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Football for Friendship holds expert discussion on sports development during pandemic
Experts of the international online discussion “Motivation and training in the context of the pandemic: the impact of Internet technologies on sports” reached the mutual conclusion that the pandemic will boost the development of e-sports and broaden the way sports are perceived in the world. It’s expected that the existing trend will strengthen: over the past 3-4 years, the audience of e-sports events has grown 5-6 times.
The discussion was initiated by the Gazprom International Children’s Social Programme Football for Friendship, which has, for the first time, brought the entire season online in 2020. Meanwhile, the annual World Championship for Young Participants from more than 100 countries is held in the new football simulator Football for Friendship World. In the future, the app will become a gaming platform where anyone can train, join mixed international teams, and play their favorite game in the Football for Friendship format without leaving the comfort of home.
The guest experts — football players and e-sports players — shared their views on how the pandemic is affecting the training process, and whether e-sports will be able to fully replace traditional sports in the future. Alexey Smertin, adviser to the President of the Russian Football Union and Ambassador of the Football for Friendship programme, and Alexandra Kosteniuk, grandmaster, three-times winner of the World Chess Olympiads, and European Chess Champion, spoke about the impact of the pandemic on professional sports. Igor Bugaenko, head of the Special Projects Department of the Russian eSports Federation (RESF), spoke about the development of Russian e-sports. The discussion was attended by representatives of FC Schalke 04: head of the e-sports division Tim Reichert, League of Legends coach Dylan Falco, and professional FIFA player Tim Schwartmann (“Tim Latka”). The discussion was moderated by Euronews TV host Andy Robini.
Igor Bugaenko expressed his conviction that the pandemic can also have a positive impact on sports: “Despite the cancellation of many offline sporting events, we are doing our best to maintain the quality and spirit of the competitions that are currently held online. The pandemic has affected how people spend their free time. I think the main achievement of this period has been to broaden the way sports are perceived, enabling people to re-evaluate the role of e-sports in the world”. The expert also noted that Russia was one of the first countries to officially recognize e-sports. According to Bugaenko, in the last 3-4 years alone, the audience of e-sports events has grown 5-6 times.
However, according to Alexey Smertin, e-sports are hard to compare to traditional sports, with their “physical overcoming of oneself, pain and hard-to-achieve results”. On the other hand, if we take a professional approach, in both traditional and e-sports it’s important to focus on achieving results; so, in this sense, there’s no difference between them.
Tim Schwartmann (Tim Latka) has a similar view: “If young people want to be successful — be it in e-sports or traditional football — they have to work hard, train a lot for the game, and never rest on their laurels”.
Today, many football clubs are developing e-sports as a separate area. “In recent years, the popularity of e-sports has become evident. By investing time and effort into developing e-sports, we hope to establish a dialogue with the younger generation of football fans”, explains Tim Reichert, head of FC Schalke 04’s e-sports division. Reichert expects that self-isolation will accelerate the merging process of traditional and digital sports several-fold. In his opinion, e-sports and traditional sports already have many things in common: league structures, competitions, psychological demands for players, and regular training.
Alexandra Kosteniuk noted that the past months have become a landmark in the history of sport: “The pandemic has opened up a real Pandora’s box for chess players: if earlier, part of our competitions were already being held online, now it’s the most convenient format for both the audience and participants”. As she explains, the pandemic has stimulated an increased interest in online competitions over the past few months, “even in the case of chess, which is not the most popular sport among viewers, not to mention the world of e-sports in general”.
About the programme:
The International Children’s Social Programme Football for Friendship is implemented by Gazprom since 2013. Over the previous seven seasons, the programme has united over 6 000 participants from 211 countries and regions and over 5 000 000 supporters.
Young Players and Young Journalists are the participants of the programme – boys and girls aged 12 including children with disabilities. Young Players represent different countries and cultures united in the mixed teams. They show that nationality, gender, and physical abilities aren’t a barrier to becoming a team. Young Journalists cover the events of the programme in the International Children’s Press Center. All participants become Young Ambassadors of the programme and continue to share their Football for Friendship experience and promote universal human values: friendship, equality, fairness, health, peace, devotion, victory, traditions, and honour.
UEFA, FIFA, football federations and the world’s leading football clubs, international charity foundations, famous athletes, politicians, and artists support Football for Friendship. The project has received multiple national and international awards in the field of social responsibility, sports, and communications, including the world record for the most nationalities in a football training session in history.
