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Introducing the Valhallan Esports League: a new competitive gaming experience for youth esports teams in the UK and Europe

Published

2 years ago

May 12, 2023

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Valhallan Esports League (VHEL), a youth esports league exclusively designed for youth esports with players aged 10-16 years, is excited to announce its launch in the UK and Europe. The new initiative expands the US-based league’s footprint following three years of growth in North America.

This summer season, starting on June 12th, the league is inviting coach-led youth esports teams of 2-5 players to participate for free, in a thrilling opportunity to compete across a variety of popular games. The league is open to teams associated with schools, clubs, community organisations, LAN centres and independent teams.

The league features five highly popular esports titles: Valorant, Overwatch 2, Rocket League, Apex Legends and Fortnite. For this initial season, the registration fee that normally starts from £57 per team per season for non-Valhallan teams is waived, offering a competitive, safe and fun platform for young gamers to showcase their skills and teamwork.

European Gaming Congress 2024 (Warsaw, Poland)

Christopher Baarstad, Vice President of League Operations, said, “After three successful years of shaping the North American youth esports landscape with club teams and scholastic programmes, we’re thrilled to expand our reach and bring the unparalleled VHEL experience to the UK and Europe. Youth teams will have a unique opportunity to compete, develop their skills and foster lasting friendships. The VHEL difference lies in our unique approach, offering a supportive, affordable and anti-toxic league environment that has already attracted over 100 organisations and 2,000 student-players in the US. Now our aim is to create a vibrant gaming community that empowers kids to engage in healthy competition and have fun across the UK and Europe too.”

Registration for the league is open until June 11th, and teams can sign up on the Valhallan Esports League website. Participants will compete against other teams from the UK and Europe throughout the season. Moreover, twice a year, they will also have the opportunity to compete against their counterparts from the US arm of the league, adding an exciting international dimension to the competition.

The Valhallan Esports League is committed to creating a safe, inclusive and enjoyable environment for young gamers, emphasising fair play, sportsmanship and teamwork. With this launch, the organisation looks forward to fostering a thriving esports community for kids across the UK and Europe.

Here’s what coach-led teams in the US like so much about the league:

Safety & Collegiality – the highly moderated Discord server and strict anti-toxicity rules ensure a positive, collegial experience for all participants. VHEL prioritises safety and fair play, relieving the fear and anxiety of allowing kids to play others online, so coaches can focus on what matters most – guiding their teams to a successful, educational and fun season.

Cost Effective – VHEL keeps costs as low as possible to sustain league operations. The pricing model is based on a “team” model as opposed to the notorious “pay per player” model, so that teams are free to use roster cap sizes and substitutes without additional costs.

Unparalleled Support for Teams – VHEL understands the importance of timely assistance, which is why a dedicated support team is available around the clock via Discord, especially during crucial match-up times.

Competitive Divisional Play – forget the standard swiss model – VHEL’s divisional play structure guarantees exciting, evenly matched contests that foster growth and skill development. Divisional champions advance to face other top teams in the playoffs.

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TESTA debuts TESTA Score, allowing operators to benchmark UX

Published

10 hours ago

June 19, 2025

Adrienn Sarkany

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Reading Time: 2 minutes

TESTA, the crowd testing platform for the iGaming industry, has launched its innovative TESTA Score with CasinoCompare.ph, a Philippine-focused online casino affiliate—and the only platform exclusively listing PAGCOR-licensed online casinos.

TESTA Score is a new UX quality benchmark developed by TESTA that shines a light on online casino brands in markets with new regulatory compliance standards.

Using real testers with local devices, IDs and bank accounts, TESTA evaluates each operator’s performance across four key processes – registration, deposit, withdrawal and KYC.

Each process is scored against strict usability parameters such as the number of required input fields, page clicks, lead times for verification and fund arrival, as well as the number of KYC attempts required.

The total possible score is 100, divided across:

The TESTA Score provides objective, player-centric transparency in any market.

With local connectivity, device preferences and regulatory friction in mind, the scoring system reflects the real-world user journey and highlights where improvements are most needed.

This then provides a chance for operators to improve their key flows, especially KYC, and then apply for a re-test to update their published score.

CasinoCompare.ph becomes the first online casino affiliate to deploy TESTA Score, with six Philippine-licensed online casinos now ranked. The site is operated by AFFILI.ph whose aim is to set a new industry standards for transparency, trust, and player confidence.

The six sites include Casino Plus, Desk Game, FBM E.Motion, Bet88, PlayTime and Crazy Win.

While most operators performed well on the core user flows, the KYC process emerged as the main differentiator.

Operators that lacked a working KYC step at withdrawal automatically received a zero in that category, pulling down their overall TESTA Score significantly.

This is how they fared:

Casino Plus led the pack with a total score of 97/100, earning perfect marks in registration, withdrawal, and KYC, and only dropping points on deposit due to a single extra page click.

As well as accessing TESTA Score through their affiliate partners, operators can work directly with TESTA to determine their TESTA Score.

Chris Johnson, TESTA CMO, said: “Born out of frequent client requests for key processes testing, and competitor benchmarking, the TESTA Score measures the parts of the customer journey, outside of game play, that make or break player acquisition and retention.

“Operators can use their TESTA Score to understand where they stand out over their rivals and where there is a gap they need to close.

“It’s great to see that six Philippine-licensed casinos have already used TESTA Score to benchmark their UX and acquisition flows, and we look forward to working with more moving forward, both in the Philippines and other markets around the world.”

The post TESTA debuts TESTA Score, allowing operators to benchmark UX appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Yolo Investments completes raise for €100m Fund II

Published

11 hours ago

June 19, 2025

Adrienn Sarkany

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Yolo Investments has closed fundraising for its flagship Fund II after hitting its €100 million target.

The fund comprises €50 million in external capital, as well as a €50 million commitment from Yolo Group.

It brings together a network of 23 investors, including founders and industry thought leaders, further strengthening the Yolo Investments ecosystem and enhancing the strategic value it can offer portfolio companies.

Fund II has already backed 12 companies across igaming, blockchain and fintech, with notable investments including Dabble, Kraken and Syfe. It expects to make a further 10 investments over the next 12 months.

Tim Heath, GP at Yolo Investments, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to be closing our raise for Fund II having hit our target. This took place during challenging market conditions, with global VC fundraising facing significantly more headwinds compared with previous vintages. But investors have looked at our previous funds’ track record and the strength of our ecosystem, and have strongly backed us.

“We are humbled by that response as a real vote of confidence, not just in what we’ve built so far, but in where we’re heading next. We will continue to back more brilliant founders and help them scale faster, smarter and with the full power of the Yolo ecosystem behind them.”

Yolo Investments’ Fund II is structured as a Guernsey-registered limited partnership, and is licensed by the Guernsey Financial Services Commission (GFSC).

The post Yolo Investments completes raise for €100m Fund II appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Party Like It’s 3000 BC in Shake Your Mummymaker! at SlotsCapital.lv – Plus a 175% Bonus Up to $1,750

Published

12 hours ago

June 19, 2025

Adrienn Sarkany

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