eSports
ZywOo Wins Counter Strike Player of the Year at the HLTV Award Show
The HLTV Award Show, presented by 1xBet, has awarded Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut the coveted Player of the Year award for a record-breaking third time. ZywOo, along with Team Vitality, who also won the Team of the Year award, have been a force to be reckoned with in 2023, having won the last-ever CS:GO Major in Paris. The French player also took home more accolades than anyone else this evening, winning AWPer of the Year and Highlight of the Year in the Panel Awards.
The HLTV Award Show, the most prestigious awards show in Counter Strike, has seen some of the best talent in Counter Strike recognised for their fantastic contributions to the sport and the community. This included Nigma Galaxy winning Women’s Team of the Year, the ever-popular Nikola “NiKo” Kovač winning Opener of the Year, and Danny “zonic” Sørensen for Coach of the Year. Robin “ropz” Kool also achieved his highest HLTV ranking this year by placing in the top three, and also taking home the Closer of the Year Award.
On display at the award show was HLTV’s first ever photo exhibition, consisting of 75 photos spanning the entire history of Counter Strike, carefully selected by HLTV journalist and photographer, Lucas Aznar Miles.
The top 20 players from the past year were also gifted custom keycaps, so that players can take them away and actively play with a piece of CS history, and was also featured on HLTV’s Instagram page.
These awards stand as a beacon of recognition for the outstanding achievements and contributions within the competitive Counter-Strike community. Now closing off its third edition, the HLTV Award Show is a curated program that showcases the pinnacle of skill, dedication, and sportsmanship in the world of Counter-Strike.
The winners for the HLTV Awards in each category are as follows:
Player of the Year
- Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut
Women’s Player of the Year
- Ana “ANa” Dumbravă
Team of the Year
- Team Vitality
Women’s Team of the Year
- Nigma Galaxy
Rookie of the Year
- Guy “NertZ” Iluz
The Panel Awards were voted on by community peers including five members of HLTV’s newsroom, ten on-air talent members, and 20 representatives from the best teams of 2023. The winners of the Panel Awards are as follows:
Highlight of the Year
- Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut
Opener of the Year
- Nikola “NiKo” Kovač
Closer of the Year
- Robin “ropz” Kool
Anchor of the Year
- Emil “Magisk” Reif
AWPer of the Year
- Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut
IGL of the Year
- Dan “apEX” Madesclaire
Coach of the Year
- Danny “zonic” Sørensen
The winners of the Community Awards voted on by members of the HLTV community are as follows:
Talent of the Year:
- Chad “SPUNJ” Burchill
Event of the Year:
- BLAST.tv Paris Major
Creator of the Year:
- 3kliksphilip
Streamer of the Year:
- Ohnepixel
“This year’s awards were a fantastic celebration of excellence, and ZywOo is very deserving of the Player of the Year Award. His exceptional performance in 2023 has not only solidified his status as a standout player but will also make a lasting impact on the history of competitive Counter Strike. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees who have all contributed to the community and we look forward to welcoming them back next year, as we gear up for another year of memorable moments in Counter-Strike.” – Zvonimir Burazin, Head of Operations, HLTV
For more information and highlights from this year’s award show, check out the HLTV Award Show page.
eSports
DATA.BET Launches Esports Bet Builder
The company advances the betting experience for esports fans
DATA.BET, a leading esports betting provider, releases Bet Builder, designed to create highly customized compound bets within a single match, offering a thrilling experience for professional bettors and avid esports enthusiasts.
Unlike traditional express bets, which span across multiple events, Bet Builder operates within a single event. It allows players to tailor their bets with flexibility, making it ideal for skillful users who deeply understand the game and seek a more personalized and strategic betting experience. With Bet Builder, users can bet on a wide range of markets within a single event, freely combining their selections without any restrictions.
In addition to its powerful functionality, this product is versatile in its integration. It can be seamlessly connected to any platform via API, allowing operators to offer this premium feature without technical limitations.
The novelty is already available for Counter-Strike 2 and will soon expand to cover other popular esports titles such as Valorant, League of Legends, and other disciplines.