In 2020, Football for Friendship will be held in the online format. A special digital platform will unite over 10 000 players of all ages. It will become the home for international children’s competitions and a playground where anyone will be able to train, join into the international mixed teams and play their favourite game in the Football for Friendship format without leaving the comfort of their home.
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Ines Ledo, BetBrothers: “Our Content Philosophy Is Built on Quality, Value, and Responsibility”

We sat down with Ines Ledo, Content Lead at BetBrothers.es, to discuss the core principles behind BetBrothers’ content strategy, and what it takes to create a trusted resource for the Spanish betting community.
Ines, please share with us how you first became involved in the sports betting industry, and what led you to your current role as Content Lead at BetBrothers.es?
I started more than five years ago as a content writer, focusing on online casinos and sports betting. From the beginning, I really enjoyed the industry, and over time, I started managing content and leading a team of writers in another top affiliate project in Spain. That experience gave me a wider understanding of how the industry works, and especially, how important content is in the iGaming world. Exceptional content is a force driving engagement and market differentiation.
Now, as a Content Lead at BetBrothers, my mission is to channel all that experience into an ambitious vision. Here, we are aiming to create the most trusted resource for the Spanish betting community. This means going beyond surface-level information and entertainment. Our content is built around three key pillars — quality, value, and responsibility. It is created to help our users enjoy sports betting as a safe and fun form of entertainment.
Can you tell us about your core content philosophy and how it differentiates BetBrothers.es from other affiliates in Spain?
Over the years, I’ve seen how content has become less personal. Today, many articles sound the same, like they’re made in a factory, without real experiences or useful information for the user.
At BetBrothers, we want to do the opposite. We believe in authentic content, written by real people who test betting sites and online casinos. They don’t just look around. They deposit, they play, they interact with customer support, they research the terms and conditions, and then they compare these experiences, sharing their personal perspectives.
We’re user-first, always. Our philosophy is to provide real value to the user with our content, with responsibility as a basis, as we aim to contribute to creating a safer and more enjoyable betting environment for our readers. That commitment to honesty, authenticity and responsible betting is what makes us different.
How do you balance creating evergreen content (like guides) with timely, event-driven betting tips, especially considering the dynamic Spanish sports calendar?
Balancing evergreen and timely content is indeed a basis of our strategy. We do it through good planning and efficient team management.
On one hand, we have stable content like operator reviews and how-to guides on betting strategies — this is the foundation of the project. Such content educates users, provides lasting value, and forms the backbone of our search engine presence.
On the other hand, we produce daily betting tips from our sports experts. These bring dynamic elements to our content and keep users engaged on a daily basis. Our experts have truckloads of experience, some of them are sports analysts with deep statistical knowledge of specific leagues. So for us it’s also an opportunity to showcase our analytical capabilities.
Both types of content are equally important: one provides lasting value, the other keeps the user connected and engaged day by day.
Many affiliates diversify traffic sources. Beyond organic search, what other marketing channels are you exploring for BetBrothers.es?
Organic traffic, born from deep and useful content we provide, is definitely very valuable both for us and our partners. It’s the validation of value we deliver to users searching for information. However, we are actively expanding our reach.
Social media is already a key element of our multi-channel strategy. It’s a great way to build presence, engage in meaningful conversations with the users, and develop a community around our products.
We believe video content will become more and more important in the future too. It allows for richer, more engaging storytelling, and helps us build deeper connections with our audience. Our philosophy is simple: meet users where they are, and connect with them beyond Google.
From your perspective, how has player behavior in the Spanish sports betting market evolved over the past few years, and how is BetBrothers.es adapting its content to meet these changing needs?
Today’s users are much more demanding, that’s for sure. They have more information, they compare everything available to them, and they look for real product value — both in the bookmakers and in the websites they visit. At BetBrothers.es, we thrive in this environment.
We don’t just repeat what everyone else says or does. Instead, we focus on creating useful content, replying to the questions readers may have, explaining complex features in a clear and easy way, test the products and give an opinion based on real experience.
Also, we put a big emphasis on responsible gambling by offering practical advice. We do that, as we believe this is an essential part of the value we should provide to the betting community.
