Esports and its intersection with gambling will again be one of the points of interest at the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) taking place in Las Vegas this September.
What they will talk about at G2E
The international trade show for the gambling industry will take place September 27-29 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center.
Esports will one again be a part of the conversation at G2E, as there has been increasing interest and growth in the esports industry and the associated esports betting market.
Rahul Sood, the CEO and co-founder of Unikrn, gave the keynote address at G2E last year.
One of this year’s panels will focus solely on esports:
eSports and Casinos: The Coming Collision: With a large revenue streams and new customers, eSports and video game competitions are quickly becoming the next big business opportunity for casinos. Casino industry professionals will gain an understanding of the structure of eSports professional leagues, key demographics and the challenges involved with compliance and responsible gaming.
This spring also saw a conference that focused solely on gambling and esports, held in London.
Following G2E, Las Vegas will play host to Esports & Casino Resorts – an entire conference dedicated to the subject of the mutual opportunities for the esports and casino industries.
Esports already on Vegas’ radar
Las Vegas has already been dipping its toe in the water with esports in the past year:
- Regulatory authorities have already considered the possibility of esports wagering, which government officials believe can be offered under the current regs.
- The Downtown Grand is attempting to become a hub for esports competition, and wagering, as well.
- There’s at least a chance that the Pac-12 could host a collegiate esports contest in Las Vegas in the next year.
G2E panel comes as regulatory concerns rise
The G2E panel also comes as regulatory and integrity concerns surrounding esports have come to the forefront. Those concerns generally have fallen well behind the pace of the meteoric rise of the industry.
In particular, billions of dollars is changing hands annual on skin betting, with increasing concerns about the legitimacy and transparency of sites offering wagering on in-game items.
At least one such site has stopped serving the US market.