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British Esports Association collaborates with IBM and industry specialists to create a safer esports space for young people

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The British Esports Association, the not-for-profit organisation set up to promote and support grassroots esports, has revealed first details of its new membership platform.
The platform, scheduled to launch in spring 2021 initially for 12-19 year olds (with plans to expand to other age groups later on), will ensure users are verified at point of entry and that communication within the platform is reviewed to reduce toxicity and cyber threats.
The collaboration with IBM will explore how IBM Watson products can be used to enhance user experience, safety and wellbeing of young gamers.
The Association has also teamed up with safety technology provider GoBubble for real-time content moderation and will deliver accurate age verification using privacy preserving AI technology from Yoti to ensure age appropriate interactions.
Alongside the work of these partners, British Esports consulted with the NSPCC to ensure there are strong and consistent safeguarding procedures in the association.
Finally, British Esports, GoBubble and Yoti have been invited to test the platform within the Information Commissioner’s Office’s (ICO) Sandbox. This is a service developed by the ICO to support organisations who are creating products and services which utilise personal data in innovative and safe ways.
IBM is a global leader in hybrid cloud and AI. The intention is to use IBM Watson Assistant to engage gamers via a virtual assistant in the form of a gaming avatar. The assistant will also utilise IBM Watson Discovery to provide personalised content to enable the gamer to improve their skills, compete in tournaments and find the latest video from their favourite influencer.
The project partners will also explore how Red Hat OpenShift can enable the platform to scale to a global market and even potentially beyond the world of esports. The intention is to containerise the platform, enabling it to be deployed directly onto the cloud infrastructures of other esports bodies and potentially to any organisation that runs a digital community.
Yoti is the world’s leading identity platform with accurate age estimation technology providing a secure way of proving ages, without revealing any personal information. There’s no need for ID documents and images are deleted after the age check. The free Yoti app also enables people to prove their age with one tap, which is verified with a government ID and their unique facial biometrics. Yoti’s combination of AI technology, liveness anti-spoofing and ID document checks ensures businesses can be confident in the age of their customers.
GoBubble’s child-centred ecosystem helps developers safely scale and reduce the risk of children being exposed to anything inappropriate. GoBubbleWrap, GoBubble’s content moderation SaaS API, will be utilised to provide real-time text moderation across the platform to reduce toxicity and steer gamers towards more positive behaviour.
This creates an attractive proposition for parents and teachers looking for a safer space for their children and student gamers to play together.
Chester King, British Esports Association CEO and founder, commented: “Over the past few years we’ve worked hard to build a community of esports fans from schools and colleges across the UK.
“What’s been clear through feedback from parents and teachers is the need to ensure that young people know who they are playing and communicating with, and that where communication takes place, we must work hard to reduce toxicity in all its forms.
“When addressing these concerns, we also must keep in mind the experience for young people, so whilst we have a focus in a safer space, we want to ensure that the experience is relevant and exciting. This will be done through curated relevant content, exclusive offers, discounts and competitions and exciting esports tournaments taking place throughout the year.”
Kay Thompson, Media & Entertainment Industry lead at IBM, said “IBM is hugely excited to be working with the British Esports Association and its partners on this tech for good initiative to protect our children whilst gaming”.
Christian McMullen, Head of Professional Engagement at the NSPCC, said: “We have a mission to ensure every child is safe online and were delighted to be approached by the BEA with an exciting proposal to make the world of esports safer for children.
“The NSPCC worked with the BEA to strengthen their safeguarding procedures as well as develop a code of conduct and content for their safe gaming guidance for children and parents.
“By integrating safety by design into their new platform, the British Esports Association is demonstrating their intention to create a safer space for the gaming community that has the potential to improve young people’s safety in the world of esports.”
Julie Dawson, Director of Regulatory and Policy at Yoti, said: “Through the ICO Sandbox, Yoti, GoBubble and British Esports will develop privacy-preserving and ‘ethics by design’ systems that support under 13s age verification and associated parental consent. This same approach can support many other companies to comply in a friction-free way with the Age Appropriate Design Code and protect children.”
Henry Platten, GoBubble CEO and founder, added: “The dedication British Esports has to unite everyone in a single, safer, healthier and kinder community is inspiring. We’re honoured to help bring our experience and technology in creating safer, scalable and positive communities in 70 countries to benefit British Esports’ vision.”
Further launch information, pricing and other details are to be confirmed nearer the platform’s launch.
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GAMEPOP: The Culture of Play by Red Bull Media House – the first bookazine devoted entirely to video game culture
Introducing GAMEPOP: The Culture of Play, a new premium bookazine by Red Bull Media House and the world’s first magazine dedicated entirely to video-game culture. Designed as a rich, book-like publication, GAMEPOP rethinks what a magazine can be, capturing the creativity, personalities and ideas shaping modern gaming. GAMEPOP will debut at the Red Bull Tetris World Final in Dubai from December 11 to 13, followed by The Game Awards on December 11. The issue will then be available through select international retailers in the weeks that follow.
