To subscribe, click here.

To pitch a ‘My Turn’ guest column, email jdalessio@news-gazette.com.

CHAMPAIGN — An esports lounge could be on the horizon for the Leonhard Recreation Center, along with an updated space for after-school activities and day camps.

Champaign Park District staff are proposing to convert a couple of offices, which are mainly used by part-time staff for after-school and day camp programs, into the esports space.

The indoor playground, on the other hand, would be turned into “a new, upgraded after-school/day camp programming space that houses the displaced staff as well.”

The proposal was presented as a discussion item at Wednesday’s park district board meeting.

Park district Executive Director Sarah Sanquist told The News-Gazette that the board was generally supportive of the idea but wanted more information before moving forward.

“They want to see what comes back from the facility study and think bigger picture about the entire first floor,” she said.

Prior to Wednesday’s board meeting, Sandquist said the park district hoped to potentially begin the project in the fall and have the new spaces ready to go for programming by January 2026.

However, she later said that the facilities study will be going on throughout the park district for most of the year, meaning that the project timeline will likely be pushed back.

The idea to reimagine the two spaces stems from a $325,000 donation received at the end of 2024, according to park district staff.

“We’re really grateful for this anonymous donation and think that we can utilize it to provide some updated space for our younger participants,” Sandquist said.

According to a staff report, the donor specified that $300,000 was to be used for “youth services development” and $25,000 was for scholarships.

“One of the desires with the donation was to support esports development,” park district staff wrote. “After touring various esports lounges and conducting both internal and external discussions, staff determined that an esports lounge would be best suited for the Leonhard Recreation Center.”

The park district previously experimented with esports leagues during the pandemic and saw some interest, Sandquist said.

“We recognize that not every teenager that comes here after school is interested in sports or playing in the open gym space,” she said. “So we want to provide another opportunity for different activities.”

The lounge is envisioned as being made up of two spaces: one area with computers and gaming systems, and another with comfortable seating.

Sandquist added that the park district would like to hire some “facilitators” for space who have experience with esports or gaming, as well as experience working with middle schoolers and teens.

“I think (the esports lounge will) be utilized by all ages, really, but we have a large group of middle schoolers that come over from Jefferson Middle School every day after school,” she said. “So I think that’ll be the majority of users, but then, outside of that, evenings and on the weekends, I think we’ll see usage by a broader range of youth and maybe even adults.”

She told The News-Gazette that the park district has looked into how other districts operate similar facilities and programs, and some possibilities include a mix of reserved and open time, as well as structured leagues.

“Having a sign-up after school and then specific time blocks is something that I think we’ll definitely be doing initially so that we can rotate kids through,” she said.

As for the new day camp and after-school space, Sandquist said it will likely look similar to the current set-up on the rec center’s second floor, with comfortable seating and areas for different activities.

Park district staff noted that the indoor playground has seen limited use. In the six months leading up to its closure for repairs, the playground was entered 882 times over 177 days for an average of about five visits per day. During that same period, the amenity was rented out 19 times.

“The repairs are enough to bring it back to operational, but overall, the playground structure is at end-of-life,” Sandquist said, adding that the repairs are needed to bring the 10-year-old fixture “up to a level that’s safe.”

Madrid, Spain, July 10, 2025 – (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) Codere Online (Nasdaq: CDRO / CDROW, the “Company”), a leading online gaming operator in Spain and Latin America, today announced that the Codere brand1 has improved its position to 77th, up from 85th in 2024, in a ranking of Spain’s most valuable brands, according to Brand Finance.

Codere remains the only gaming brand on the list, marking its leadership in the sector, and maintains its record of consistently being named on the Top 100 list since 2010, putting it alongside household names such as Zara, Vueling and Movistar as titans in Spanish business.

The last year has seen Codere Online continue to expand in its core markets of Spain and Mexico, as well as leverage partnerships with footballing giants Real Madrid and C.F. Monterrey to further boost its brand awareness, including activations around the FIFA Club World Cup.

Alberto Telias, Chief Marketing Officer of Codere Online, said: “Our marketing and sponsorship efforts over the last 12 months have been reflected in the consolidation of our status as a market leading brand in Spain. We’re proud of the experiences we offer our customers, that truly allow them to connect with the Codere brand.”

Codere Online started operations in Spain in 2014. In the twelve months ended March 31, 2025, the Company generated more than 87 million euros of net gaming revenue in Spain, with more than 50,000 average monthly active players in the country.

About Codere Online

Codere Online refers, collectively, to Codere Online Luxembourg, S.A. and its subsidiaries. Codere Online launched in 2014 as part of the renowned casino operator Codere Group. Codere Online offers online sports betting and online casino through its state-of-the art website and mobile applications. Codere currently operates in its core markets of Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Panama and Argentina. Codere Online’s online business is complemented by Codere Group’s physical presence in Spain and throughout Latin America, forming the foundation of the leading omnichannel gaming and casino presence.

About Codere Group

Codere Group is a multinational group devoted to entertainment and leisure. It is a leading player in the private gaming industry, with four decades of experience and with presence in seven countries in Europe (Spain and Italy) and Latin America (Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, and Uruguay).

Contacts:

Investors and Media

Guillermo Lancha

Director, Investor Relations and Communications

[email protected]

(+34) 628 928 152

1 Pursuant to the terms of a relationship and license agreement, Codere Group granted Codere Online a license to use certain “Codere” trademarks.

