Following Part 1’s assessment of the key occurrences in the eSports industry from a business perspective in the opening six months of 2015, here’s more of the same for the latter part of the year. August Ashton Kutcher became the latest high profile investor in eSports as he joined billionaire Mark Cuban in investing in Unikrn. Kutcher has a successful …
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Leading Southeast Asian payment services provider 2C2P has signed a strategic partnership with advanced payment technologies firm SafeCharge International Group Ltd. This is a major deal in that it will enable Southeast Asian retailers and brands access to the European and North American B2C e-commerce markets worth a combined $985bn (£670bn) annually. The terms of the partnership has seen both companies integrate each …
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In an interview with Fortune Mark Cuban, US businessman and investor, stated his belief that the USA will legalise sports betting. When quizzed on the recent, and ongoing, investigations into the legality of daily fantasy sports firms such as FanDuel and DraftKings, Cuban said that he believes it is “inevitable” that gambling will be legalised. He added: “It will take …
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Global gaming group Webis Holdings PLC has revealed that it is in talks with the Hong Kong Jockey Club to extend the partnership between the two organisations. In an AGM announcement, where it detailed that all resolutions at its latest annual general meeting were passed, Webis said that its US racing subsisdiary, WatchandWager.com LLC, is in advanced negotiations with Hong …
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According to a report by eSports Observer, Activision Blizzard has acquired the vast majority of Major League Gaming’s assets in a deal believed to be worth $46m (£31.1m). This would essentially mean the end of Major League Gaming, at least in its current form. MLG was once the biggest eSports company in North America though it suffered a recent blow …
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It has been reported that Betfair it is to withdraw its services from Canada with near immediate effect; all services will be concluded by January 14th. The gambling operator sent out an email during the Christmas period to its customers informing them that residents of Canada would no longer be allowed to place bets, and that gaming services would also be blocked. No …
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It has been reported that Tabcorp was banned from taking bets on the UFC 193 event in Melbourne in November by Victoria’s gambling regulator. The ban arrived amid warnings that UFC was vulnerable to money laundering by figures in organised crime and corruption. This became the first time that the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation had refused an …
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2015 looked set to be a big year for eSports, but on many accounts it ended up being somewhat larger than many anticipated. Viewer numbers increased, both live and online, with 36 million tuning into the League of Legends World Championship final whilst tournament prize pools also grew. The prize pool for the International Dota 2 tournament this year was $18m …
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British horseracing has announced an exclusive domestic TV rights deal with ITV which will commence from January 1st 2017. Following the completion of the tender process, the four year deal will see the broadcaster show almost 100 days of racing per year with a minimum of 34 on ITV’s main channel. The races will include Cheltenham Festival, the Crabbie’s Grand National …
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A new year means a new edition of Celebrity Big Brother. This will be the seventeenth series. With January bringing the inevitable post-Christmas blues, taking a punt on which celebrity will win the Big Brother gong is one potential cure. Ladbrokes has Scarlett Moffatt, of Gogglebox fame, as the favourite to win at 7/2 whilst the likes of Dapper Laughs, Spencer Matthews and …
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