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Newzoo pins hopes on esports for revenue boost in video games
Newzoo, the Dutch market intelligence company focusing on egaming predicts eSports will gross $1.7 billion in revenues by 2021.
Newzoo makes a bold prediction that by 2021 is that every major U.S. media conglomerate will have esports media rights in their portfolio.
“U.S. media conglomerates such as Disney, Comcast, and AT&T are already looking into content rights for esports,” reads Newzoo’s blog post. “As these companies look to entice younger consumers, they will become even more active in the scene. We expect these companies to not only feature esports on their linear media platforms, as seen with the Overwatch League on Disney XD, but also on non-linear live-streaming platforms, such as Disney’s upcoming streaming service.”
The other major outlook that Newzoo has for esports is how it will drive growth for gaming to surpass the revenue for traditional sports.
“Gaming as a whole, including esports, is already on track to become a bigger industry than traditional professional sports,” Newzoo explains. “We expect that the global games market will generate revenues of $180.1 billion by 2021, and esports will be a major driver of this, with many brands investing in esports to appeal to younger demographics. As more companies get involved and consumers spend more time watching esports content outside of the competitions themselves, esports will generate much growth within the global games industry.”
The research firm has other interesting thoughts about 2021. For example, the Olympics will embrace esports but not as part of its traditional winter or summer games. Newzoo analysts also believe that “esports” will fade by 2021 – the term, that is. Fans will likely talk about their individual game that they are a fan of, but don’t expect too many more generalised “esports tournaments.”
But making predictions is easy, looking back at how wrong you were is tougher. But Newzoo did that for its predictions about esports from 2015. It claimed that esports would reach $465 million by 2017 (it reached $655 million) and outgross the WWE wrestling promotion (it did). It also claimed that media rights would turn into a huge focal point (that’s true), and organisations would need strict rules and regulations to protect tournaments from cheating (the Esports Integrity Coalition began in 2016).
The only thing Newzoo did not nail is that esports would need to shift to a regional structure with city-based teams. Newzoo claims that’s partially true thanks to the Overwatch League, but it also notes that this strategy has gone widely ignored by other leagues. But who knows, maybe that could still happen by 2021.
Source: venturebeat.com
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ELA Games Scoops Up Triple Nominations at the European iGaming Awards 2026
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The studio picks up three major nominations going into 2026
ELA Games is proud to announce that it has received three major nominations at the European iGaming Awards 2026, reflecting the studio’s creative direction, performance-driven development, and leadership in innovation.
The nominations include:
- Most Innovative Slot Game — Joker Winpot
- Slot Game of the Year — Joker Winpot
- Rising Star — Marharyta Yerina, Managing Director of ELA Games
Joker Winpot Shines
Joker Winpot has continued to perform spectacularly, quickly becoming one of the studio’s standout titles. Its strong visual identity, simple-to-understand mechanics, and innovative format with the Winpot feature make it a game that gives players agency with high replayability.
Operators who have connected to the ELA Games catalogue have reported significant increases in key metrics following the adoption of Joker Winpot in their casino lobbies, including a GGR increase of +1128%, Actives: +878%, and Turnover: +1517%. These impressive results have helped the game gain recognition among peers, with it being shortlisted for two major categories at the upcoming European iGaming Awards.
Value in Creativity
ELA Games’ core operational philosophy of blending bold creativity with user- and operator-focused performance has propelled the studio to become a significant newcomer in the industry. Players recognise ELA Games’ signature visually rich art style and actively seek the studio’s games out in casino lobbies, as evidenced by impressive year-on-year growth.
Marharyta Yerina, Managing Director, was also nominated for the “Rising Star” individual award. Her contributions to the iGaming space and leadership in managing ELA Games as one of the fastest-growing studios have garnered her acclaim amongst her peers.
Marharyta commented on the nominations, “Receiving three nominations at an award ceremony reflects every one of our team members’ excellence and commitment to setting new standards in the industry. Joker Winpot continued to exceed our expectations and shows what’s possible when you develop a game with intention, user experiences, and operator performance in mind. I’m also honoured to receive the Rising Star nomination: we will continue delivering content that truly matters for players and partners alike.”
The post ELA Games Scoops Up Triple Nominations at the European iGaming Awards 2026 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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BGC: New Tax Measures Could Spark a Sharp Increase in Harmful Illegal Gambling
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The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has warned that proposed new tax measures for the UK gambling industry could lead to a significant rise in harmful illegal gambling.
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) admitted that the tax plans will reduce projected yield by around one-third, including £500 million lost by 2029-30 as consumers switch away from the regulated sector and towards the black market.
The OBR also states that around 90% of the duty increases will be passed on to consumers through higher prices or reduced payouts, making regulated products less attractive. It warns this will distort the market and drive more customers towards the illegal black market, where there are no protections, no tax contributions and no safer gambling checks.
Despite these warnings, the Government continues to claim the measures will raise £1.1 billion, a figure that industry experts, independent analysts including EY, and the BGC believe will not be achieved.
Grainne Hurst, Chief Executive of the Betting and Gaming Council, said: “The Government’s own figures show these tax plans will cause significant damage. Industry analysis based on modelling from EY finds that nearly 17,000 high-tech jobs will be lost across online betting and gaming, with over £6 billion in stakes diverted to the black market – a 140% increase in its size.
“These proposals also threaten shop closures, further job losses and a less competitive online market, meaning lower, not higher, long-term tax revenues. They also push more customers to the black market, where there are no protections, no taxes and no safeguards.”
The regulated betting and gaming sector currently contributes £6.8 billion to the UK economy, supports over 109,000 jobs, and provides £4 billion in taxes, including vital funding for racing, sport and tourism. But further tax rises threaten to weaken one of the UK’s most internationally competitive digital industries at a time when the illegal market is expanding rapidly.
The post BGC: New Tax Measures Could Spark a Sharp Increase in Harmful Illegal Gambling appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Spillemyndigheden: Large decrease in betting consumption in October
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The Danish Gambling Authority’s statistics for October 2025 show a decrease in the total gambling spend in comparison to the same month last year. However, the betting market was the only market to experience a decrease.
The total gambling spend in October 2025 amounted to DKK 599 million, which corresponds to a decrease of 3.4 per cent compared to October 2024. The statistics show that the decrease for the total gambling market is due to a large fluctuation in the betting market in October 2025 compared to October 2024. The betting market had a decrease of 46.0 per cent. Online casinos experienced the largest increase of 24.4 per cent, while land-based (physical) casinos and gaming machines experienced an increase of 6.0 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively.
The post Spillemyndigheden: Large decrease in betting consumption in October appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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