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Team Vitality is victorious at Intel® Extreme Masters Rio 2023 and qualify for IEM Cologne later this year
Intel® Extreme Masters (IEM) Rio 2023 has come to a thrilling end, with Team Vitality emerging victorious after an intense competition between 16 of the best Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) teams from around the world. The competition was held from April 17-23, and the final three days took place in front of a passionate crowd at the iconic Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The Group Stage began on April 17, with the participating teams competing in two groups of eight. The six best teams – BIG, Cloud9, FURIA, Heroic, Natus Vincere, and Team Vitality – then proceeded to the live Playoffs on April 21-23, where they faced off against each other in front of an energetic crowd. In the first Semi Final, Team Vitality completed the reverse sweep over Cloud9 to advance to the Grand Final on April 23. During the other Semi Final, Heroic managed to close out the match with back-to-back rounds, 16-9, meaning they secured their spot as Finalists of an IEM competition in the Brazilian coastal city for the second time.
Team Vitality kicked off the Grand Final strong by winning the first seven rounds back-to-back, and managed to fend off a powerful Heroic comeback to clinch the first game on Vertigo. In the second round, things were looking good for Team Vitality, but Heroic came back strong to tie the match after 11 rounds. However, this wasn’t enough to stop the French organization from claiming their deserved place as the Intel® Extreme Masters Rio 2023 champions, and denying Heroic their first IEM title.
After a hard-fought and exciting match, Team Vitality beat Heroic, with a score of 2-0 winning the coveted trophy and taking home the lion’s share of the $250,000 prize pool and a win in the race to the Intel® Grand Slam V and its $1,000,000 cash prize. As the winners of IEM Rio 2023, they join G2 Esports and FaZe Clan as the third team to qualify for a spot in the Group Stage of IEM Cologne 2023. Team Vitality player, Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut, also secured the DHL MVP award which is judged on a combination of player performance, fan voting, and broadcast talent voting.
Starting the Group Stage from the lower bracket, Team Vitality defeated MIBR, FaZe Clan, and OG, 2-0, 2-0, 2-1, respectively to qualify for the Playoffs which saw the international squad only lose one game throughout the final phase of the tournament.
Team Vitality’s Dan “apEX” Madesclaire commented: “I’m proud of the boys but what we need to remember is that last time, we won the last tournament before the Major and we messed up. So, now we know what [we] have to do. It’s a game of confidence for sure and I think we were the better team today.
I think the biggest improvement we had was our map pool, right now it is getting really good. We worked a lot on our weakest map; this shows it. That’s one tournament win in 2023 and I hope for some more.”
Fans from Brazil and beyond had the opportunity to experience the excitement of the competition live during the Playoff Stage and witness the top teams in action. IEM Rio 2023 saw a peak viewership of more than 562,000* and attracted more than 15,000 fans over the final three days.
Local favorites FURIA, MIBR, and Imperial Sportsbet thrilled the home crowds, showing their skills and determination against top-tier teams from around the world. FURIA managed to get all the way through to the quarterfinals where they were eventually defeated by Heroic, while both MIBR and Imperial Sportsbet got eliminated after losing their first two matches.
While at IEM Rio, fans around the world got to see some of their favourite players compete in a one-off show match on Counter Strike 2 with Team Brasil, featuring Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo, Epitácio “TACO” de Melo, and Kaike “KSCERATO” Cerato, going against Team World, including Christopher “GeT_RiGhT” Alesund and Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyljev. In the end, Team World bagged the win with a result of 16-8.
Next up in the ESL Pro Tour for CS:GO are the currently ongoing ESL Challenger League Season 45 concluding on May 28, ESL Challenger Melbourne in Melbourne, Australia, on April 28 – 30, and IEM Dallas 2023 in Dallas, Texas, USA, on May 29 – June 4. For more information the latest updates about ESL’s CS:GO esports ecosystem, head to the official ESL Pro Tour website, and follow ESL CS on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
*According to Escharts

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Red Rake Gaming releases Super 60 Stars, the newest slot in its successful Super series
Red Rake Gaming has released Super 60 Stars, the latest addition to its acclaimed Super series, now available to all partner operators.
This new release retains the fast-paced gameplay and wide variety of features that have made the series one of the most popular in the iGaming industry, while also introducing an exclusive new addition that adds even more excitement to the game.
The new feature in Super 60 Stars is the “Super 60 Stars” symbol, which can appear anywhere on the reels and trigger the brand-new “Super 60 Gold X” minigame. In this minigame, players can land the “Super X” symbol to multiply the value of the silver coins and accumulate big wins through the gold coins. On top of that, the “Super 60 Coins” system brings the familiar “Minor, Major and Grand” prizes, offering great win potential.
The game also includes some of the most successful features from previous titles in the series, such as “Sticky Wins” and progressive multipliers triggered by the “Super 25 Stars Wild” symbol, as well as the “Crystallize Symbols” and “Lucky Multipliers”, with multipliers of up to x50, and the «Star Fusion Minigame», which merges symbols for bigger rewards.
Other popular features also make a return, including the “Super 10 Stars Mini-Slot” and the “Frenzy Wheel Minigame”, with multipliers of up to x100, plus expanding Wilds with Respins, the “Wheel Bonus”, and “Free Spins”.
