The Fire Joker has returned, his blazing grin wider than ever. Hes back in control of the reels, where classic fruits and symbols light up under his fiery touch. But this time, theres more than just mischief in the air. The heat has intensified, the stakes are higher, and this scorching slot is cranked up to a full 100.
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The Fire Joker has returned, his blazing grin wider than ever. Hes back in control of the reels, where classic fruits and symbols light up under his fiery touch. But this time, theres more than just mischief in the air. The heat has intensified, the stakes are higher, and this scorching slot is cranked up to a full 100.

eSports

“We see LatAm as a hugely promising region” – Exclusive interview with Betbazar CEO on LatAm Esports

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“We see LatAm as a hugely promising region” – Exclusive interview with Betbazar CEO on LatAm Esports

 

Alexandr Iaroshenko, CEO of Betbazar, gives Gaming Americas his two cents on how a quickly regulating Latin America is proving to be a huge opportunity for Esports – with a hugely diverse player base and a fast-growing interest proving to a key revenue driver.

Looking at the Americas, which markets are of most interest to Betbazar and where do you see the most growth?

We see LatAm as a hugely promising region in the Americas. We are looking very closely at it and are already active there through a number of our tier one partners. It’s no big surprise that Efootball has proven massively popular in many markets there, with Brazil being the most vibrant example of a future market with a huge amount of possible growth.

Indeed, when it comes to major markets, we estimate that 60% of Esports betting in Brazil will be on Efootball – and Argentina, which is already in the most part regulated, has proven very similar. However, in countries like Mexico there is more of a cultural split when it comes to player tastes. Football is still high on the menu, but that number is closer to 30%, with 25% betting on basketball and just as many preferring American football, rather than ‘soccer’.

Colombia is also an excellent market with a great growth trajectory, all though the tech can be limiting – and we still see this as early days as native platforms are proving an issue there, which we ideally need in order to deliver our best services. Only the major brands can do so platforms directly, such as Caliente and Salsa – which does limit scope.

Given the region’s unique segmentation, there is a lot to bear in mind as a result, but we’ve learned quickly. As well as regulation, economic trends and demographics, infrastructure is also key to powering the next decade. But all these things are moving in the right direction across large swathes of the region, spelling out a huge amount of opportunity there.

LatAm has certainly had to weather its fair share of challenges over the last 12 months – how has the market evolved and how do you see Betbazar as being able to make a difference for operators?

A lot of operators in LatAm were really prompt in reacting to the challenges of last year, they took the correct forward-thinking approach and invested in diversifying their portfolios quickly, with Esports being a big part of that.

If there is anything we should have learned about the last 18 months, it is that you never know what is around the corner and with the highly volatile nature of the ongoing situation – covering every base you can to entertain new players is essential. We know what players out there want, especially the new generation – and we’ve proven ourselves as key part of some of the major industry operators’ Esports set-up for some time now.

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Looking to what is happening at this moment, audience demand has grown exponentially. LatAm has a huge young population that are far more likely to be tuned into Esports and the numbers have supported that. We’ve got a connected global generation like never before – and they’re very switched onto the Esports community already. Accordingly, we can offer popular games like Counter Strike, for example – which, according to our studies, accounts for almost 70% of bets in LatAm Esports.

It’s not hard to see why this number is so high, the game is very simple to understand. It’s a timeless tale of good guys vs bad guys that even the casual viewer can get their heads around very quickly. Helping operators to capitalise on this is one of our biggest priorities going forward. Betting that is easy to understand and simple to join in is key to retention and engagement in 2021.

How much does the nature of supply, and indeed, product requirements differ in LatAm from the likes of Europe?

The infrastructure of internet service is probably the biggest difference between the two regions, with regards to our offering. Due to the nature of our products – which rely on streaming and data, high quality mobile internet is vital, so that is the most important factor we will be keeping our eye on.

Connectivity can be a challenge. However, cheap, data-strong delivery is in existence already in many parts of the continent, where they are able to stream and bet simultaneously without any issues – we expect this to be the case across the continent soon. That is enough to make us confident about rollout there. We’re seeing tech and devices in LatAm evolve at a rapid pace and catching up with Europe, which means the best content can be integrated to really engage audiences.

However, as already mentioned in terms of B2B, platforms can be an issue as it is a closed ecosystem and still requires development. This can present challenges for integration, but native platforms from tier one operators are, of course, changing that – and the market will follow a natural course of evolution where far more availability comes with time.

