Global casino and sports betting company Stake has announced a partnership with Champion of Champions Tour (CCT), a large-scale CS2 esports event organised by GRID in cooperation with Eden Esports.
Stake will be the exclusive betting partner for the English broadcast of the CCT, offering the brand a way to connect with esports fans and providing content and activations throughout the event.
The Champion of Champions Tour, now in its second edition, boasts a prize pool of $1.5m (£1.18m) and will end with a major LAN final in early 2025. Turkish team Eternal Fire is the current champion, beating Team Liquid in the Global Finals in May 2024.
The new agreement is the first time that Stake is entering a partnership for an esports event, and the first-ever time the company is venturing into the realm of competitive gaming. Commenting on the entry and the partnership, Stake Chief Marketing Officer Akhil Sarin noted that the CCT is the perfect way to enter esports and that esports is a key growth area for the company. Sarin also added that multiple activations and content are planned throughout the partnership with GRID.
Mikael Westerling, Chief Sales Officer at GRID, added: “Stake’s reputation for innovation, support of traditional sports, and entertainment makes them a perfect partner for the CCT. Together, we look forward to elevating the tournament experience for players, fans, and the entire esports community.”
The CCT is already underway and has 36 online events split across four regions, culminating in a Global Final. More than 60 teams have accumulated points for the CCT finals, but only five top-placed teams will qualify for the main event in 2025, where invited teams will join them.
Some of CCT’s winners this year include GamerLegion, BetBoom Team, Wildcard and paiN Gaming, among others. The 2024 finals had a total of 16 teams.
