Esports Charts, a Ukraine-born analytics company that aggregates real-time viewership insights about esports, has won the Esports Innovation Award at the EsportsNext Industry Awards, hosted by the Esports Trade Association (ESTA) in Dallas, US.

The Esports Innovation Award recognizes an organization or individual that has introduced groundbreaking technology, services, or strategies significantly advancing the esports industry.

Esports Charts was honored for its scalable analytics platform, which provides comprehensive tournament and viewership statistics across more than 25 livestreaming services — helping stakeholders from publishers and teams to fans make smarter, data-driven decisions.

“Winning the Innovation Award from ESTA is an important milestone for us as a leading esports analytics service in the world. Also, we’re especially proud to represent Ukraine-born innovation on an international stage.

“From day one, our mission has been to bring clarity and transparency to the world of esports data. And this recognition from the industry is both an honor and a motivation to keep raising the bar.

“Thank you to our incredible team and partners, who believed in us from the start. This award is a shared success — and we’re just getting started,” Artyom Odintsov, co-founder and CEO of Esports Charts.

The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) has announced that it is awarding $192,000 in Agility Grant funding to five organizations as part of the Spring 2025 cycle. These grants, which are made possible with funding from the NFL Foundation and FanDuel, support the development and expansion of problem gambling prevention initiatives tailored to meet the specific needs of diverse communities.

Now in its seventh funding round since launching in 2022, the Agility Grants program is the first and only national initiative exclusively dedicated to funding problem gambling prevention. Since its inception, the program has awarded grants to organizations in 21 states, reaching more than 450,000 individuals in just three years. Designed to encourage innovation, Agility Grants provide seed funding for pilot projects and new ideas that promote early intervention, especially among youth ages 12–17 and young adults 18–24, where prevention efforts have the most significant long-term impact.

“Investing in community-driven programs is key to effective prevention. The projects supported by Agility Grant funding reflect a commitment to building practical, scalable solutions that resonate with the people they serve,” said NCPG Director of Programs Jaime Costello.

Spring 2025 Agility Grant funding will support the following programs:

Artreach, Inc.

In partnership with Connecticut State Community College campuses, Artreach will present BEYOND THE BET, a multimedia theatrical performance that shares the gambling stories of four individuals from diverse backgrounds, life stages, and experiences. The program uses live performance and facilitated discussion to raise awareness, explore the complexities of gambling harm, and engage audiences in meaningful conversations about problem gambling prevention. The distribution of educational materials will accompany performances to extend learning beyond the stage.

Lao Assistance Center of Minnesota

The Lao Assistance Center will expand its community education efforts by delivering six culturally grounded training sessions on mental health, addiction, and problem gambling in the Twin Cities’ Lao community. Each session will be followed by a multilingual community forum designed to reduce stigma, spark dialogue, and improve access to culturally appropriate problem gambling prevention resources and support services.

NICOS Chinese Health Coalition

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Building on its successful youth prevention model funded by a Spring 2024 Agility Grant, NICOS will expand its youth gambling prevention initiative for Asian American middle school students in San Francisco. The program will introduce a youth leadership component by training students as peer educators, equipping them to help implement a curriculum focused on gambling risks, financial literacy, and prevention strategies.

Ohio State University Foundation for the benefit of The Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Drug Misuse Prevention and Recovery

The Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Drug Misuse Prevention and Recovery, a program of The Ohio State University, will lead a national effort to expand problem gambling prevention across college campuses. The initiative will train campus leaders using a comprehensive, evidence-informed curriculum designed to reduce gambling harm among college students.

University of Nebraska

The University of Nebraska will expand its campus-based problem gambling prevention initiative to increase reach and impact across the university community. The program will integrate educational messaging into intramural sports through data-informed strategies, engaging culturally based student organizations with tailored lunch-and-learn sessions and relevant programming. A year-long calendar of events will reinforce awareness through ongoing education, digital outreach, and targeted support. This expansion builds on a pilot program launched in 2024 with support from a Spring Agility Grant.

The NCPG Agility Grants Program is supported by major partners, including a multi-year commitment from the NFL via the NFL Foundation. Additional funding from FanDuel enhances the program’s reach and sustainability.

“The NFL is proud to continue supporting the NCPG and the Agility Grants program, which provides critical funding to organizations leading innovative efforts aimed at preventing problem gambling. We are pleased to see both new and returning grantees advancing creative approaches to education and early intervention, particularly for youth and young adults,” said Anna Isaacson, NFL Senior Vice President of Social Responsibility.

The Texas House has approved legislation to abolish the Texas Lottery Commission and reform lottery operations after multiple scandals have rocked the agency.

Authored by State Sen. Bob Hall (R-Edgewood), Senate Bill 3070 abolishes the commission that has overseen the lottery since shortly after its founding in 1991, moving operations to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

As originally written, the bill would also limit ticket sales per transaction, require age verification at the point of sale, push the agency into a two year probationary period and provide for greater oversight of the lottery—oversight that has been either intentionally or unintentionally lacking.

In January, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick made an impromptu visit to a lottery ticket reseller responsible for selling millions of tickets online. During the course of his visit, he was denied access to the area where ticket printing was taking place.

The bill, as originally written, would allow the lieutenant governor, Speaker of the House, attorney general, and governor the ability to act as inspectors of lottery operations.

At the eleventh hour, State Rep. Charlie Geren (R-Fort Worth) offered a 58-page amendment to the measure that removed this and other critical parts of the bill. It was this amended bill that was, according to Geren, drafted with the lottery vendors, colloquially called stakeholders, that ultimately passed the House.

Among other changes, the Geren amendment changed vendor and employee retention.

While it was argued that the current employees would provide for a smoother transition from the TLC to TDLR, this would include members of the staff who were complicit in the extra legislative expansion of gambling in the state of Texas, and covering for the lottery’s multiple sins.

The Geren amendment, passed under the watchful eye of IGT’s lobbyist and former chief of staff to Gov. Greg Abbott, Luis Sanez, also guarantees that the state lottery contract will remain with its current vendor, IGT. According to a lawsuit filed in Houston, the company played a critical role in an international gambling syndicate’s rigging of the April 2023 $95 million jackpot.

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According to testimony given to the Texas Senate State Affairs Committee, representatives from IGT were onsite for hours during the ticket printing at a location that conducted no retail business, which is against state rules. This is the same location where children were filmed printing tickets.

Geren, a longtime proponent of expanding gambling in Texas, failed to pass a bill last session that would have allowed casino gambling in the state. This session, the lottery, and its corrupt operation took all the oxygen out of the room.

State Rep. Brent Money (R-Greenville) offered an amendment to Geren’s amendment that would have abolished the lottery and not just the commission. Money’s amendment failed by a vote of 71-58.

Geren’s amendment was ultimately adopted in a vote of 91-44.

The legislation passed in a vote of 110-29.

Now, the bill requires one more vote in the House before going back to the Senate for either approval or to be reconciled in a conference committee.

If the bill is not reconciled, the lottery may be abolished, or a special session could be forced to save the corruption-plagued institution.