The Nevada Esports Alliance, formed by a group of businesses, advocates and academics, has plans to boost the state as the center of where video gaming and the casino industry converge.
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A new nonprofit association has formed with the goal of making Nevada a global hub for eSports.
The Nevada Esports Alliance, formed by a group of businesses, advocates and academics, has plans to boost the state as the center of where video gaming and the casino industry converge.
“As Nevada continues to reinvent itself to maintain its position as the entertainment capital of the world, resort operators are looking for ways to remain relevant and speak to the up-and-coming generation,” Seth Schorr, CEO of Fifth Street Gaming, chairman of the Downtown Grand and one of the alliance’s founding directors, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Schorr’s downtown property hosts weekend eSports events. “eSports is one of the most important platforms to speak to millennials and create experiences that will drive continued visitation to our state,” he said.
Rules for skill-based gaming were approved last year by Nevada regulators, leading to an increase in eSports competitions and wagering on games. The first eSports lab also opened last year at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ International Gaming Institute.
William Hill US took the first legal wager on an eSports match in November at the Downtown Grand. eSports are projected to draw 100,000 people to Las Vegas in 2017.
Along with Schorr, the alliance’s founding directors include Brett Abarbanel of UNLV’s International Gaming Institute; Chris Grove of Narus Advisors and Eilers & Krejcik Gaming; and Jennifer Roberts of UNLV’s International Center for Gaming Regulation.
Initial members of NVEA, which officially formed on February 9, include the Esports Integrity Coalition, GameCo, Leet, Millennial Esports, Narus Advisors, Unikrn, the UNLV International Center for Gaming Regulation, the UNLV International Gaming Institute and William Hill US.