Is it a case of offering a set of solutions that are specifically tailored to the market as opposed to a ‘one-size-fits-all’ for global delivery?

Generally speaking, there are two ways to supply Esports products. The first is direct integration with the platform. The odds and video streaming elements are integrated, the product is tested and has proved it’s functionality, the game’s fixtures are matched and from there you’re ready to go.

However, we like to keep things simple for our partners, and a much easier way is what we call ‘iFrame integration’. This is where you have everything on your site, and it appears as a pop-up window. So, all the work happens on our side. Design is included to the service we offer, the only thing that needs to be done by the operator is to connect their wallets and payment integrations. This kind of process solves a lot of pain points as it simply means providing a point of entry than can open the product on the site.

As well as that, it enables us to open another element of commercial communication, which promotes efficiency and scale as we help our partners to scale and manage their sportsbook directly through their sites. This means we, are able to have full clarity on betting activity, and fully support their growth

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As well as this, the option for revenue share is available, which also makes the iFrame integration we offer an excellent way of dipping a toe in the water and seeing if the Esports landscape is what your business needs – and whether your audience is already familiar and ready for action.

Betbazar offers a real specialisation across Esports, how popular has this vertical proven in LatAm and what kind of games are proving to be the most popular?

The two main demographics we have seen in Europe and the US are those who joined during the pandemic and those who were interested in Esports beforehand. This has proved to be the same in LatAm. The first group is those who subsequently joined and tend to be drawn to sports simulators.

Such a demographic tends not to be big fans of RNG games including slots and likely shuns virtuals also, despite last year’s hype. The question, once acquired, is how to keep this group engaged going forward. A really important factor is to make it clear to players that the game is happening in realtime and they aren’t watching a recorded one – as live action is what it’s all about. As a result, a stream of the players in-play is important to communicate that sense of here-and-now, as well as the thrill of getting involved in what’s happening at that very moment, creating a real FOMO effect.

The second group are those already interested in the vertical and tend to enjoy the Battle Royale and deathmatch-style games, including Counter-Strike and Fortnite. They are typically under 30 and are used to playing these games and will continue to be interested post-COVID as this is a key part of their entertainment, whether or not there’s a lockdown.

We also have a schedule of the games and the players for each event on our website, so bettors can check ahead of time. Just like you’ll see in the likes of horse racing and US prop-bets, it’s all about the statistics – which is why we’ve emulated that by providing the same historical statistics for Esports players, and it’s proven incredibly popular.

Looking to the next 12 months, how would you forecast LatAm’s continued growth and what do you plan to bring to the table to support that?

The market is clearly opening up. There are plenty of new regions that are going to be regulated in the next year and we’re getting ready to support our partners there.

LatAm has always been treated as an emerging market, but the more it develops, the more regulation we see will ensure the market becomes more mature. This means we can expand our presence with the existing major players there and really start to capitalise on places like Brazil and Argentina.

We’re in close communication with the major local platform providers, so do stay tuned for plenty more from us!

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eSports

Esports Charts and GG.BET have presented an interactive map with data on tournaments around the world

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Esports Charts, an analytical service that analyzes esports viewership, has partnered up with betting brand GG.BET, to present Esports Map, an interactive map with data on the most popular esports tournaments in 110 different countries. Each tournament also comes with historical moments when favorites and outsiders unexpectedly switched places in the bracket.

The analytical service Esports Charts has added a new interactive tool to its website, the Esports Map. It features the most popular tournaments by country, as well as data on peak viewership, winners, and prize pools. It also contains information on the most popular games in each country. There are also separate analytics dedicated to the United States, with information available for each of the 50 states. Data has been collected for a period spanning from 2017 up to right now, and is continuously updated.

GG.BET, who partnered with the project, supplemented the tournament information with interesting facts about participating teams. The insights include historical breakthroughs by underdogs and unexpected losses by tournament favorites. The information is provided using past outright betting data.

Esports Map allows users to track the esports industry’s development in various parts of the world. For instance, although League of Legends remains the most popular game and the League of Legends World Championship has kept its spot as the top esports tournament for many years, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) is visibly closing the gap between the two games. Worlds 2024 in London had 6,856,769 peak viewers, breaking the world record among all esports games since 2017. However, MPL Indonesia’s Season 15 of MLBB has kept its place in the top spot for 2025, with 4,132,224 peak viewers. Today, MLBB remains the only mobile game capable of attracting such a massive audience, and its fan base is growing, especially in Southeast Asia. Analysts are looking forward to Worlds 2025 in China, which will allow them to update the available data and compare how different games are developing.