Looking ahead, what are the key strategic priorities for BetBrothers.es in the next 12-18 months to continue its growth and strengthen its position in the Spanish market?
For the next 12-18 months, our goal is to find the perfect balance between three non-negotiable pillars: useful and high-quality content, a user experience adapted to today’s standards — especially on mobile — and a strong focus on safe and responsible gambling.
Our ultimate aim is for every BetBrothers visitor to instantly feel that they are at the most trusted sports betting hub in Spain. A place where they’ll find clear, honest and helpful information to make informed and enjoyable betting decisions.
The post Ines Ledo, BetBrothers: “Our Content Philosophy Is Built on Quality, Value, and Responsibility” appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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About 59% of Germans Aged 6-69 Play Video Games

About 59% of people aged 6 to 69 in Germany play video games. Overall, the number of players in the country has risen significantly in the last several years. Across all age groups, some 37.5 million Germans – more than ever before – play video games on consoles, PCs and smartphones. This represents an increase of around 9% in the number of players since 2020. These are the new figures released by game – the German Games Industry Association, based on data collected by YouGov.
The development among players over 60 is especially dynamic, with this group having grown from 6.4 to 7.7 million in just 12 months. The growth in the proportion of older gamers is partly due to the fact that many gamers have been playing games for decades. On the other hand, more and more older people are discovering the joy of video games. Thus the trend of recent years continues, with the average age of German players also surpassing 39 for the first time – rising from 38.2 in 2023 to 39.5 in 2024. In total, 8 in 10 players in Germany (79%) are over 18 years old. With regard to the gender of players in Germany, the distribution has remained balanced in the last several years, at around 48% women and 52% men.
“Games fascinate millions of people in Germany – young and old, women and men. The majority of Germans have been playing games for a long time and the number is increasing. The steadily rising average age of gamers is also exciting: we are fast approaching the age of 40. This makes clear what still surprises many people: whether they are 17 or 70, games inspire people of all ages and the proportion of older players is growing particularly strongly,” said Felix Falk, Managing Director of game – The German Games Industry Association.
After attaining unprecedented heights in recent years, the German games market saw a dip in its growth trajectory in 2024. Last year, sales revenue from games, gaming hardware and online gaming services in Germany totalled 9.4 billion euros – a 6% drop from the year before. This downturn was especially pronounced in purchases of games for PCs, consoles and smartphones (−17%, to 921 million euros), as well as in hardware purchases (−10%, to 2.9 billion euros). Running counter to the overall market trend, revenue from online gaming services saw a double-digit increase, rising 12% from the level of 2023, to 965 million euros.
The post About 59% of Germans Aged 6-69 Play Video Games appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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TaDa Gaming Celebrates GiftCode’s Successful First Year Since Launch

TaDa Gaming celebrates GiftCode’s successful first year since launch. Applicable to both slots and TaDa’s unique fishing-shooting games, GiftCode offers immediate rewards which can be effortlessly tailored and adapted to any operator requirement or marketing campaign.
Hitting its first anniversary, a minimum of 1,000,000 GiftCodes are now issued monthly through 300+ streamers with 100% take up. This strong creator eco-system enables codes to be delivered across media and platforms with tournaments, introductory rewards and churned player campaigns leading the way for operator success through powerful marketing alongside player rewards.
An uplift of Daily Active Users by a minimum of 18% and a 15% increase in engagement and player acquisition levels has confirmed that GiftCode is the simple and highly effective gamification tool the industry was lacking.
The 2024 initial test run in Brazil saw 100 streamers receive 500,000 GiftCode links. An instant redemption rate of 95+% and new player sign up increasing by more than 30,000 per month confirmed TaDa’s research and development and gave operators confidence to incorporate GiftCode to their offering.
Now, with the addition of personalised codes for player segmentation, regionally specific influencer packs and multi-brand and aggregator deployment, few other gamification tools can offer such consistently high impact and measurable results, meaning this is a very happy anniversary for TaDa.
Sean Liu, Director of Product Management at TaDa Gaming, said: “GiftCode’s inherent simplicity is the key to its success. It does what it is supposed to do and does it fantastically well for both operators and players. Our new enhancements make GiftCode even more engaging, securing its future as our go-to gamification tool.”
The post TaDa Gaming Celebrates GiftCode’s Successful First Year Since Launch appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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