Central America
USA Basketball E-National Team Wins FIBA Esports Open North and Central America Conference Championship
The 2020 USA Basketball E-National Team (7-1) earned a pair of hard-fought victories in the best-of-three grand finals to claim the series 2-0 lead over Dominican Republic (5-3) and earn the inaugural FIBA Esports Open II North and Central America Conference championship on Sunday evening. The USA rallied back from a 12-0 deficit to earn a 48-45 victory in the first game of the Finals and held off the Dominicans in the second game 60-56.
USA team captain JBM (John ‘Jack’ Mascone/Wizards District Gaming) earned conference MVP honors after averaging 19.5 points and 7.0 assists in the two finals games.
āThereās not really a word to put on it,ā said the MVP about how it felt to win the championship. āTo carry USA Basketballās reputation and to win, to win those nail-biters, to fight after losing that first game, these guys really had my back. I was super demoralized after that first game and all six of my teammates brought an energy that I didnāt have after that game. We were able to carry on and this is awesome. This is what itās about. This is what we practiced for, itās been a month that went into this ā preparing the team, getting closer to each other and to be resilient like that. Itās all been worth it.ā
In addition to JBM, the seven-member USA E-National Team included: ALittleLady87 (Wendi Fleming/BallHerAlert); Crush (Rafel Davis/Kings Guard Gaming); Kenny Got Work (Kenneth Hailey/Raptors Uprising GC) OriginalMalik (Malik Hobson/Knicks Gaming); Ramo (Ramo Radoncic/Pistons GT); and Ria (Spencer Wyman/Jazz Gaming).
Dominican Republic raced out to a 12-0 lead in the first game, but the U.S. rallied and trailed 29-21 at the half and 36-31 heading into the fourth quarter. JBM, who scored eight points through the first three periods, knocked down 10 points in the fourth quarter, including eight-straight to put the red, white and blue up by three, 44-41. The islanders hit back-to-back buckets to pull ahead 45-44 with 36 seconds remaining. However, after the U.S. put up two points with 20.4 left on the clock, Ria calmly stepped to the line to virtually ice the 48-45 victory with a pair of free throws. The Dominicans were unable to score over the final 13 seconds, and the U.S. held on for the win.
JBM finished with a game-high of 18 points and six assists, Ramo netted 17 points and Ria scored eight points and hauled in a game-best 10 rebounds.
āIām pretty sure that I can speak on behalf of our entire team that the best moment was definitely the finals,ā declared Ramo. āEvery game against the D.R., the intensity stepped up. I could hear everyoneās attention after every single play, you just feel it. One stop, next play, one stop, next play, everybodyās hyped and talking every single play. Honestly, I canāt wait to have that gold medal around my neck.ā
The second contest was equally as hard fought, with the USA owning a 16-13 edge at the end of the first quarter. A 10-0 burst from the Dominicans to open the second quarter helped launch the opponents to a 32-26 halftime lead. After the Dominicans hit a 3 to start the second half, the USA hit four 3s in a 14-2 run to go back up, 40-37. From there, the teams traded baskets, and a 3-pointer by KennyGotWork at the buzzer lifted the North Americans to 48-46 heading into the final period. The U.S. went up by four points, 52-48, at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but the Dominicans rallied back with eight-consecutive points and with 1:10 remaining in the game, led 56-52. Eleven seconds later, Ria made a traditional three-point play followed by a defensive stop on the other end and KennyGotWork netted a 3 to give the USA a 58-56 lead with 23 seconds to play. After a tied-up ball, the USA won the jump and Ria was fouled with less than 10 seconds to play. He again stepped to the line and swished in both of his attempts, and the USA closed out the game with the 60-56 victory.
In the second clash against Dominican Republic, JBM shot 7-of-10 from 3 point and finished with team-highs of 23 points and eight assists, KennyGotWork scored 21 points and Ria finished with a double-double of 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
Earlier in the day, the USA sailed to a 121-15 victory over Costa Rica (1-5) to close out preliminary round play with a 5-1 slate. Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico also finished round-robin play with 5-1 records and based on FIBAās tie-breaking formula, the Dominicans finished first, the USA in second and Puerto Rico was third in the standings.
āThe game against Dominican Republic (the USAās 60-57 overtime win on Saturday in the preliminary round), where we came back in overtime and Kenny hit those shots, that was probably one of my favorite moments,ā remarked ALittleLady87. āAnd right now, with the championship.ā
This tournament marked the second edition of the FIBA Esports Open, the first of which took place in June and included five conferences featuring 114 gamers from 17 national federations. The FIBA Esports Open II field expanded to 38 national teams in seven regional conferences.
Each national team consisted of up to seven players, five on the court and two reserves. Games were played remotely on NBA 2K21 using the Pro-AM mode and allowing for customization of gamer avatars and uniforms.
As was the case for the inaugural FIBA Esports Open, this entire series was produced from the FIBA Esports Studio in Riga, Latvia, with 54 hours of live content being streamed on FIBA’s Facebook, Twitch and YouTube channels. Each game was available online with live commentary in English, as well as a daily show featuring up to 12 games.
Hotel Las Americas is preparing to witness one of the most important events in the industry from April 9-11, when the GAT Expo opens its doors in one of the world’s paradisiacal destinations. As a platinum sponsor of the event, NOVOMATIC Gaming Colombia and executives of Group subsidiaries in Ecuador and Peru promise a first-class product portfolio where style, functionality, and design blend seamlessly.