But this time around, individual content creators are soaking up much of the focus, both through the Content Creator League, which features teams led by top creators such as BanderitaX and SHoNgxBoNg, and in sponsorship activations by advertisers such as Spotify, whose partnership with the Esports World Cup includes a dedicated hub for on-site content creation. Thus far, the event has announced 36 sponsors for 2025, with categories spanning across consumer brands, tech platforms and endemic gaming companies.

“We’re excited to experience this fervent fandom firsthand, from influencers and creators to artists and fans,” said Spotify MENAP managing director Akshat Harbola. “Being at the core of fandom defines who we are, and this partnership allows Spotify to authentically engage with gaming fans and create meaningful experiences through on-platform initiatives such as the EWC Music Hub.” The Esports World Cup has never disclosed its rates for specific brand sponsorships, with observers speculating that the event’s sponsorships are a mix of multi-million-dollar brand partnerships and smaller vanity deals.

Last year, the Esports World Cup generated roughly €50 million in sponsorship revenue, according to an analysis by the German media company Spobis.

The growing presence of creators at events such as the Esports World Cup shows how the esports industry is acknowledging creators’ role as key drivers of both audience and advertiser interest — and is increasingly putting them front and center as a result. 

The Esports World Cup is not the only esports event that has leaned into creators in recent months. Danish esports company Blast has prioritized creators’ presence in both its broadcasts and in-person events in 2025, with prominent creators such as Alexandre “Gaules” Chiqueta livestreaming directly from Blast events such as the company’s major “Counter-Strike” tournament in Austin, Texas, last month. 

Blast’s 2025 Austin Major was the most-watched “Counter-Strike” tournament of all time, with Blast head of digital Ben Williams directly crediting the presence of creators at the event for its massive viewership. Of the 76 million hours watched during the event, 12.7 million came through creator streams, per Blast, with 97 percent of Portuguese viewership coming through creator co-streams such as Gaules’. 

“We felt truly integrated thanks to smooth access to backstage areas, production, and players for interviews,” Gaules said. “The high-level support and the cool integrations with the main broadcast made us feel like a genuine partner.”

Evolution Championship Series (Evo), the annual fighting game championship, has also upped its creator presence year over year, according to Sue Lee, vp of talent management at Evo part-owner RTS, although she declined to share specific numbers. 

Unlike other major esports events, which involve competitions between professional teams, Evo is a tournament for both pros and amateurs that often includes creators like William “Scarra” Li among its individual competitors. It also features popular creators like Stephen “Sajam” Lyon and Michael “IFCYipeS” Mendoza in its broadcast talent team, with the former planning to also operate a personal stream during this year’s event.

“A bunch of the brands that are involved are coming to people like me — who’s already pretty comfortable doing on-air talent stuff and is also a big creator, so it’s kind of a pretty easy slam dunk,” Lyon said. “I’m going to be working with Chipotle at Evo, and I got asked to do stuff with some other brands [such as AT&T] as well.” Lyon did not disclose how much he was getting paid to do brand activations at Evo, but one-off event activations for creators of his size typically range between $5,000 and $25,000.

Esports events’ embrace of content creators reflects advertisers’ changing priorities across both gaming and the wider culture. In the past, marketers viewed esports as one of the best ways to reach gamers. In 2025, brands are instead prioritizing creators in their outreach to audiences across demographics and interest areas, including gaming.

“Most agencies and brands are quite behind when it comes to their understanding about gaming marketing, but they already understand influencers; they already understand content,” said Nina Mackie, the co-founder of the gaming advertising consultancy WeGame2. “So, that part is kind of an easy entry into either esports or gaming, however you want to play it.”

Blast brand partner Alienware, which sponsored last month’s Austin Major and was featured on the event’s in-person streaming booths, flagged the presence of creators at the event as particularly valuable to the brand – rather than running formal ads, streamers were able to demonstrate Alienware products as part of their regular content, making the promotion feel more authentic than traditional ads. The demonstrations were a natural result of Blast placing Alienware devices around the streaming booths, rather than a direct, paid creator sponsorship by Alienware, allowing the brand to glean an additional benefit from its pre-existing sponsorship of the event.

“By embracing co-streaming and creator-led content, Blast gave our brand the opportunity to earn incremental reach and connect with an expanded audience in a way that was more meaningful and unscripted,” said Alienware director of global marketing Chris Saylor. “We were confident in our ability to inspire and excite the fans attending onsite. And in an era of react content and creator-led storytelling, we felt supported by Blast’s ability to integrate our brand and activations to seamlessly elevate the creator experience.”

Creators’ presences at esports events are the result of both paid and unpaid opportunities. Creators such as Sajam are paid talent, acting as a direct form of sponsorship or advertising inventory for the events they represent. On the other hand, Blast’s creator co-streamers are usually unpaid, with the creators paying their own way and benefiting in the form of the Twitch subscription and donation revenue they make from their co-streams. 

“They obviously keep the Twitch revenue and the Twitch opps that they can monetize themselves, but we’re not funding any of that,” said Blast CBO Leo Matlock. “We also don’t allow them to take their own partners, so it’s great for our sponsorship inventory — because they take the main feed and showcase all of their partners to our audience, too.”