Latest News
Maths teacher by day, gamer by night: 54 year-old Rakesh Sharma shatters stereotypes
Rakesh Sharma, a math teacher by profession, is proving that passion knows no age bar. At 54, the mathematics teacher-turned-gamer has gone viral with an impressive number of over 173K subscribers on his YouTube channel “Beta Aisa Hai”. A following built within just six months of it going live, challenging the notion that gaming is only for the younger age group.
Known as Rakesh Sir to his students, he also has a strong Instagram following of 524K, who enjoy his witty sarcasm. Once dreamed of joining the Indian Army, his destiny led him to a fulfilling career in teaching instead, where he continues to mentor his students. From a mathematics professor at a government college, his journey into content creation began unexpectedly when he started watching his son play games on his mobile.
Sharma, managed by OP Gaming, a vertical of influencer marketing agency Opraahfx, expressed,“I come from the city of Bulandshahr and with so many new things coming into trend, I never imagined I would start taking an interest in gaming. It was my son’s idea to upload my gameplay videos and the response was surprisingly positive and overwhelming,”
Sharma’s growing popularity has already caught the attention of major brands and he has already collaborated with reputed brands like Blinkit, Swiggy, Myntra, Prime Video, and more, validating that his influence extends far beyond gaming.
“I guess people liked the idea that the community is becoming more diverse and the stigma that gaming is just limited to younger age groups can be shattered. I hope more people can join in and make their name, creating a broader perception,“ he further added.
India’s gaming industry is on a rapid rise. According to Lumikai’s State of India Interactive Media and Gaming Report, the country recorded 15.2 billion mobile gaming app downloads in 2024, making it the second-largest gaming market globally. The sector is projected to grow to $9.2 billion by 2029, highlighting immense opportunities for new creators like Sharma.
His journey is a testament to the fact that gaming transcends age, background, and profession, bringing people together through shared passion and entertainment.
The post Maths teacher by day, gamer by night: 54 year-old Rakesh Sharma shatters stereotypes appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Team Heretics integrates Chiliz directly onto its platform, transforms engagement and loyalty
Team Heretics transforms engagement and loyalty by integrating Chiliz infrastructure directly onto its platform
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Team Heretics first partnered with Chiliz to launch a $TH Fan Token on Socios.com in May 2020
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The Spanish esports giant is now advancing its Web3 foothold, by launching a Chiliz Chain powered digital asset wallet in its official store and a loyalty programme powered by Chiliz’s Web3 infrastructure
Team Heretics, the renowned esports club, makes a twofold strategic move towards the future of fan engagement: it becomes the first team in its sector to natively integrate a blockchain wallet into its official store, and alongside this, unveils the launch of a new and ambitious loyalty programme. Chiliz, the leading provider of blockchain solutions for the sports and entertainment industry, powers both developments.
The integration of the blockchain wallet into Team Heretics’ e-commerce platform is a major technical advancement, enabling fans to connect their wallets securely and directly, while managing ownership of their $TH Fan Tokens. This functionality is the cornerstone upon which Team Heretics will build innovative and personalised digital and real-world experiences for those supporters who hold this asset.
Building on this technological foundation, Team Heretics is developing an innovative and dynamic loyalty programme. This programme will utilise the club’s Fan Tokens as the primary vehicle to unlock membership tiers, exclusive rewards, early access to products, special discounts, and new ways to participate and interact with the club. The objective is to go beyond traditional utility and create an ecosystem where fan loyalty and commitment are continuously recognised and rewarded within Heretics’ own universe.
“Together with Chiliz, we’ve been working on finding ways to empower our community by exploring the emerging areas of technology. With this new program, in 2025, we’re taking a leap forward in how we connect with and value our community compared to what we’ve done with Chiliz in the past — evolving the experience so that being a token holder truly grants access to exclusive experiences and a say in certain day-to-day decisions at Team Heretics. We want our fans to feel that being active in the community comes with rewards, and with Chiliz, we’ll keep working on that better than ever,” said Alejandro Marcos, CMO of Team Heretics.
What does this mean for the future of sport?
This twofold announcement underscores Chiliz’s and Team Heretics’ vision for the potential of Web3 in sport and entertainment. Having already dived into this type of engagement by letting their community choose elements such as their Superliga name or the design of their official flag with their Fan Tokens, the wallet integration is now the gateway to deeper engagement, while the loyalty programme is the strategy that capitalises on that connection.
“This integration is much more than a new feature; it’s the manifestation of our vision at Chiliz for the future of fan engagement in Web3,” states Alexandre Dreyfus, CEO of Chiliz. “We are demonstrating how blockchain technology enables clubs, like Team Heretics, to build versatile, multidisciplinary, and direct experiences with their communities, using their own channels.”
The Web3 Advantage: Beyond the traditional model
Fundamentally, Chiliz’s Web3 infrastructure provides the necessary flexibility, security, and autonomy for Fan Tokens to act as genuine digital assets, whose utility can be integrated and exploited to their full potential by each club. This takes fan engagement to a new level of personalisation and control, managed directly by the club, helping them to take the reins of their fan experience and build their own ecosystems.
This initiative with Team Heretics is a clear example of hyper-personalisation, adapting Chiliz’s infrastructure to the club’s specific language and objectives. This sets a precedent that, in the near future, other clubs might follow regardless of whether or not they are digital natives.