With its polished design, fast-paced gameplay and broad variety of features, Super 60 Stars strengthens the appeal of an already established series and stands out as a key release for operators looking to offer high-performing, differentiated content to their players.
Now available across all Red Rake Gaming partner casinos, as well as through its renowned tournament tool.
For additional information please contact: [email protected]
The post Red Rake Gaming releases Super 60 Stars, the newest slot in its successful Super series appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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GAMSTOP reports record registrations in 2025
- 44% increase in under 25s choosing to self-exclude from gambling
- Younger consumers choosing six-month exclusion to manage their gambling
- New chair Chris Pond to take up post in September
GAMSTOP, the national self-exclusion scheme for online gambling, has reported a 19% increase in registrations in 2025, with monthly registrations breaking all previous records twice in successive months.
The increase in registrations has been driven by younger consumers, aged 16-24, with self-exclusions increasing by 44% year-on-year in the first six months of the year. Four out of ten are choosing to exclude for the minimum six-month period, up from 36% in the previous year which could mean they are using GAMSTOP as a flexible, preventative tool to manage their gambling, though more research is needed to understand patterns of behaviour.
With self-exclusion at record levels, the Gamstop Group has announced its new chair will be Chris Pond, who replaces the outgoing Chair Jenny Watson CBE in September after her seven-year stint. Mr Pond is highly experienced in financial services and has worked across the public, private and non-profit sectors.
He is currently Chair of the Money and Mental Health Advisory Board and the Financial Services Consumer Panel at the Financial Conduct Authority. He has previously chaired the Financial Inclusion Commission, served as the CEO of two national charities and was a Work and Pensions Minister during his eight years as a Member of Parliament.
Since GAMSTOP’S inception in April 2018, nearly 600,000 vulnerable consumers have registered for the service and self-exclusion is continuing to increase at record rates. In April 2025, a record 10,281 consumers registered with GAMSTOP – the first time the monthly figure had ever topped 10,000 –and Monday April 7th, two days after the Grand National, was the busiest ever day with 437 registrations. However, the monthly record was eclipsed in May, with 10,344 new registrations.
The 2025 data reveals a growing preference for six-month exclusions across all age groups, a 29% year-on-year increase. However, the maximum five-year exclusion remains the most popular amongst all age groups, except under-25s and currently accounts for nearly one in two of all exclusions (47%). Since 2018, 53% of all registrations have been for the maximum five-year period.
GAMSTOP introduced a new ‘5 years with auto-renewal’ exclusion in December 2024 for vulnerable consumers looking to extend their exclusion from gambling websites and apps. The new 5 -year auto-renewal option was developed in direct response to feedback from users and the take-up has been high, with nearly half of those registering for a five-year exclusion choosing this option.
New registrations – H1 2025
16-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-54 | 55+ | |
6 months | 39% | 27% | 23% | 21% | 22% |
1 year | 26% | 26% | 23% | 22% | 22% |
5 years | 35% | 47% | 54% | 57% | 56% |
Registrations – all time
16-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-54 | 55+ | |
6 months | 33% | 23% | 20% | 20% | 20% |
1 year | 26% | 23% | 22% | 21% | 22% |
5 years | 41% | 54% | 58% | 59% | 58% |
Fiona Palmer, CEO of GAMSTOP, said:“Our data shows a significant spike in the number of younger consumers who are GAMstopping to manage their gambling, and this has driven the record registrations in 2025. They are increasingly choosing six-month exclusions, which suggests that GAMSTOP is being used as a tool to allow them a break from gambling. We have worked very hard to increase awareness of GAMSTOP amongst younger consumers and to destigmatise the use of self-exclusion. We want them to realise that GAMSTOP can be used as a preventative tool alongside other solutions, giving them breathing space to take back control”.
The post GAMSTOP reports record registrations in 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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STAKE SIGN FOOTBALL LEGEND PATRICE EVRA AS GLOBAL AMBASSADOR
Betting giants, Stake has today confirmed that former Manchester United and Juventus legend, Patrice Evra, has signed a deal to become a Global Ambassador for the brand.
Evra is the latest football legend to partner with Stake, joining fellow Premier League icon, Sergio Aguero as part of the Stake family. The former left-back enjoyed a trophy laden career, winning 17 major titles, including the UEFA Champions League, and five Premier League titles as part of an iconic Manchester United squad.
Evra’s larger than life personality has seen him remain a source of great entertainment since his retirement. Now considered a respected pundit, Evra has become known for his strong opinions and sharp wit.
Patrice Evra commented:“I am so excited to be working with Stake, and joining the family. They are such a fun and exciting brand who are at the top of their game, and to be joining their team of iconic Ambassadors is a privilege.
“I am a massive MMA fan, and Stake is a brand that everyone thinks of when it comes to the sport. To be on the same team as MMA Champions is great, and also to have a former rival from Manchester City, Sergio Aguero, now on my team, is fantastic.”
Akhil Sarin, Chief Marketing Officer at Stake, said: “Patrice is a footballing icon and one of the best players to ever play in his position. As much as his incredible credentials, we love his eccentric, larger than life personality and his strong opinions on the beautiful game. We see great synergy between Patrice and the Stake brand, and are really looking forward to what will be a great partnership.”
The post STAKE SIGN FOOTBALL LEGEND PATRICE EVRA AS GLOBAL AMBASSADOR appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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