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Staffordshire University makes history in college esports
Students of Staffordshire University have achieved a unique success: becoming the UK’s first winning university team in Europe’s premier esports competition between colleges. Players of ‘Korean Pop Superstars (KPS)’ emerged victorious last weekend in VALORANT (Riot Games’ shooter title) at the Grand Final of UNIVERSITY Esports Masters (UE Masters), where they defeated their rivals from National University of Physical Education and Sport of Ukraine (NUPESU) by a score of 3-2.
It was not an easy road to glory. British representatives had to overcome the continuous returns from the Ukrainian players, who demonstrated a tough competitive spirit throughout the Grand Final. However, it was a great sporting experience in which fair play prevailed between the two teams. In fact, students of KPS waited over an hour for their NUPESU’s counterparts due to a problem with the venue where they were competing.
All the clashes at the Grand Finals of UE Masters (both VALORANT and League of Legends) were played entirely in online format. Live streams of the showdowns on Twitch and X (formerly Twitter) accumulated more than 40,000 views throughout last weekend on two official social channels with over 11,000 followers.
A great victory for the UK
The win of KPS is a meaningful milestone for college esports in the UK. For the first time, a British team has been crowned as Champion of UE Masters, the most important esports tournament in the college ecosystem across Europe. Since the first edition of the competition in 2016, Great Britain has had representatives, but none had been able to lift the Championship title.
This group of five students from Staffordshire University, integrated by Diarmuid McGirr, Josh Green, Zain Lim, Stanley Lebon, and Ignas Kantauta as the main squad, have completed a successful performance in this edition of UE Masters: overcoming qualifiers, beating the best opponents, and positioning the UK at the top of the university esports in the continent.
One of the KPS integrants, Zain Lim, said: “Playing as a team has definitely been fun, competing with friends just created such an atmosphere where it felt like we would beat teams due to just having better vibes than them. I would recommend university esports to others. I felt it made gaming a more social-able hobby, as over 5 years of university, at two different unis, I have met a bunch of people.”
Find out more about VALORANT, the victory’s game
What is VALORANT? What does it consist of? It is one of the most wanted esports-games globally. This shooter title, developed by the giant Riot Games and released in 2020, is a 5v5 character-based tactical FPS where precise gunplay meets unique agent abilities. It also includes a lot of effects and advanced weapons to offer players a better first-person experience.
Millions of people have tested their tactical skills on VALORANT over the past few years. According to the specialized website Tracker Network, over 16 million active users have played VALORANT so far in July worldwide.
Beyond of a video game competition
UE Masters, supported by Riot Games, is the conclusion of the UNIVERSITY Esports season, a global program with a presence in 26 countries on four continents and involving more than 100,000 students from 2,000 universities.
The main objectives of UNIVERSITY Esports are to create a sense of community among players from all over Europe, to give them the opportunity to compete in high quality international tournaments and to provide avenues for young people to develop a career within the esports world, as well as to find a place to learn and enhance their skills.
In the UK and Ireland, UNIVERSITY Esports, a project organized by NUEL (a GGTech Entertainment’s company), has celebrated its 13th Season. The winners of its Winter Split, such as Staffordshire University, have been the national representatives in the outgoing edition of UE Masters.
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Expanse Studios (GMGI) Obtains Croatian iGaming Certification
Expanse Studios, the B2B game development division of Golden Matrix Group Inc. (NASDAQ: GMGI), has received official certification from Croatia’s Ministry of Finance for its flagship game Super Heli, with additional titles in the company’s 56-game portfolio expected to receive approval in the coming weeks for the EU member state.
The certification marks a strategic entry into a market that generated US$484.70m in 2024, with projected growth at a CAGR of 8.4% during 2024-2030. Super Heli, Expanse’s most popular crash-style game, becomes the first of the studio’s titles approved for the Croatian market, paving the way for broader portfolio distribution.
Tapping Into High-Growth European Market
Croatia represents a compelling opportunity for B2B gaming suppliers, with the Online Casinos segment alone projected at US$218.10m in 2024. According to iGamingToday’s latest market research, Croatia’s gambling market will reach €720.42 million by 2025, making it one of Europe’s fastest-growing regulated markets.
Among the key market benefits are:
- Accelerating digital adoption – Internet penetration jumped from 76% in 2020 to 83% in 2023
- Over 20.6 million tourist arrivals in 2023 following Schengen Zone entry
- Over 500,000 Croatians expected to engage in regular online gambling by 2027
Strategic Value for the Company
The certification strengthens Expanse Studios’ European footprint at a critical juncture. With 56 proprietary titles and 500+ B2B partners globally, Expanse is expected to capture a meaningful share in the growing EU market.
