Latest News
Rugby’s global expansion increases in Africa
Reading Time: 4 minutes
World Rugby’s reach across Africa grew further as Algeria and Burundi became full members of the international federation
Algeria and Burundi achieve full member status of international federation; World Rugby (www.WorldRugby.org) membership stands at 128 countries, including 19 associate members; Both nations will enter Rugby World Cup 2023 qualifying via the Rugby Africa Cup 2021; Rapid growth in African rugby being led by strategic focus on youth and women’s rugby; More than 350,000 registered female players recorded in Africa in 2020, up from 50,000 in 2012.
World Rugby’s reach across Africa grew further as Algeria and Burundi became full members of the international federation following approval at the World Rugby Council meeting, held virtually today.
The African nations were successful after achieving all the necessary criteria and their elevation to full member status sees World Rugby’s membership stand at 128, including 109 full members and 19 associate members.
See full List of World Rugby Member Unions >> (https://bit.ly/3tE9SRP)
The announcement follows the launch of World Rugby’s new Strategic Plan 2021-25 in April, which provides a framework for the continued development and expansion of rugby, supporting unions and regions in building capacity and capability, as the international federation strives to continue the journey towards becoming a global sport for all.
Both the Fédération Algérienne de Rugby and the Federation Burundaise de Rugby are full members of Rugby Africa and have sustainable women’s rugby and development programmes in place as they continue to grow as rugby nations.
Burundi currently has 2750 registered players and has been an associate member of World Rugby since 2004, while Algeria has over 80 men’s and 40 women’s teams and became an associate member in 2019.
Both countries will enter the qualification journey for Rugby World Cup 2023 as they are set to compete in the Rugby Africa Cup 2021. The competition begins with a repechage event in June before the group phase sees four pools of three teams each playing a round-robin tournament at a single venue per pool.
Burundi will compete in the Rugby Africa Cup repechage in Burkina Faso from 5-13 June which also includes Burkina Faso and Cameroon. The winner of the repechage will join Rugby Africa Cup Pool D in Tunisia in July together with Tunisia and Zimbabwe. Meanwhile Algeria will play in the Rugby Africa Cup Pool C in Kampala against Ghana and hosts Uganda from 10-18 July.
The best two teams from each pool qualify for Rugby Africa Cup 2022, which serves as the final round of the Rugby World Cup 2023 qualifier for Africa. The eventual winner of the Rugby Africa Cup in August 2022 will qualify for RWC 2023 as Africa 1, entering group A alongside hosts France, while the runner-up will enter the final qualification tournament for another chance at qualifying.
Increasing the reach and diversity of the international federation’s membership represents a key element of World Rugby’s global growth strategy, ensuring that upon meeting the relevant criteria unions are provided with a framework and support to continue their growth and development as part of the World Rugby family.
World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: “We are very pleased to welcome Algeria and Burundi as full members, reflecting their commitment and progress in achieving the relevant criteria, thanks to the many talented coaches, administrators and volunteers involved in growing the sport.
“We are dedicated to the sustainable global growth of our sport, combined with strong governance and there is no doubt that Africa is a key region with huge potential for the future development of rugby. Africa is home to the current men’s Rugby World Cup winners and we will continue to work closely with Rugby Africa to ensure we provide emerging unions such as Algeria and Burundi with continuous support and a solid framework to further accelerate the growth of the sport across the region.”
Mr Khaled Babbou, President of Rugby Africa said: “I am delighted to welcome the Burundian and Algerian rugby unions as full members of World Rugby, bringing the total number of African member unions of World Rugby to 20. Rugby in Africa is growing rapidly and our strategic focus on youth and women’s rugby is evidence of this dynamic growth.
“In 2020, we recorded more than 350,000 registered female players in Africa, up from 50,000 in 2012. This is the result of a firm collective commitment from all African unions. I wish to congratulate Mr Albert Havyarimana, President of the Fédération Burundaise de Rugby and Mr Abdelkader Sofian Ben Hassen, President of the Fédération Algérienne de Rugby for their dedication and relentless efforts culminating in this recognition today. Both countries are in the running for Rugby World Cup 2023 qualification for the first time in their history and the entire African rugby family wishes them good luck in this new chapter.”