An autonomous ecosystem for greater loyalty
With these advancements, Team Heretics and Chiliz – as a pioneering company with collaborations with teams of the calibre of FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Atlético de Madrid, Manchester City, Juventus, and Inter Milan, among others – propose a model where blockchain technology serves as a catalyst for a closer, more participatory relationship between the club and its fans.
The foundations are being laid for a future where supporters are not mere spectators, but active participants in the life and development of the club, through loyalty programmes that truly understand and reward their passion.
The post Team Heretics integrates Chiliz directly onto its platform, transforms engagement and loyalty appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Xanada Investments Reveals Strategic Backing of Sweepium, Targeting the U.S. Sweepstakes Landscape
Xanada Investments, a leading ideological investment fund focused on the iGaming sector, has officially revealed its early-stage investment in Sweepium, a breakthrough B2B platform and game aggregator redefining how sweepstakes casino brands launch, operate, and scale in the U.S. market.
The decision to invest in Sweepium was driven by a clear alignment of vision: a bold team building real sweepstakes infrastructure for an underserved and fast-growing segment, while providing a serious competitive advantage to existing platforms.
Purpose-built for the complexities of the U.S. regulatory landscape, Sweepium delivers a fully integrated, turnkey platform that includes a bank-approved payment architecture, CRM, customer support, content management, game aggregation, and promotional tools. Its standout capability — its bank-approved payment system — the first of its kind in the U.S. sweepstakes sector — enabling operators to process transactions with institutional-grade compliance and reliability.
Over the past year, Xanada’s support extended far beyond capital. Acting as strategic advisors and active mentors, the fund worked closely with the Sweepium team to strengthen their operational and go-to-market strategy to accelerate brand onboarding and commercial traction.
Today, Sweepium is live with multiple operators, supports integrations with over 50 game providers, and enables new clients to launch in just 8–10 weeks from contract to first processed payment — a speed and standard unmatched in the space.
“From day one, Sweepium showed both clarity of vision and precision in execution,” said Vladimir Malakchi, CEO & Managing Partner at Xanada Investments. “Our decision to invest was driven not only by the unique positioning of the platform but by the team’s operational discipline and long-term thinking. Over the past year, we’ve worked closely with Sweepium to evolve their business infrastructure, guide strategic decisions, and help unlock market growth — and the results speak for themselves.”
Daniel Mitton, Founder & CEO of Sweepium, commented: “Partnering with Xanada Investments brought more than capital — it brought strategy, structure, and scale. Their team helped us align operations with long-term growth goals, navigate licensing, and open doors commercially. With Xanada’s support, we’ve accelerated our market readiness and laid the groundwork for sustainable expansion.”
As Sweepium enters its next phase of growth, the company is focused on expanding its partner base, deepening product capabilities, and continuing to lead in compliance-first innovation within the U.S. sweepstakes space.
About Xanada Investments
Xanada Investments is an ideological investment fund targeting PreSeed, Seed, and Series A funding rounds for innovative projects and leaders in the iGaming industry. With a focus on long-term success, Xanada is committed to providing not only capital but also strategic guidance and support to help businesses scale quickly and efficiently.
About Sweepium
Sweepium is a B2B platform and game aggregator enabling the launch of sweepstakes casino brands under a white-label model. The company supports over 80 game providers, offers full operational setup, and is the first provider of bank-approved white-label payments for sweepstakes in the U.S. market.
The post Xanada Investments Reveals Strategic Backing of Sweepium, Targeting the U.S. Sweepstakes Landscape appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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BEGE Expo Announces “Gaming Start-UP Challenge 7.0” — A Premier Opportunity for Gaming Innovators
For the 16th edition of BEGE, one of the most important events in the gaming industry in the Balkans, the expo proudly brings back the “Gaming Start-UP Challenge 7.0” as a highlight of this year’s event. This exciting entrepreneurial competition returns to the BEGE and EEGS stage, offering start-ups a unique platform to showcase their innovations to industry leaders and investors.
The challenge is open to start-ups developing groundbreaking solutions relevant to the gaming industry. Whether your focus is on advanced payment methods, online gaming platforms, cryptocurrency and blockchain technologies, security solutions, or cutting-edge game development tools, your innovation has a place here. The competition also welcomes pioneering work in augmented and virtual reality, esports and live streaming, and responsible gaming technologies. In essence, any technology that enhances or revolutionizes the gaming or gambling experience fits the spirit of this challenge.
Participants will have the exclusive chance to pitch their start-up live on the EEGS stage, gaining invaluable exposure during the two-day BEGE exhibition. Beyond the stage, this event provides a vibrant networking environment to connect with potential partners, investors, and key stakeholders across the gaming ecosystem.
To apply, startups are required to pay a nominal participation fee of 100 euros to secure their spot. Selected applicants will receive a short questionnaire and be invited to prepare a concise presentation for the competition.
Don’t miss this opportunity to propel your gaming start-up into the spotlight and join the forefront of gaming innovation.
Apply now and take your place in shaping the future of the industry!
The post BEGE Expo Announces “Gaming Start-UP Challenge 7.0” — A Premier Opportunity for Gaming Innovators appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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