“Croatia certification is more than market access—it’s validation of our content quality and compliance capabilities in demanding EU jurisdictions,” said Damjan Stamenkovic, CEO of Expanse Studios. “With our flagship title Super Heli already approved and more games in the pipeline, we’re very excited for the opportunities this markets brings us”
Competitive Advantage in Regulated Markets
Croatia’s regulatory framework favors established, compliant B2B providers. Operators must obtain licenses requiring significant capital investment, and only licensed casino games operators who have at least one brick-and-mortar casino can offer online gambling. This creates high barriers to entry and positions certified B2B suppliers like Expanse as essential partners for operators.
The post Expanse Studios (GMGI) Obtains Croatian iGaming Certification appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Kristina Jakovleva Represents Slotsjudge at iGB London 2025
The iGB London 2025 event is set to push the boundaries of the online gambling market, and Kristina Jakovleva, Business Development Manager at SEOBROTHERS, will represent Slotsjudge. The event is expected to gather over 15,000 attendees and more than 300 sponsors, and Kristina plans to cover technological trends, discuss affiliate marketing strategies, and foster industry-specific networking.
Event Overview: About iGB London 2025
As one of the iGaming industry’s key global events, iGB London brings together thousands of professionals to drive innovation and growth. Following the success of previous editions, with over 6,500+ affiliates and 150+ programs on offer, the upcoming event promises even greater opportunities for business and collaboration.
Over 15,000+ industry specialists are to join the event this time. This year, participants will discuss technological trends, regulatory updates, affiliate marketing, and branding strategies. Participants can gain actionable insights and learn from successful case studies, making the event both exciting and informative.
About Kristina Jakovleva: Expertise & Plans
Starting her career in education at Liverpool John Moores University, Kristina has been in the iGaming market for years, working as a customer support specialist, affiliate manager, and ultimately as a Business Development Manager at SEOBROTHERS.
Years of experience and a focus on growth enabled Kristina to understand which approach best suited the company quickly, and she successfully implemented strategic partnerships and business growth initiatives to benefit from industry-specific networking.
Expectations & Final Thoughts
Attendees can enjoy iGB London 2025 on 2–3 July 2025 at ExCeL London, and an exclusive AI Concierge service will be available to cover basic questions about the event. Nick Hill, Executive Director at Premier Hill, says that ‘it represents the entire industry, and it is a must-attend show.’
It’s an excellent opportunity for the Slotsjudge team to gain performance-driven insights and plan future growth over the next 12 to 24 months, while other participants can learn from Kristina Jakovleva’s work, reinforcing Slotsjudge’s ongoing commitment to innovation and the overall growth of the iGaming industry.
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Solitics launches In-Game Pulse for personalised in-play betting offers
Solitics has launched In-Game Pulse, a powerful tool that allows operators to turn real-time sports moments into high-impact engagement with bettors.
With In-Game Pulse, operators can respond to goals, plays and key events with personalised in-play betting offers, delivered to players when their attention peaks, not after.
It’s powered by Solitic’s new Follow Engine, which tracks what each bettor is interested in and then automatically delivers tailored campaigns based on those interests.
This means marketers build just one journey, rather than separate ones for each possibility.
In-Game Pulse works by connecting an operator’s user data with a live sports feed, then the Follow Engine adapts a single flow to match each user’s interests in real time.
Marketers can then trigger journeys based on the most important moments in a game – a goal, red card – as and when they happen, meaning they are no longer limited to just user behaviour.
The best part is that each campaign is tailored to the individual bettor, and based on the teams, athletes and events they care about.
This makes In-Game Pulse the perfect solution for personalised in-play betting engagement.
This is an example of how it works.
A team scores a goal.
All users with that team in their favourites list get notified instantly.
The messaging is kept really simple:
“Big Moment! Your team just scored. Want to double down on the momentum?”.
The great thing about In-Game Pulse is that it’s not a workaround or a third-party add-on; instead, it sits within Solitics’ engagement flows.
This means operators and their marketing teams can deliver hyper-personalised campaigns at peak interest, with the speed and control that Solitics has built its reputation on.
Guy Shemer, VP Product at Solitics, said: “In-Game Pulse will change the game for how marketers engage players with in-play betting communications and offers.
“In the past, they have had to map out multiple journeys, and this has created a tremendous amount of work, let alone the challenge of pushing communications at the right time.
“In-Game Pulse does all the heavy lifting here, allowing marketers to engage players in the moment and when their attention peaks, not after.
“In short, it allows operators to go beyond their own data and react instantly to live sports moments – moments that can drive betting activity.”
The post Solitics launches In-Game Pulse for personalised in-play betting offers appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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