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New Sports Apps Face Struggles during COVID-19 Crisis
The COVID-19 pandemic’s negative effect on the gambling industry has been felt across the board both offline and online. Beyond the closing of land-based casinos and bet shops, the online industry continues to feel the impact of the novel coronavirus with, so far, no end in sight.
This is especially true for online sportsbooks that don’t have a casino offering and new bookies who haven’t yet had time to establish their brands and gain a foothold in the market. Without other revenue lifelines and with challenges mounting during this disease-driven economic crisis, many of these new operations could fold.
Some of the Challenges faced by New Sports Apps
New online bookmakers and mobile first-bookies with a focus on sports apps are struggling to stay alive in this strange betting world where horse racing and football – the bread and butter of the sportsbook industry – have been halted across Europe since mid-March. With that said, challenges that some of these brands may be facing include:
Lack of casino offering
More established bookmakers have found other ways to survive the economically crushing pandemic by offering their customers alternative gambling entertainment, such as slots, casino games, live casino, poker, lotto, etc. However, most of the bookies that have been able to switch their marketing focus to these other gambling streams are well-established names in the industry and already have these products in place. That said, there is a lack of casino department for most smaller bookies that have taken a niche approach and built their brands solely around sports.
Competing with big name sportsbooks
Sportsbook giants like William Hill, Bet365, Ladbrokes Coral and Paddy Power have another advantage over smaller businesses. They have been established for years and have the advertising funds that lesser known bookies do not. Moreover, they have a better chance of survival as their operations are much larger and extend beyond sports betting.
Threat of daily gambling limit
In March the Gambling Related Harm All Party Parliament Group (APPG) called on the British gambling industry to impose a £50 daily spending limit for customers throughout the duration of the coronavirus pandemic. The APPG’s concern is that as the crisis deepens, more people will turn to online and mobile gambling as a distraction, including those who have never considered gambling before. The APPG fears that this could take a toll on the nation’s financial and mental health. Needless to say, if such a daily spending limit was enforced, this would further cripple gambling business, making it nearly impossible for smaller bookies to survive.
There May Be Some Light at the End of the Tunnel
In spite of all the challenges, if some of the smaller bookies manage to stay afloat for another couple of months, they may be able to survive COVID-19. The reason is that football might be back soon and provide a lifeline as early as June.
According to The Guardian, Premier League clubs have discussed re-starting the season by 13-14 June. This would allow the competition to finish by 31 July and clear up August for the completion of both the Champions League and Europa League.
In this best-case scenario clubs would begin a “pre-season” from 10 or 14 May, which would give players four weeks to regain their fitness. Then, with seven weeks to complete the season, (as 16 clubs have nine matches remaining and another 4 clubs have 10), it is believed that this timeframe should be sufficient for the campaign to finish without being too rushed.
Unfortunately, due to the unpredictability of the virus, there is no telling if this best-case scenario will occur. The worst-case scenario, on the other hand, would be for football to remain on hold until October, which would be seven months after the last round of matches and a brutal blow to sportsbooks both big and small worldwide.
With any luck, the best-case scenario for football will come to light. For now, though, new sports apps and online bookies will need to focus their efforts on bringing in revenue through other markets like virtual sports and eSports betting, and hope for the best.
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Third quarter: July – September 2025
· Total revenues amounted to mSEK 9.6 (11.8), a decrease of 19%
· B2B revenues amounted to mSEK 7.7 (8.4), a decrease of 9%
· B2C revenues amounted to mSEK 1.6 (1.7), a decrease of 7%
· Other revenues amounted to mSEK 0.4 (1.8), a decrease of 80%
· Expenses related to write-down of receivables amounted to mSEK -1.1 (0.0)
· EBITDA amounted to mSEK -3.9 (0.1)
· Net result amounted to mSEK -4.7 (-0.1)
· Earnings per share amounted to SEK -0.02 (0.00)
Interim period: January – September 2025
· Total revenues amounted to mSEK 33.8 (30.9), an increase of 10%
· B2B revenues amounted to mSEK 25.5 (23.2), an increase of 10%
· B2C revenues amounted to mSEK 4.9 (4.6), an increase of 6%
· Other revenues amounted to mSEK 3.5 (3.1), an increase of 12%
· Expenses related to write-down of receivables amounted to mSEK -1.1 (0.0)
· EBITDA amounted to mSEK -5.1 (-3.6)
· Net result amounted to mSEK -7.4 (-5.0)
· Earnings per share amounted to SEK -0.03 (-0.02)
Events after quarter end:
No events after quarter end.
The post SCOUT Gaming Group : Interim report Q3 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Led by the seasoned IGL Pahadi, alongside Mr. Jay, Hasan, Adeeb, and Arman, the new S8UL Elite lineup is ready to make its mark and reign supreme in Free Fire MAX
S8UL, a global powerhouse in gaming and esports content, has officially announced the acquisition of Team Elite’s Free Fire MAX roster, forming its new team – S8UL Elite. This reflects the organization’s continued commitment to achieving excellence through championship-winning teams across multiple esports titles.
