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- Las Vegas Betting Sites
- Can You Bet Online In Nevada
- Las Vegas Sports Betting Websites
- Las Vegas Sports Betting Trends
- Las Vegas Sports Betting Sites
- Las Vegas Sports Betting Rules
Nevada has offered legal sports betting far longer than any other state. In fact, they became the first state to legalize sports gambling in 1949.
Not surprisingly, bookmakers in Las Vegas and elsewhere throughout the Silver State cover many markets. You can wager on anything from basketball to ping pong in Sin City.
I’ll answer this question by discussing Nevada sports betting laws and if esports betting fits into the equation.
What Is Nevada’s Law on Esports Betting
Nevada allows sportsbooks to cover a variety of markets with few exceptions. A bookmaker doesn’t need to ask permission to take bets on the majority of sports.
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In 2016, former Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval met with a committee to discuss esports betting.
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All parties eventually agreed to put this type of wagering in the “other” category.
Any type of betting in this category requires bookmakers obtain permission from the Nevada Gaming Commission.
Assuming they receive permission, sportsbooks can offer lines on specific esports events. In short, bookmakers need to go through some red tape before allowing esports wagering.
Is Online Esports Betting Available in Nevada?
Nevada features one of the most liberal land-based gambling markets in the world. The Silver State offers dozens of sportsbook and hundreds of casinos.
When it comes to online gambling, though, they don’t take quite the same liberal approach.
Every other type of internet gambling is considered unlawful, including online casino games, bingo, lotteries, and sports betting. The latter ensures that online esports betting is also unlawful within the state.
Of course, you can always seek out unregulated betting sites while living or visiting Nevada. But these operators aren’t approved by the state government.
What Is the Availability of Nevada Esports Gambling?
As the Las Vegas Review Journal reported in late 2019, Nevada has only approved a handful of esports events. The Nevada Gaming Control Board discussed the matter with the Review Journal’s Richard Velotta.
Karle Bennison, who heads the Control Board’s Enforcement Division, noted that they’d only approved three esports contests at the time.
“We’re capable (of regulating gaming events), but we’re not getting the requests for these. So whether the argument is that our hurdles are too high or there just isn’t the drive, the operators aren’t seeing the market out there,” Bennison explained.
“We’re open to the idea and we’re trying to streamline the process and hopefully, eventually, we’ll make it a sport like any other sport, but there’s a ways to go.”
Bookmakers don’t seem in any hurry to push esports to their customers. Instead, they rely on staples like the MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, and UFC to earn profits.
Gamblers who want to wager on professional video gaming have very few opportunities to do so. They don’t even have a neighboring state that offers this type of betting either.
What Is Holding NV Esports Betting Back?
Panelists from the Gaming Board’s Enforcement Division have pointed out multiple factors that are holding back esports gambling in the state.
Jeff Silver, a Vegas-based attorney with the firm Dickinson Wright, notes that bookmakers have trouble knowing how to monetize this type of betting.
“We’re really at the cusp,” says Silver. “We could go either way. We have this esports phenomenon and there’s a lot of interest from the marketing perspective.
“But the fact of the matter is that the casino people want to know a way to monetize this particular interest that the 19 through 35-year-old customers of the casino might have in this particular activity.”
The young fan base presents another dilemma. A good portion of esports fans are under the age of 21.
Traditional sports also have plenty of fans who are younger than 21. But the vast majority of their hardcore fans are 21+ years old.
Becky Harris, a former Gaming Control Board Chairwoman, noted that esport event sponsors must provide a detailed description of relevant contests. They also must go above and beyond to prove that their contests are fair, supervised, and free of corruption.
What Is the Potential for NV Esports Gambling?
As you can see, Las Vegas and Nevada at the whole haven’t really embraced Esports betting. Bookmakers simply don’t seem interested in jumping through hoops right now to take esports wagers.
However, this situation could very well change in the near future.
Research shows that esports gambling will become a much larger part of sports wagering in the coming years.
Studies forecast esports betting as being worth $5 billion by 2024. Considering Nevada’s position as a leader in sports betting, they’ll definitely want to capitalize on this growing industry.
Of course, we have a long way to go between a few sportsbooks requesting the ability to offer esports wagering versus grabbing a large share of $5 billion.
Assuming NV politicians see other states benefiting from esports gambling, they won’t be far behind in loosening the regulations.
What’s the Legal Status of Esports Betting in Other States?
Over two dozen states currently offer legal sports betting right now. But many of the same states have taken a cautious approach to esports gambling.
The general problem surrounding video game competitions is twofold:
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- Some professionals are younger than 18.
- These underage pros, and even the adult professionals, are more susceptible to corruption —especially if they have low salaries.
Neither the federal nor any state governments has ever approved of betting on miners’ athletic performances. You’ll never see high school sports betting legalized in any state.
Some states have applied this issue to esports, which features a fair number of pros who are under the age of 18.
New Jersey initially banned esports betting on grounds that they didn’t want people wagering on minors.
The Garden State eventually rethought their decision and legalized video game gambling under certain conditions.
First, operators must obtain approval from state gaming regulators (just like in NV). Second, sportsbooks can only ask for approval on events where players are 18+ years old.
Indiana is the only state so far to flat-out ban esports betting. They made this condition as soon as they legalized sports gambling in 2019.
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Most other states are taking a wait-and-see approach on the matter. Arkansas, Delaware, New York, and Mississippi all fall under this umbrella.
Will Nevada Ever Consider Expanding Their Esports Offerings?
Nevada gaming regulators seem especially concerned about the corruption potential of esports. They have reason to be alarmed when considering the history of professional gaming.
Esports have seen multiple high-profile instances where a pro either took money or bet on themselves when manipulating the results.
Silver notes that the same could happen with esports if the industry isn’t careful. He points to jai alai as a sport that, in the 1970s and 80s, fizzled out after corruption hit.
“The end result was there was corruption, there was bribery, there were all manner of things happening in that industry such that that industry is no longer in existence anymore,” he says. “We could see the same possible events happening in the esports field, as least as far as illegal gambling is concerned.”
Brendan Bussman, another panelist from the Enforcement Division, believes that the esports industry must spend more time educating lawmakers. This way, they can open up avenues towards attracting more betting interest.
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“The industry needs to come together and figure out the rules and parameters they want to be regulated and let that lay a foundation and advocate for that,” explains Bussman.
Conclusion
Esports betting definitely isn’t very big in Las Vegas and the rest of the Silver State. Politicians have placed a number of restrictions on it due to corruption fears.
However, esports’ rough start in the Vegas betting market may not always be the standard.
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Las Vegas Sports Betting Rules
Of course, this scenario may not happen until video game betting truly becomes a $5 billion market. Until then, we can likely expect to see this type of wagering to move slowly in Nevada.