Nevada’s Gaming Control Board Takes Steps to Expand Esports Betting

The gaming regulators of the state of Nevada are looking to improve the esports framework in the state, following the global upsurge of competitive video gaming’s acclaim.

A Major Step for Esports

Some of the first steps are based on Bill 165 that was approved by the Senate in June and became effective in July. Because of the bill, Nevada’s gaming control board is currently working on building an esports technical advisory committee. The bill originally envisioned an esports regulatory body, but that was later changed and toned down in order to prevent any lasting negative impact the bill might have had on the industry. 

The next big step is for esports to receive official recognition as sports. Currently, esports betting in the state requires sports bookmakers to submit an extra application to Nevada’s gaming control board to get approved for taking esports bets. 

Seth Schorr, chief executive of Fifth Street Gaming and chairman of Downtown Grant Hotel & Casino, is delighted by the direction Nevada gambling is taking. Schorr is supportive of the idea of recognizing esports as sports and not requiring bookmakers to get a special license for it anymore. He is a firm proponent of esports and believes it is the betting sport of the future. Therefore, he said, it is crucial to create a healthy ecosystem for it. 

Brendan Bussmann also had his say. The global market advisors’ director of government affairs believes that the choice is the right one as right now, Nevada has to modernize its esports gambling framework in order to stay at the top of its game. 

Philip Katsaros, a member of Nevada’s Gaming Control Board, is another esports enthusiast who is convinced that enhancing esports is an important move. Katsaros expressed his excitement by saying how important it is to grab the momentum and use it for the growth of esports.  Dr. Brittnie Watkins, another member of the control board, was also glad to see things moving for the better.

Schorr Reassures: Esports Events Are More Difficult to Cheat 

J. Brin Gibson, chairman of the control board, had some initial doubts about the integrity of esports. Since the digital space is much more prone to getting tampered with, Gibson was concerned about whether esports can function healthily and spoke with Schorr on the matter.

Schorr reassured him by saying that there is one big difference in esports – thousands of viewers are watching the streams closely, all from the same angle, and can easily spot any fraud. In fact, Schorr believes that esports is much more secure because of that. 

Fifth Street Gaming’s CEO continued by adding that most big esports organizations are highly reputable and wouldn’t even think of risking staining their honor, especially when chances of being caught red-handed when cheating are as high as they are. 

Thinking about the Future, Schorr hopes to bring big and exciting tournaments to Nevada and turn Las Vegas into an epicenter for important esports happenings. He has ambitions of even trying to get some major events, such as the League of Legends world final, to be hosted in the state.

Looking back, Schorr is happy to have been one of the pioneers of esports in Nevada several years ago. He noted that now things are moving a lot faster, in part, thanks to the pandemic. While a lot of other sports got restricted in Nevada and in the United States as a whole, esports remained fairly strong during the quarantine. Now the industry is moving full steam ahead. 

The esports advancements will be reviewed by the Nevada gaming commission in October.