohoe, Managing Partner at JOE Media Group, added: “We are excited to partner with FairPlay Sports Media’s BetTech offering. We are one of the leading social publishing groups for driving front-end engagements globally. Now with the integration of this tech and FairPlay’s extensive operator network, we will be able to make a big step into the transactional space.
“The data we now have access to as part of this agreement will also help us to provide dynamic informative content around the sports conversation to help give our audience a richer fan experience and help them level the playing field.”
The post FairPlay Sports Media and JOE Kick Off Betting Strategy Partnership appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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