Albert Havyarimana, President of the Fédération Burundaise de Rugby: “This affiliation was long awaited by all the participants of Burundian rugby and comes as a reward for many years of hard work. From now on, it becomes a rugby legacy for Burundi, that we will seek to preserve and build upon for the development of rugby. It is an unforgettable event for the Fédération Burundaise de Rugby (FBR). Joining the global rugby family will enable Burundian rugby players to develop rugby on all levels.
“Although this recognition comes at a time when the world is going through a difficult situation with the Covid-19 pandemic, we are confident that we will overcome these challenges. Achieving this membership required great effort from all of us and it will now enable us to accelerate our growth. The FBR takes this opportunity to express its appreciation to all companies and individuals who committed themselves to bringing this journey to fruition, including various players and coaches of the clubs and their technical and medical staff.
“This membership, far from being an end in itself, is rather the beginning of a challenge and calls on all of us to step up our efforts to make Burundi Rugby shine at the regional and international levels.”
Sofiane Abdelkader Benhassen, President of the Fédération Algérienne de Rugby said: “This long-awaited membership of World Rugby as a full member will provide us with support in four main areas. It will allow us to accelerate the growth of the game in the country. Secondly, Algeria is currently ranked sixth in the African rankings, and will now come into the world rankings. We will from now on be able to participate in World Rugby’s General Assemblies and have a voice that counts. And finally, with this membership, Algeria can enter the qualification journey for the Olympic Games and the Men’s and Women’s Sevens and Rugby World Cups. I would like to thank Rugby Africa and its President, Khaled Babbou, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the National Olympic Committee and ACNOA as well as our private partners for their support. And I congratulate all the clubs presidents and founders of Algerian rugby and the entire union staff for their relentless efforts that have led us to this wonderful day.”
RocketWisdom is one of RocketPlay’s most personal projects to date — an authentic digital book featuring over 100 real stories, rituals, and gaming habits shared by RocketPlay players. It began as a small internal effort to explore the fun side of play — how people enjoy their gaming moments and what small traditions make the experience special. It has since grown into a full eBook, now available for download.
What is RocketWisdom?
RocketWisdom is a compact, living digital book featuring 100+ stories, rituals, and personal gaming habits submitted by verified RocketPlay users. These aren’t polished guides — they’re human: lucky charms, timing bets, favourite slots, pre-spin habits, and little moments that make play unique.
RocketWisdom is more than a campaign — it’s a celebration of players’ creativity, shared fun, and community spirit.
Originally, players would periodically share their favourite gaming stories and rituals with the RocketPlay support team and on social media channels. The casino team got curious: what makes each player’s gaming moment their own? Are there funny traditions, habits, or superstitions behind the spins?
So they asked the community directly — and the response was overwhelming. More than 500 submissions arrived: many deeply personal, some playful, others describing family traditions or lucky moments. What started as a simple idea soon grew into a collection worth preserving, so RocketPlay gathered it into a book — first intended for an internal circle, but as more players asked to see it, RocketPlay decided to make RocketWisdom publicly available.
What’s inside
- 100+ real stories and rituals from players — from lucky charms to favourite slot routines
- Exclusive bonus code embedded in the book for instant testing
From 4.11, RocketWisdom can be downloaded directly from the RocketPlay website in two convenient formats — PDF and EPUB — making it easy for players to explore the collection from any device.
Why it matters
Today’s players expect more than chance — they want shared experience, creativity, and fun. RocketWisdom delivers inspiration, smiles, and connection for both seasoned spinners and newcomers.
For streamers and content creators, it offers authentic and entertaining material ideal for livestreams, reviews, and community challenges.
For operators and affiliates, player-driven storytelling helps build engagement and a more connected community.
Beyond being a book, RocketWisdom became a heartfelt celebration of creativity and playfulness shared by the RocketPlay community. Inside the book, readers will find promo codes that invite them to try selected games — closing the loop between inspiration, curiosity, and play.
RocketPlay is a trusted online casino with over 9,000 slots from top providers. Highly rated on CasinoGuru (9.8/10), AskGamblers (9.06/10), and Trustpilot (4.4/5), it’s recognized for its quality, fairness, and reliability. The platform holds trust certificates from Chipy.com, CasinoGuru, and AskGamblers, and offers regular bonuses, tournaments, and strong Responsible Gaming features.
Reading Time: < 1 minute
Orange Gaming B.V. has been granted a license by the Netherlands Gambling Authority to offer online casino games against the license holder in the Dutch market. With this milestone, Orange Gaming sets a clear course: safe, fair, and transparent online entertainment for Dutch players.
