From sponsorships to industry-wide announcements, Insider Sport has you covered when it comes to the world of esports.
This week’s edition highlights the latest developments including esports accounting for about half of the total 90 incidents of suspicious betting alerts, according to the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA).
IBIA: Esports contributes to half of 90 betting alerts for Q2
In Q2 2024, the IBIA reported 90 suspicious betting alerts to the authorities.
This represents a 3% decrease from the 93 alerts in Q1 but an 80% rise from the 50 alerts reported in Q2 2023, according to the IBIA. The majority of the Q2 cases (84%) were related to esports, football and table tennis, with esports alone accounting for about 50% of the total 90 incidents.
In terms of regions, Europe reported 19 alerts in Q2, up from just four in Q1. Despite this increase, it’s still a notable year-on-year decrease from the 31 cases recorded in Q2 2023. Poland led the EU with the highest number of cases, totalling six alerts.
Khalid Ali, IBIA CEO, said: “An increase in the Q2 and revised Q1 alerts compared to previous quarters is primarily related to a linked case in esports. The situation is being monitored closely and heightened vigilance advocated as we seek to work with stakeholders to investigate.
“While the increase in alerts may understandably draw attention, it should be noted that esports saw a significant reduction in annual alerts across IBIA’s membership in 2023.
“The case again highlights the importance and effectiveness of customer account monitoring in the detection of suspicious betting and the protection of sporting events, consumers and regulated betting markets.”
EFL launches new fantasy football league game ‘Fantasy EFL’
The English Football League (EFL) and Genius Sports have officially launched a fantasy game, enabling players to choose from over 2,000 players across 72 teams.
Fantasy EFL will officially commence for the 2024/25 season, which kicks off 10 August and lasts throughout the entirety of the season ending 3 May.
Players will now be able to access Fantasy EFL by downloading a new app from the iOS and Android stores. Users can pick up to seven players from across the three EFL leagues to make their fantasy league team each gameweek.
EFL Chief Executive, Trevor Birch, said: “We’re very excited to bring the EFL’s first fantasy football game to life as a central product that engages not only with supporters of all 72 EFL clubs but also the wider football audience.
“We’ve interrogated research into what fans would want out of an EFL fantasy football game and been strategic in providing a product that isn’t just a copy of what is already in the market.
Genius Sports helped the EFL co-launch Fantasy EFL as one of the leading sports data and technology companies that has partnerships with a range of sports leagues and teams.
Genius Sports Chief Partnerships Officer, Steven Burton added: “Fantasy EFL is unique, interactive, and fun and Genius Sports is delighted to deliver this exciting new game for the EFL and its Member clubs.
“This new game will test fans’ knowledge of both teams and individual players while providing them with a platform to compete with their friends and family every week.”
Neymar and Jota champion esports at Esports World Cup
Footballers Neymar and Diogo Jota were among the crowds at the inaugural Esports World Cup in Riyadh last Sunday (21 July).
The Liverpool striker and former Paris Saint-Germain winger attended the Saudi-hosted event, which Jota described as a “truly amazing experience”.
Launched this year, the Esports World Cup features a unique cross-game structure pitting the world’s top clubs and players against one another across 22 global competitions in 21 leading games.
Boasting a prize pool of $60m – the largest in the history of esports – the tournament has caught the attention of not only the esports sector, but the sporting world. A wide array of brands partnered with the competition, which was streamed on DAZN.
Neymar, who now plays for Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League, attended the event to watch the Counter-Strike 2 finals and to meet HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, Chairman of the Saudi Esports Federation (SEF).
Fellow footballer Jota also took time before his season with Liverpool starts in August to watch participants battle it out. The Premier League player is an avid gamer and Twitch streamer, who also owns an esports team of his own, Luna Galaxy.
Commenting on the event, Jota said: “Being here at the inaugural Esports World Cup is a truly amazing experience. The organisation and scale behind this event are truly impressive, even more than I anticipated. I’ve always believed in the potential of esports, even before starting my own team, and EWC is proof that this scene is evolving rapidly.
“This level of investment and infrastructure is exactly what esports needs to grow and reach a wider audience. I’m excited to see how EWC continues to evolve and push the boundaries of competitive gaming.”
Navi joins forces with Visa to create CS2 esports pathway
Ukrainian esports organisation Natus Vincere (NAVI) has teamed up with Visa to launch NAVI Visa Academy, a new esports academy aimed at young players.
The academy aims to offer young talents a gateway into Counter-Strike 2 esports, with the top performers advancing to NAVI’s Berlin boot camp, and the opportunity to join NAVI Youth.
The academy features three main stages. Initially, NAVI players and coaches will select the most talented candidates from all applications for a three-week online competition. The top 10 players from this stage will then participate in a two-week boot camp at NAVI’s Berlin office, receiving training from an experienced academy coach.
Finally, the top five players from the project will be invited to join NAVI Youth and become part of the club.
To apply, candidates must be between 14 and 17 years old, have at least a B1 level of English proficiency, be free of any existing contracts with other clubs, and hold an ELO rating of over 2,600 on FACEIT, a measurement of a player’s skill level.
The company’s youth system has been praised globally for its excellence, having produced top players like Ilya ‘m0NESY’ Osipov and Valerij ‘b1t’ Vakhovsjkyj, both of whom emerged from the NAVI academy.
NAVI and Visa will also share updates on the project’s progress through social media, including exclusive videos highlighting the players as the academy develops.
