Esports

ESPORTS BETTING OPERATOR LUCKBOX TO LIST ON TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE TODAY

Published

6 years ago

December 16, 2020

Esports betting operator Luckbox is set to start trading on the TSX Venture Exchange in Toronto today.

Luckbox’s parent company, Real Luck Group Ltd, is due to make its public market debut on Wednesday, 16 December, at 2.30pm GMT / 9.30am ET / 6.30am PT under the ticker “LUCK”.

The milestone is quite an achievement for the Isle of Man-based operator, which accepted its first bet just 20 months ago, and has witnessed incredible growth – especially since the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a worldwide boom in video gaming and esports.

In fact, although Twitch saw its viewed hours increase 50% quarter-on-quarters to 5 billion in the second quarter of 2020, and Facebook saw its viewership rocket 75% over the same period, Luckbox reported a 500% increase in turnover during the spring lockdown.

Reflecting on 2020, Luckbox CEO Quentin Martin, said:

“The massive potential of esports is well documented and late last year PwC cited esports as having higher growth potential than any other sport. That was before we knew about Covid, of course, and the events of 2020 have put esports in sharper focus. Many who weren’t paying attention certainly are now.

“We’re at the forefront of the esports betting sector and we’ve seen first hand the impact it’s had on esports betting. It’s been huge – a large part of our reasoning to go public this year was the acceleration we saw during lockdown.

“We saw a massive spike in players moving from betting on sports to betting on esports and, encouragingly, we managed to lock up some 75% of the gains we made. We have clear evidence that players who tried esports betting for the first time enjoyed it and stuck with us.

“I think another indication of esports’ shift into the mainstream was our EGR Award in November. The EGR Operator Awards are the Oscars of the betting industry and for us, an esports-dedicated platform, to be named Rising Star shows that the egaming world is taking esports seriously and accepts it is very much a vertical to watch.”

Looking ahead, Martin pointed out that most of Luckbox’s growth so far had been organic, and there was huge potential now for growth through marketing. Specifically, the company will be focusing on content marketing, affiliates, influencers, and direct media, and strengthening its marketing team with more key hires.

He also highlighted plans to launch sports betting, work on a casino offering, and bring odds compilation in-house, possible through a merger or acquisition.

AYO.NEWS says:

It’s been a crazy year for everyone involved in esports, video gaming, and online casino, with business in pretty much all verticals, except traditional sports betting, seeing significant growth as consumers looked for ways to entertain themselves in the face of lockdowns, travel restrictions, and the closure of real-world entertainment venues.

Now, as we are poised to begin 2021, it’s looking increasingly likely that the much touted COVID-19 vaccines won’t be a silver bullet solution, and that disruption from the pandemic will last well into the new year and possibly beyond.

Of course, on the face of it, this looks great for esports, video gaming, and online casino, and very likely it will be another good year overall. However, operators should bear in mind one important difference; for most of 2020, in the developed world at least, governments have been subsidising populations and businesses, sheltering them from the economic fallout of the crisis. However, this is clearly unsustainable in the long-term, and many programs are now being withdrawn.

Will the online businesses that thrived during the 2020 crisis find that consumers have a lot less disposable income in 2021?

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates.

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020.

Esports

LEXUS SUPPORTS ESPORTS AWARDS FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE YEAR

Published

5 years ago

October 29, 2021

AYO News Staff

Luxury carmaker Lexus is returning to support the Esports Awards for a third year running

As Official Auto Partner of the awards, the company will be working with the Esports Awards on a number of activations that incorporate their vehicles. Lexus will also sponsor both the Esports Organisation of the Year and Streamer of the Year awards.

Lexus made its esports debut with the Esports Awards in 2019, when it provided several supercars from blockbuster movies, which took centre stage at the Esports Stadium Arlington. Last year, the carmaker collaborated on exclusive content as part of the highly successful virtual ceremony.

“It’s an honour to be able to welcome Lexus as a partner for the third year in a row. After supporting us through a successful virtual ceremony last year, it speaks volumes that Lexus has once again committed to going all-in and driving the esports ecosystem forward. Both of our brands focus on prestige and excellence, and I look forward to showcases our joint values as we return to a physical event in November,” said Michael Ashford, Managing Director, Esports Awards.

Esports

REKTGLOBAL BRINGS TOP GAMING TALENT TO INFINITY FESTIVAL 2021

Published

5 years ago

October 29, 2021

AYO News Staff

ReKTGlobal, the digital entertainment and esports organization, has been named one of the official presenters of gaming content at the 2021 Infinity Festival.