Petrit Dibrani, Director of Orange Gaming B.V., comments:
“We are a Dutch team with short communication lines and a down-to-earth mindset. My background in compliance forms the foundation of our decisions. We aim to go live soon, but we do so carefully and fully in line with all regulations. The Dutch market is demanding, with high taxes and strict limits, yet it also holds significant potential. That’s exactly why we focus on innovation, efficiency, and genuine attention to the player.”
Orange Gaming positions itself as an agile challenger among larger operators. Safer-play-by-design is embedded in all processes and communication. Limits, tools, and game rules are clearly explained, helping players stay in control and make conscious choices. The platform also includes several unique features that will be unveiled upon the website launch.
The post Orange Gaming B.V. obtains license to offer online casino games in the Netherlands appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Reading Time: 2 minutes
PropellerAds, one of the world’s leading advertising platforms, is proud to announce the official launch of the Chinese-language version of propellerads.com with native support team, marking a major step in its strategic expansion across East Asia. The announcement comes in response to growing regional demand for industry-leading advertising platforms specializing in high growth sectors, including gaming and e-commerce.
To mark the launch, a Chinese version of the PropellerAds website is now live, complete with full translation and a dedicated team of native-speaking experts to support Chinese-speaking clients. This has been complemented by an official WeChat channel where updates, insights, and company news updates will be shared directly with its Chinese-speaking audiences.
As a global market leader in digital advertising with 15 daily billion ad impressions across over 195 GEOs, PropellerAds brings over a decade of proven success to the Chinese market. Its deep expertise in performance-driven formats like Popunder, Push Notifications, and Telegram Mini Apps, has helped thousands of advertisers scale their campaigns worldwide. Now, Chinese-speaking clients can benefit directly from this global experience, expert support, and strategic tools tailored to their needs, empowering them to reach international audiences with precision and confidence.
“We’re excited to deepen our relationships in the Chinese market,” said Matvey Shmidt, Sales Director at PropellerAds.
“Our goal is to empower advertisers and partners in China with the tools, support, and insights they need to succeed globally. For the first time, Chinese clients can benefit from our global expertise while accessing a multisource advertising platform designed to local demands and needs.”
In addition to its established ad formats, PropellerAds continues to innovate with new channels such as Telegram Mini Apps, Survey Exit, and In-Page Push, providing advertisers with access to audiences and engagement opportunities. These formats expand the platform’s capabilities beyond traditional web placements, with brands reaching high-intent users across multiple ecosystems with precision targeting and performance-driven optimization.
PropellerAds recently made a successful appearance at China Joy, one of Asia’s largest digital entertainment expos, where the team connected with hundreds of partners and advertisers, and Global Traffic Conference in Shenzen. Looking ahead, PropellerAds will be attending GTC in Shanghai this November, continuing its mission to foster meaningful partnerships and drive innovation in the region.
Shmidt continued: “This launch reaffirms PropellerAds as a global leader in digital advertising, offering scalable solutions and localized support to help businesses grow across borders, with this being the first in a series of new launches we will be announcing in the region soon. We look forward to meeting our clients and speaking with interested clients at GTC in Shanghai.”
You can visit PropellerAds at stand B69, at GTC in Shanghai, on 5th and 6th of November.
The post PropellerAds launches localized platform in China appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
-
Latest News3 months ago
Light & Wonder to Participate in the 2025 Australasian Gaming Expo
-
Latest News3 months ago
ReferOn Shortlisted for Acquisition & Retention Partner of the Year at SBC Lisbon 2025
-
Latest News3 months ago
Gavin Hamilton Joins Sports & Wellbeing Analytics as Chairman to Accelerate Global Expansion
-
Latest News2 months ago
Duels for Friends in Trophy Hunter. Invite your friends and create a shared space for fun and competition.
-
Latest News3 months ago
BC.GAME Launches “Nezha” Slot with Up to 46,656 Ways to Win and 10,000x Max Payout
-
Latest News1 month ago
Announcement: 25th September 2025
-
Latest News3 months ago
NODWIN Gaming Acquires Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Stake in Evo; Becomes Majority Holder
-
Latest News2 months ago
Flamez – A Fiery New Online Casino Contender from Ganadu
You must be logged in to post a comment Login