Betting on E-Sports

E-sports are quickly becoming a popular event. I won't call them a sport, as sitting behind a computer is not my idea of a sport. If it was, I'd be playing a sport as I type this up. It is however, a growing, multimillion dollar industry. Most popular among twenty-somethings, it can be closely related to poker. There's an overlap between many games such as Magic the Gathering, WoW, and even daily fantasy. Poker players these days, at least the younger generation, tend to participate in, or are aware of these games. Its popularity can be seen through its airing of tournaments on major TV networks like ESPN; and the live streaming network – Twitch.tv. There's no looking past the growing popularity of this niche. Lawmakers, gamblers and casino owners are no exception. Sports betting sites are now beginning to offer betting on e-sports games. Pinnacle.com, and Bet365 already have a small selection of e-sports betting options available. Another site, which is causing some buzz, is the newly formed – Unikrn. A betting site solely for the purpose of betting on e-sports has launched. Based on out Seattle Washington in the United States – bettors can place wagers on popular e-sports such as; League of Legends and Counter Strike. In 2015, billionaire, Mark Cuban invested in this company and helped get it to launch. If the “Cube's” is interested, so should everyone else! Now, lawmakers are going as far as to hold special meetings to see if they can make money off of e-sports. Nevada held a special meeting with the Gaming Policy Committee with the specific goal to discuss the possibility of offering e-sports betting in their casinos. The early talks are having a betting site just like a sports betting site, and take a fee for placing a wager. Even politicians recognize the overlap between poker and e-sports, and are now trying to profit from that. Daily fantasy betting sites also offer fantasy games for e-sports. I can't speak factual on how they work, as I know little about this new game, but one thing is fact – e-sports are getting big! E-sports have long had a tradition of gambling even before you could bet on them. Players of these games routinely bet on in game weapons and items. Although this specific practice is not allowed by the makers of those games, it's clear that people want to bet on the games and will do so, even without a regulated market.