“Our Bet Builder is a game-changer in the esports betting landscape,” said Rostyslav Likhtin, Head of Product at DATA.BET. “We’ve developed a sophisticated mathematical model that allows us to offer this feature on compound events without compromising on profitability. Beyond providing a unique experience that boosts engagement rates, loyalty, and expands the user base, it also significantly increases the operator’s turnover from the existing audience. Additionally, Bet Builder helps attract new players who are eager to explore combined bets on popular sports, allowing them to become more familiar with these disciplines.”
eSports
BETBY EXPANDS ESPORTS PORTFOLIO WITH LAUNCH OF eSTREETBALL
BETBY, a leading provider of premium sportsbook solutions, has announced the addition of eStreetball to its BETBY Games esports content portfolio, further enhancing its impressive lineup of e-simulator sports. BETBY Games now features nine different sports, hosting over 50 tournaments across various disciplines.
The newly introduced eStreetball title brings players the excitement of three unique tournaments: NBA All-Star, NBA All-Classic, and CBA All-Star. Combining state-of-the-art graphics with extensive betting options, the game delivers an exhilarating and immersive experience for esports enthusiasts.
Each eStreetball match offers rapid gameplay, with games concluding in just seven minutes. For an enhanced betting experience, the game provides more than 10 betting markets, including options like winner, total points, home total, away total, handicap, odd/even, and race to points. This latest addition follows a series of recent updates to BETBY Games’ esports portfolio, showcasing the company’s commitment to delivering innovative and engaging content for its partners.
Kirill Nekrasov, Head of BETBY Games, commented: “We were thrilled with the success of our recent Classic eBasketball release, which motivated us to accelerate the launch of new content for this game. We’ve now introduced another basketball-based sport, and I’m confident it will resonate with both casual players who enjoy quick bets and instant outcomes, as well as esports enthusiasts who are always eager for new disciplines.
He added that: “We are continually striving to innovate and enhance our offerings, aiming to provide the best possible esports experience for our partners and their players. The introduction of Streetball to BETBY Games’ e-simulator portfolio reflects our dedication to the esports sector. By delivering top-tier content, we empower our partners to differentiate themselves in the market while keeping players engaged, particularly during periods when live sports events may be limited.”
eSports
SIS goes live with Superbet to strengthen esports product profile in Romania
Operator adds 24/7 sport simulation content to offering
SIS (Sports Information Services), the leading content supplier of 24/7 live betting services, has launched its Competitive Gaming product with Superbet in Europe and South America through the Genius Sports platform.
The complete suite of H2H Global Gaming League™ eSoccer and eBasketball matches, numbering over 150,000 events per year, is now live with the Romanian operator. Superbet will benefit from the increase in wagering opportunities provided by the event-based product, which is proven to maximise engagement and margin for operators.
Since its launch in 2008, Superbet has established a strong presence across the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) region, becoming a leading operator in Romania, Belgium, Poland and Serbia. The operator offers a diverse sportsbook, presenting constantly evolving sports betting opportunities to its customers.
Competitive Gaming’s H2H Global Gaming League™ sees highly skilled professional gamers take part in short-form eBasketball and eSoccer matches. The contests are produced entirely in-house in the UK and include tools and features to enhance the customer experience.
It is the only esports product available on the market to have been awarded the Esports Integrity Commission’s (ESIC) Gold Standards, the highest possible accreditation created to set unmatched levels of integrity and safety in the industry, with trained referees overseeing every contest.
Launching Competitive Gaming with Superbet reaffirms SIS’ reputation as a global supplier of value-adding, round-the-clock content.
Andrew Kelly, Head of Commercial Partnerships at SIS, said: “The partnership with Superbet is the latest operator agreement as we strive to widen the reach of our Competitive Gaming portfolio, leveraging our recent platform partnership with Genius Sports.
“Superbet has an impressive footprint and we look forward to bringing our revolutionary product to bettors throughout this entire region.”
Ivan Gojic, Head of Trading Product at Superbet Group, added: “Superbet has established a reputation of being a champion of the sports betting industry across the CEE region, due to the unique and immersive experience that we offer to our customers. We are always looking at ways to improve the quality of this experience and enhance the array of wagering opportunities that we provide.
“SIS’ Competitive Gaming is a proven product with increased quality and variety in terms of content, and we are excited to add it to our offering.”
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