On 3 November, superstar gaming creators Ally Battaggia (a.k.a TheGeekEntry) and Gabby Murray will join Stove’s Kitchen and Paul Shaw in a panel exploring the content creator economy. In addition, ReKTGlobal CCO Kevin Knocke will share his unique expertise in a panel on esports.

Battaggia, who has a growing following across social media, took on streaming during lockdown, joining the fan-favorite NoPIxel GTA RP server. Since then, she’s become a mainstay participant, even crafting a NFT/TCG collection from her beloved GTA RP character. With 9.6M social media followers, Murray has built a fanbase as a multi-talented lifestyle and gaming content creator, with a Discord community that is expanding by the day.

Top gaming creator Stove’s Kitchen (whose real name is Steven Cho), part of the Team RAR (Rare and Ridiculous) internet group, has a devout fan following on his YouTube channel, where he posts gaming and challenge videos. Meanwhile, Shaw oversees Special Projects at TalentX Entertainment, a subsidiary of ReKTGlobal. The four will join forces for Making a Living as a Content Creator: Much More Than Gaming — a panel that explores what sets livestream content monetization and strategy apart from pre-produced content.

Also on 3 November, Knocke will take part in an esports panel with Darin Kwilinski, Lead Content Producer at IGN Entertainment, and Amanda Solomon, CEO at Tyrus Talent Management. The panel, Esports or Esports? Does It Matter? will break down misconceptions about esports to separate the hype from actual substance.

Knocke, who has been competitively gaming since he was a kid, has years of involvement with high profile companies and events in the esports business – specifically Blizzard Entertainment, IGN, SiriusXM, Sony, South by Southwest, E3, PAX, and Ubisoft — giving him a broad perspective on the industry. Before joining IGN, Kwilinski, a lifelong gamer, was a senior editor for esports at ESPN, establishing its vision and voice. Solomon is an executive with a well of expertise in the strategic sales and partnerships realm, specializing in esports, gaming, and talent.

Now in its exciting fourth year, the forward-focused Infinity Festival is the place where Hollywood meets Silicon Valley. The multi-day annual event, held in Los Angeles, brings together Hollywood’s finest storytelling talent with the innovative creators of cutting-edge technology. For 2021, Infinity Festival will blend in-person and virtual events for a unique hybrid experience.

The in-person portion will be held in several adjacent Hollywood locations with most events happening at Goya Studios and the Dream Hotel; the online component will be presented through the easy-to-use FNvirtual event platform. The festival will continue its theme of “Story Enabled by Technology” with an entirely new slate of innovative programming, including industry-leading speakers, panel discussions, an exhibition hall, innovation labs, and a fine art gallery, each with an emerging-tech focus.

For tickets and additional information, visit infinityfestival.com.

Esports

TEAM SINGULARITY TO LAUNCH FAN TOKENS VIA BLOCKSPORT

Published

5 years ago

October 29, 2021

AYO News Staff

Danish esports organisation Team Singularity has extended its partnership with Swiss fan engagement platform Blocksport.

The multi-year agreement will see the launch of the $SNG Fan Token, giving holders access to unique opportunities to influence team-related decisions, enter the fast-track at SNG Academy, access exclusive content, train with professional esports athletes and more.

$SNG Fan Tokens are expected to launch in December 2021 with a supply of 3M, and will be priced at €1 each in the initial sale.

Commenting on the news, Atle S. Stehouwer, CEO and Founder of Team Singularity, said: “I am happy that our partnership with Blocksport is officially extended and we can finally announce the next step in our collaboration.”

Vladimir Liulka, CEO and Co-Founder of Blocksport, added: “We are happy to extend our exclusive partnership with Team Singularity and launch $SNG Fan Token for their fans. Singularity has a global and awesome fan community. The Token opens up a new world – an environment in which they have the chance to be very close to their favorites players and team”.

Team Singularity currently fields rosters in CS:GO, Fortnite, Rocket League, League of Legends, FIFA, Apex Legends, Rainbow Six, VALORANT, Free Fire, Teamfight Tactics, Hearthstone, Quake, League of Legends Wild Rift, Call of Duty, Call of Duty Mobile, Call of Duty Warzone, PUBG, PUBG Mobile, DOTA 2, Overwatch, Heroes of the Storm, Battalion 1944, H1Z1, Tekken7, Rogue Company, Brawlhalla, and Clash Royale. In addition to Blocksport, the organisation has commercial partnerships with PWC, Pluck GG, Raven, SCUF, KontrolFreek, Randers FC, Esportal, Challengermode, MYESPORTSCARD, and MYFUTCARD.

Staying with esports and Blocksport.io, just yesterday we reported the platform had partnered with Jordanian sim motorsports organisation Desert Fox Racing.