“Esports Map is a new project from Esports Charts, which we’ve launched alongside GG.BET as our first partner. We aimed to create a tool that would be interesting and useful to both fans and industry professionals. At its core lies Esports Charts’ analytics, supplemented by betting insights from GG.BET—covering everything from peak viewership and prize pools to discipline trends and stories of unexpected victories.. When combined, this data turns into a live snapshot of esports that can be tracked by country and region,” said Esports Charts’ press office.

“GG.BET regularly supports projects that help people understand esports at a greater depth. Esports Map provides an easy-to-understand visual representation of the industry’s progress in individual countries around the world and displays the breakdown of games by region. It will be of interest to fans and will prove useful to professionals who are developing the industry,” added GG.BET’s press office.

Esports Charts and GG.BET have previously worked together on an analytical project dedicated to the BLAST Premier 2024 season. That project displayed data on views, unique statistics about both the game and bets placed, an analytical breakdown of the season, and exclusive infographics on teams and players.

 

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eSports

Thunderpick Partners with Oddin.gg and Introduces BetPeek, First Fully Interactive Esports Viewing Platform

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Thunderpick, the leading esports betting platform, in partnership with Oddin.gg, a provider of end-to-end esports betting solutions, today announced the exclusive launch of BetPeek, a first-of-its-kind interactive esports viewing experience available only on Thunderpick.io.

While most esports streams today limit fans to static broadcast feeds and pre-selected camera angles, BetPeek flips the script. For the first time, viewers can control how they watch the action—transforming every match into a personalized, immersive event.

BetPeek’s key features include:

  • Follow Any Player – Switch instantly to the POV of any competitor on the server.

  • Dynamic Camera Control – Place the camera anywhere on the map for a unique vantage point.

  • X-Ray Vision – Unlock strategic insights by seeing what players can’t.

  • Play, Pause & Rewind – Revisit every clutch play with DVR-style controls.

  • Integrated Betting Tools – Access deeper context and analysis to inform smarter wagers.

“Traditional esports streams have barely evolved; they’re often one-size-fits-all broadcasts that leave fans wishing for more control,” said Kelly Sanders, Head of Strategy at Thunderpick. “BetPeek completely changes that. By putting fans in the driver’s seat, we’re delivering an esports experience that’s not just more engaging, but truly revolutionary for bettors and spectators alike.”

Why It Matters

Until now, esports fans had little choice beyond passively watching standard tournament streams or fragmented co-streams. BetPeek represents the next era: an interactive, on-demand, and bet-integrated platform unlike anything else in the industry. For bettors, this means unprecedented visibility into momentum shifts, rotations, and player form. For fans, it’s a chance to experience the match exactly how they want.

Exclusive to Thunderpick

BetPeek is available only on Thunderpick.io, reinforcing Thunderpick’s position as the most innovative esports betting destination worldwide. In partnership with Oddin.gg, a global leader in esports betting solutions, Thunderpick continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible in live, fan-first esports engagement.

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Global Esports Federation confirms program for Los Angeles 2026 Global Esports Games

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Global Esports Federation confirms program for Los Angeles 2026 Global Esports Games

 

The Global Esports Federation at its 16th Board Meeting approved the draft program for the Los Angeles 2026 Global Esports Games, to be held in December 2026. This follows the earlier announcement of Los Angeles as host city at a major ceremony hosted by Los Angeles Times Media Group Executive Chairman & CEO Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, and El Segundo Mayor Chris Pimentel—now marking a significant milestone on the road to GEF’s flagship event in the United States.

The GEF Board also unanimously elected Paul J. Foster as President of the Global Esports Federation. Paul, who is GEF Chief Executive Officer, was appointed President ad interim following the resignation of founding President Chris Chan in July, and now assumes the role of President & CEO through December 2027.

“I’m honored to be elected President of the Global Esports Federation at today’s Board Meeting. Together with our Member Federations and partners, we will champion inclusion, innovation, and sustainability—empowering athletes, embracing digital transformation, and strengthening the global credibility and prestige of esports for generations to come.” –Paul J. Foster, GEF President & CEO.

In addition, the GEF Board approved the establishment of frameworks to develop the esports ecosystem in the United States, anchored in Los Angeles. This initiative will strengthen the GEF’s connections with stakeholders worldwide and reinforce its mission to elevate esports for all.

The outcomes of GEF 16th Board Meeting reaffirm the GEF’s role as a convening platform, uniting athletes, publishers, Member Federations, and partners to power the future of esports globally.

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