Strategically located at the main entrance of the exhibition center, NOVOMATIC will be the epicenter of innovation and entertainment with its exclusive BLACK EDITION II series of cabinets combined with the new state-of-the-art Linked Progressive Jackpots: BLACK EDITION II 3.32 with NOVO LINEā¢ GOLDEN LINKā¢ Edition 1, the MASTER SLā¢ 3.32 with Superia GOLDEN LINKā¢ Volume 1 and the BLACK EDITION II 3.27 with IMPERA LINKā¢ Series 2.
NOVOMATIC will also be presenting the renowned DIAMOND Xā¢ 2.32 in an elegant Black Metro finish with the Linked Progressive CASH CONNECTIONā¢ Edition 4. Also on display will be the FUNMASTER 2.27 cabinet, known in the region for its exceptional price-performance ratio, showcased in combination with the Linked Progressive Superia GOLDEN LINKā¢ Volume 1 and the new NOVO LINEā¢ Interactive Edition X4 multi-game library.
Biometric technology improves the management of gaming arcades
Another highlight will be the innovative NOVOVISIONā¢ management system. Launched with great success at the last event, this solution will once again impress visitors with its state-of-the-art gaming floor management and administration features, as well as its revolutionary biometric access and payment solutions. One more product showcase will be the 5-seat Optimum Roulette, designed with a compact approach to maximize entertainment on any floor without compromising the gaming experience.
“GAT Expo is celebrating its 25th anniversary and the event is a milestone in the Colombian market. We are very proud of the journey we have traveled so far, and we could not miss the opportunity to accompany the GAT team in this special edition,” says Manuel Del Sol, CEO of NOVOMATIC Gaming Colombia. “At NOVOMATIC we believe in building and improving the industry as a whole and that is why we actively participate in the trade shows. I take this opportunity to invite all operators and business partners to visit us at booth #A25!”
Don’t miss this unique experience at GAT Expo at Hotel Las Americas in Cartagena de Indias, where innovation and excitement come together to shape the future of gaming entertainment ā book your appointments and join us from April 9-11, 2024!
Central America
Continent 8 Technologies expands with strategic sales professionals focusing on South/Central American markets
Sebastian Fernandez and Luana Monje join the global digital infrastructure provider to drive further strategic efforts in the region
Continent 8 Technologies continues to grow its global commercial team following the appointment of Sebastian Fernandez and Luana Monje as Sales Executives.
Sebastian will be based out of Buenos Aires in Argentina and joins Continent 8 from IT giant Dell Technologies, where he spent more than 12 years across several roles including a Senior Systems Engineer and most recently Account Executive.
Luana comes to Continent 8 from AWS (Amazon Web Services) where she held the role of Demand Generation Representative. Based in Sao Paulo, Brazil, she has a deep understanding of the region which has just passed legislation to legalise online sports betting and casino.
Both Sebastian and Luana will be responsible for nurturing relationships with Continent 8ās existing Latin American customers, helping them to maximise the potential of its solutions and services from cloud hosting and connectivity to layered cybersecurity.
They will also support new customers looking to make a move in the region, particularly Brazil which is expected to generate approximately $2.6bn per year (gross gaming revenue) by 2026 according to KPMG. Continent 8 will be live in Brazil to support customers with its full suite of solutions in the coming months.
Brian Koh, Chief Commercial Officer at Continent 8 Technologies, said: āI would like to extend a very warm welcome to Sebastian and Luana who join Continent 8 at a pivotal time for the LATAM gambling market.
āLatin America is a thriving market with a lot of latent potential, something that the opening of Brazil will help to unlock. We are well positioned to help customers looking to launch into this market, and Luana will undoubtedly play a significant role in ensuring they go live with the best infrastructure and security in place.ā
Sebastian Fernandez, Sales Executive at Continent 8 Technologies, added: āIām excited to be joining the Continent 8 team and to bring over a decade of IT experience to this role. This is an incredibly exciting region with huge potential on the table, but organisations must have the right infrastructure in place if they are to maximise the opportunity. This is something that Continent 8 is renowned for, and we look forward to working with businesses across the region.ā
Luana Monje, Sales Executive at Continent 8 Technologies, added: āI couldnāt ask for a better start to the year. I look forward to sharing my AWS expertise and knowledge of the LatAm market with the team and of course our customers.ā
ACR Pokerās flagship Online Super Series returns for two weeks from February 12th – 26th with more than $16 million up for grabs for online poker players in the U.S. and beyond. Included is $1.5 million combined for the two Main Events on February 25th and a $630 multi-flight tournament starting February 11th that guarantees $1 million.
The series has attractive tournaments at a range of buy-in levels that cater to all bankrolls, including a special $109 Mystery Bounty event guaranteeing $750,000 in addition to the regular monthly $2.50 and $16.50 Mystery Bounty events, guaranteeingĀ $75,000 and $200,000 respectively.
āItās always exciting to play in the OSS and this series is offering seriously high guarantees on a range of buy-in levels, so there really is something for everyone,ā said ACR Pro Chris Moneymaker.
Players will also be able to compete against each other for more than $30,000 of additional cash prizes and Venom tournament tickets on three series leaderboards. Tournaments with buy-ins starting at $104.50 will be eligible for the high leaderboard, tournaments with buy-ins from $16.50 to $88 will count towards the medium leaderboard and events with buy-ins at $11 and under will contribute to points on the low leaderboard.
Moneymaker went on to note that the Venom PKO tournament offered players even more opportunities for big poker action, having exceeded its $5 million guarantee by more than $2 million, resulting in a final prize pool of $7 million.
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