Spearheaded by in-game leader Lokesh Karakoti (Pahadi), S8UL Elite’s roster features some of the most prominent names in the Free Fire circuit, including Jayesh Yadav (Mr. Jay), Hasan Haider (Hasan), Adeeb Ansari (Adeeb), and Syed Arman Ali (Arman).
Naman Mathur aka Mortal, Co-founder of S8UL Esports said, “We are delighted to onboard some of the most promising players from the Free Fire MAX scene. Each of them brings a unique skill set and a deep understanding of the game, making this roster an exciting addition to our esports family. S8UL’s commitment has always been to compete at the highest level across every game we enter, and S8UL Elite marks an important step in that direction. We look forward to seeing the team make its mark in the upcoming tournaments.”
As one of India’s most celebrated Free Fire MAX athletes and creators with over 1.63 million YouTube subscribers, IGL Pahadi has been a dominant force in the scene. The 22-year-old was a key part of Team Elite’s championship-winning run at the Free Fire India Championship 2021 Fall, where the team secured over INR 41.3 lakh in prize money. He also received the Best Sniper of the Year award from the game’s publisher, Garena, earlier this year. His teammate, Mr. Jay, who clinched the Rusher of the Year award at the same event, brings equal experience and firepower to the team, having represented top Indian lineups and led his side to victory at the Free Fire Tri Series 2021. Alongside Hasan, Adeeb, and Arman, the roster forms an explosive unit determined to make its mark in the Indian Free Fire MAX circuit.
“Joining S8UL is a dream come true. It’s the home of India’s biggest gaming icons and a brand that has redefined what it means to be a professional gamer and creator in this country. With S8UL’s support, our goal is to compete and perform at the highest level in upcoming tournaments, ” commented Lokesh Karakoti aka Pahadi, IGL of S8UL Elite.
Earlier this year, S8UL Esports created history by representing India at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, which featured a record-breaking prize pool of over INR 600 crore. Alongside its competitive success, the organization continues to lead the gaming content revolution, earning four nominations at the Esports Awards 2025, where S8UL Esports, its Co-founder Animesh Agarwal, and creators Payal Dhare and Raj Varma have all been recognized for their contributions to the global gaming community.
With the addition of S8UL Elite, the organization reinforces its mission to empower Indian gamers and creators while setting new benchmarks in esports excellence. As S8UL continues to expand its footprint across multiple titles, it remains dedicated to shaping the future of Indian gaming and taking its success stories to the global stage.
The post S8UL Esports acquires Team Elite’s Free Fire MAX roster to form S8UL Elite appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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GoldenRace, leading provider of Virtual Sports and betting solutions, today announced the release of three significant platform enhancements: Rotating Display, Fast Ticket Checker and the Jackpot Viewer.
These updates are designed to optimise retail operations, improve player engagement, and provide greater operational flexibility for business partners.
The new Rotating Display feature allows operators to dynamically manage content across their retail screens. This enhancement moves beyond static displays by enabling the continuous cycling of selected GoldenRace V5 products, with Virtual Football currently integrated and additional games to follow soon.
- Optimised resource allocation: This functionality allows a single display unit to showcase multiple products, potentially reducing the necessity for additional hardware and complex installation setups.
- Increased visibility: By maintaining a fresh and dynamic content stream, the Rotating Display is intended to maximise player attention and encourage broader engagement with the product portfolio.
GoldenRace also introduces the Fast Ticket Checker, a self-service solution aimed at resolving in-store congestion and streamlining the ticket validation process.
- Operational efficiency: This feature empowers players to check the status of their betting slips instantly via their personal mobile devices by scanning a designated QR code and then the ticket barcode. This redirects validation traffic away from cashiers, allowing staff to concentrate on sales activities.
- Real-time status: Players receive immediate, server-verified updates on their ticket status, significantly reducing wait times and elevating the overall customer experience within the retail environment.
Last but not least, the enhanced Jackpot Viewer has been upgraded to offer superior flexibility in prize presentation, centralised management and increased display capacity.
- Maximum visibility: The update enables the simultaneous display of up to four different Jackpot prizes, ensuring greater exposure for top-tier rewards.
- Branding control: A new background colour configuration has been integrated into the back-office management system, allowing operators to seamlessly align the Jackpot Viewer’s aesthetics with their corporate branding.
- Simplified management: All configuration settings are now centralized within the back-office, simplifying the management process. The update also includes the addition of critical entity name information on the screen for player context and specialist URL parameter configurations for advanced customisation.
These three platform updates reflect GoldenRace’s commitment to delivering technologically advanced, high-performance solutions that simplify operations for betting businesses while enhancing the experience for the end-user.
The post GoldenRace announces three key enhancements to virtual betting retail platforms appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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