Across 180 pages, the issue brings together a wide range of cultural voices, including Japanese game designer Hideo Kojima, leading DC Comics creators, the Oscar-nominated team behind Grand Theft Hamlet and contributors with bylines in Vogue. The bookazine also spotlights standout Red Bull talent, including YouTube star Ludwig, Twitch creators Emiru and Caedrel, and Red Bull athlete MenaRD.
Rather than treating gaming as a standalone medium, GAMEPOP looks at how games influence, and are influenced by, wider culture. Through original photography, long-form features, illustration and visual essays, the publication explores how gaming connects to global trends in style, music, movement, storytelling and performance, and the creative communities driving that conversation.
The issue also includes interactive elements, including a bespoke Choose Your Own Adventure story created exclusively for the launch. A limited collector edition of 150 copies takes the concept a step further, featuring a fully functioning Tetris® device embedded directly into the cover – an industry first that turns the magazine into an object of play.
The post GAMEPOP: The Culture of Play by Red Bull Media House – the first bookazine devoted entirely to video game culture appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry Newsroom.
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Red Rake Gaming Expands Global Presence Through Partnership with QTech Games
Red Rake Gaming is pleased to announce a partnership with QTech Games, a leading aggregator and platform renowned for its strong presence in emerging markets on a global level. This collaboration brings Red Rake’s diverse and visually engaging portfolio of slots to QTech Games’ extensive aggregation platform, giving players across multiple continents access to high-quality, entertainment-focused casino content.
Founded in 2015, QTech Games is celebrating its 10-year anniversary in 2025. Over the past decade, the company has grown from rapid early-stage expansion to become a dominant force into emerging markets worldwide. With a global presence —including a new tech hub in Spain and offices in Malta—and Latin America, QTech Games has established itself as a fully-fledged international powerhouse.
Players can now enjoy titles from the Million Series, the Super Stars Series, and seasonal slots such as Halloween Wins and Christmas Wins, alongside new adventures including Azteca Gold Collect, Sherlock and the Stolen Gems, Beating Alcatraz, Big Size Fishin’, and Midas Wins.
QTech Games CEO, Philip Doftvik, said: “It’s another notch on our belt to have integrated more premium content from Red Rake. Theirs is a growing and constantly innovating library, delivering impressive support to the depth of our broad igaming-vertical spread.”
Nick Barr, Managing Director for Red Rake Gaming Malta, commented: “We are thrilled to partner with QTech Games and bring our portfolio of games to their growing network. Their leadership in emerging markets and innovative approach to aggregation allow us to reach new players and provide them with high-quality gaming experiences featuring unique features and visually engaging content. This collaboration marks an important step in strengthening our presence in key markets and further establishing Red Rake Gaming’s international presence.”
The post Red Rake Gaming Expands Global Presence Through Partnership with QTech Games appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry Newsroom.
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White Hat Studios launches with Betly mobile sportsbook and casino in West Virginia
Partnership sees leading branded content and popular Jackpot Royale integrated into Delaware North’s Betly online casino in the Mountain State
White Hat Studios, the “House of Brands” provider to the United States iGaming market, has partnered with Delaware North to launch on its Betly mobile sportsbook and casino in West Virginia.
The leading provider aims to build its online casino offering with the addition of the industry’s top-performing games.
Betly players in West Virginia will now have access to White Hat Studios’ acclaimed portfolio of premium branded titles, including Ted, The Goonies, and the award-winning 7s Fire Blitz series.
Also included in the rollout are the popular Jackpot Royale and Jackpot Royale Express progressive jackpot networks, currently live across more than 40 titles, and the first Betly-branded iCasino game – Betly Player’s Choice Blackjack.
Designed to elevate player engagement and boost retention, the addition of these promotional tools adds another layer of excitement to the Betly casino offering.
White Hat Studios has made significant strides in its U.S. growth trajectory since launching in 2021, consistently delivering high-performing content across multiple states. West Virginia remains a key market for the provider, following its remarkable success in all seven regulated U.S. iGaming states.
The collaboration represents another major step in White Hat Studios’ expansion across regulated U.S. states and reinforces its reputation as a go-to content partner for forward-thinking operators.
Daniel Lechner, SVP Sales and Marketing at White Hat Studios, said: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Delaware North on the Betly online casino app in West Virginia.
“This partnership reflects our ongoing commitment to delivering top-tier content quickly and seamlessly to operators across the U.S. With our portfolio of fan-favorite branded titles and innovative features like Jackpot Royale, we’re confident we’ll make an immediate impact for Betly and its players.”
Bob Akeret, General Manager for Betly, added: “We’re excited to welcome White Hat Studios onto our Betly platform in West Virginia. Their reputation for delivering engaging, high-quality games, especially branded content, makes them an ideal partner as we continue to elevate our casino experience.”
The post White Hat Studios launches with Betly mobile sportsbook and casino in West Virginia appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry Newsroom.
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