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The MSSA Protea Esports Team for the MLBB Esports Title has safely arrived in Malaysia. The team is proudly sporting purple, instead of green, in support of ending Gender Based Violence in South Africa.

Moments before the team landed in Malaysia, IESF had already done the draw. There are four groups of national teams and South Africa is in Group A with Malaysia and Iran.

This is, without doubt, the group of death with Team Malaysia having won the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) event at the World Esports Championship (WEC) 2024, the Protea Esports Team has an uphill battle against them. However, it is more than likely that the team that wins this group will have a good chance of winning the World Championships (WEC25).

The prize money is as follows:

MLBB Women prizes:

1. 1st place – US$17,500.00
2. 2nd place – US$10,500.00
3. 3rd place – US$7,000.00

The full team is as follows:

Additional reading:

The post Female Protea Esports Team arrives safely in Malaysia. appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Mr Vegas helped raise vital funds for Sheffield Wednesday after donating a VIP hospitality box for a fan raffle during last weekend’s Steel City derby against Sheffield United.

The fundraising initiative comes during one of the most challenging periods in the Owls’ 158-year history, following the club’s entry into administration and a points deduction that was yesterday extended by a further six to 18. Mr Vegas, the club’s front-of-shirt sponsor, has renewed its commitment to the club while also offering additional commercial assets to help raise vital funds.

The donated hospitality package was raffled among supporters ahead of the derby, with the winning prize going to lifelong Wednesday fan Simon and nine friends. While 3-0 home defeat was hardly what fans hoped for, the raffle raised £9,000 directly for the club.

Simon said:  “Although the result on the pitch wasn’t great, the rest of the day was excellent. We loved being in a box, going down the tunnel and pitchside. Thank you to Mr Vegas for donating this to Sheffield Wednesday.”

Marco Trucco, CMO at Mr Vegas, said the decision to step up support during the club’s darkest period was clear.

“The weight of uncertainty in moments like this falls almost entirely on the fans. As a brand, you can either step up or step back – and for us, the choice was easy. We sponsor the club, not past ownership. Sheffield Wednesday’s identity is rooted in its history and its supporters, and that’s what we choose to stand behind.

“When the club entered administration, we worked with the administrators to find practical ways to help raise funds. This included giving back several VIP boxes, hospitality tickets and other sponsorship assets so they could be raffled directly to fans.”

James Todd, Head of Commercial at Sheffield Wednesday, added: “We would like to extend a huge thank you to our Principal Partners Mr Vegas. They have offered unwavering support during an extremely difficult period for the club and we truly appreciate it.

“It’s been a pleasure working with Mr Vegas over the past couple of seasons. We are delivering strong activations and engagement both in-stadia and digitally, and their continued backing has meant a great deal to everyone connected with the club.”

Mr Vegas moved from back-of-shirt sponsor to front-of-shirt sponsor ahead of this season, renewing its partnership with the club despite the growing financial turmoil at Hillsborough. The brand has also supported a wider series of fan-led fundraising initiatives through social media promotion and ticket and hospitality raffles.

Trucco added: “Sheffield Wednesday has one of the most loyal fan bases in English football. It’s a historic club and exactly the kind of community-focused partnership that matters to us. We’ll continue to do what we can to support the club and its supporters while they work towards securing a buyer and a more stable future.”

The post Mr Vegas giveaway raises cash for Sheffield Wednesday during administration crisis appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

The current decade is proving truly transformative for the whole global gaming industry, given the rollout of new licensing regimes and major upgrades to already established frameworks. Many of the latest frameworks have emerged offshore, with jurisdictions such as Nevis and Tobique using low taxes, a remote application process, lower licensing fees, and light-touch oversight to secure additional budget inflows.

On the other side, “onshore” hubs, especially in Europe, are doubling down on ever-stricter oversight, making it more complex and expensive to run a gambling business from there. Quite unexpectedly, therefore, a jurisdiction where gambling has historically been prohibited by religion and criminal law moved to introduce a comprehensive licensing regime. This was literally a shock for many; only one in a million industry enthusiasts would have predicted that this country would be the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Two years ago, the UAE established the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA), the first-in-history federal regulator in the Gulf to oversee gambling across all emirates. Since then, the GCGRA is rolling out gradually, brick by brick, issuing the first few B2B vendor licenses to a select few of internationally recognized suppliers while setting B2C licensing aside and approaching it with caution.

Today, the UAE gambling regulator is authorized to grant licenses for gaming operators (a B2C gambling license issued for a casino, sports wagering, land-based gaming facilities, lottery, and lottery retailers), gaming-related vendors (B2B gambling license), and key persons (affiliates, stakeholders, and employees). Even though the GCGRA has laid down an essential foundation ahead of B2C license issuance, however, the actual B2C regulations are still developing and unavailable to the public, apart from certain provisions on responsible gaming and anti-money laundering (AML) obligations.

As of this second, just a single B2C online gaming license has been issued. Detailed rulebooks on license conditions and the scope of onsite and online gaming activities, however, are still under development and remain subject to ongoing discussion. In essence, while the sector is gradually progressing toward a formal B2C licensing regime, the key details and timing are largely unclear.

In contrast, the B2B regime is already in full swing, with over fifteen UAE gaming licenses already granted to date. The regulator made it clear to everyone that its first priority is to establish a robust B2B ecosystem of technology, payment, content, and other aggregators before opening the door for B2C companies. Considering this, early GCGRA-licensed gambling aggregators get a rare first-mover advantage: legal setup in a business hub like the UAE with privileged access to serve the first wave of B2C UAE gaming license holders (B2C) and secure an unmatched level of trust among banks, investors, and other stakeholders for meeting rigorous regulatory expectations.

With the largely untapped market potential, many industry analysts argue that the UAE gambling license could become the single most valuable license to get in the next year.

The assumption is based on the fact that the UAE always plays the long game. The country’s goal is not merely closing fiscal gaps, as is often the case with offshore jurisdictions, but to drive meaningful economic diversification, expand tourism, and compete with other global entertainment hubs – all reinforcing confidence for entering the market. What’s more, even though the framework is relatively new, the country has an impeccable track record in building high-end regimes, namely in crypto, setting a benchmark for operators and aggregators.

Yet, what truly stands out is the license scarcity: the current GCGRA framework foresees only a limited number of approvals per emirate granted to B2B operators that meet stringent regulatory, operational, and integrity thresholds. The combination of high demand and limited supply significantly amplifies the license’s commercial value, given that the future B2C operator market – projected to generate billions in annual revenue – will be exclusively served by a select pool of qualified B2B vendors.

Beyond this, the UAE’s combination of robust economy, attractive taxation, political stability, and high consumer trust sets it apart from offshore jurisdictions launching gambling licensing regimes.

Taking all factors into account, the UAE gaming license could become the new “golden standard” as one of the most respected regulatory regimes worldwide, turning into the license every operator wants to add to their portfolio. Unsurprisingly, therefore, aggregators are already preparing to move ahead with licensing, bracing for what may become one of the most scrutinized application and approval processes of all time.

With this in mind, joining the ranks of the select few UAE gambling license holders (B2B) will hinge on early, meticulous preparation of necessary documentation and specialized region-specific professional advice. Among these are qualified consultants at Inteliumlaw, a UAE local law firm with on-the-ground representatives in the country and extensive experience in supporting gambling businesses. Having spent years navigating gambling frameworks and establishing relations with regulators, Inteliumlaw is emerging as a top legal partner for operators looking to capitalize on what is set to become the most valuable licensing opportunity of 2026: the UAE gaming license.