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Here’s why professional #sports teams are buying #Esports teams $GMBL

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 8:17 AM on Thursday, September 21st, 2017

WATCH VIDEO HERE

  • TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2017 we sat down with three experts from the esports world to explain why you should start paying attention to the industry.
  • Heather Garozzo, a former competitive Counter Strike player and current Director of Fan Marketing for Team Dignitas, told us what a day in the life of a professional esports player is like.
  • And surprisingly, it’s not all that different from a traditional athlete.

Besides spending upwards of five hours a day practicing, players also work with coachs and study gameplay film, receive media and press training, and even attend mandatory workout sessions to make sure they keep in shape. Most professional teams also employ private chefs to make sure players are eating healthy meals.

The conversation then shifted to the difference between professional sports and esports, and why the sports industry is so focused on getting into the sports business. Stratton Sclavos, a partner at Vision Venture Partners and the former CEO of the San Jose Sharks, explained how traditional sports teams can help esports teams scale and benefit from the lessons that professional sports teams have learned in the past.

And Craig Barry, EVP and Chief Content Officer for Turner Sports, explained the differences between esports broadcasting and traditional sports broadcasting, and how advertisers are getting creative when it comes to targeting esports fans.

Watch the video above to see the full talk and hear more about the world of esports.

Source: https://techcrunch.com/2017/09/20/heres-why-professional-sports-teams-are-buying-esports-teams/

Invested in Millennial Esports $GAME.ca ? Esports Entertainment $GMBL signed +60 affiliate streamers, with>250M online views, last 30 days

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 4:55 PM on Wednesday, September 6th, 2017

Esports large

  • Signed over 60 affiliate Esports streamers at gamescom 2017
  • Collectively had over 250 million online video views in the last 30 days
  • Company will be the safest and most secure online Esports gambling site due to being fully licensed and regulated by the SEC
  • Received its Curaçao Egaming License

    VIDEO: eSports Investing AGORACOM at League of Legends Finals

#Esports Entertainment Group $GMBL Signs Over 60 Affiliate Streamers At #gamescom 2017

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 8:11 AM on Wednesday, September 6th, 2017

Esports large

  • Signed over 60 affiliate Esports streamers representing an audience of Esports viewers
  • Collectively had over 250 million online video views in the last 30 days

ST. MARY’S, ANTIGUA–(Sep 6, 2017) – Esports Entertainment Group Inc., (OTCQB: GMBL) (or the “Company”), a licensed online gambling company with a specific focus on Esports wagering, is pleased to announce that at gamescom 2017, it signed over 60 affiliate Esports streamers representing an audience of Esports viewers which collectively had over 250 million online video views in the last 30 days. gamescom 2017, is the world’s largest event for computer and video games.

As affiliates of the Company, Esports streamers will be able to monetize their respective audiences by earning commissions on all Esports gambling customers registering and playing with Esports Entertainment Group.

Esports Entertainment Group exhibited in a premium 10×20 booth with 8 full-time and part-time employees. The Company demonstrated its Esports betting platform for Esports streamers, which played a significant role in their signings. gamescom 2017, the biggest consumer gaming conference in the world, had approximately 900 exhibitors, 350,000 visitors and 650 journalists from 106 countries attending this year. For the digital gaming world is it considered the meeting point for global companies from the entertainment industry and the international gaming community.

Grant Johnson, CEO of Esports Entertainment Group stated “gamescom 2017 far surpassed our expectations. The overwhelming response from Esports streamers has served as further confirmation that our position as the safest, most secure and transparent Esports betting platform on the planet will be very well accepted. We are excited as we are set to launch with all of our new affiliate partners.”

This press release is available on our Online Investor Relations Community for shareholders and potential shareholders to ask questions, receive answers and collaborate with management in a fully moderated forum at https://agoracom.com/ir/EsportsEntertainmentGroup.

About Esports Entertainment Group

Esports Entertainment Group Inc. is a licensed online gambling company specifically focused on eSports wagering. Esports Entertainment intends to offer wagering on eSports events in a fully licensed, regulated and secured platform to the global eSports audience, excluding the United States. In addition, Esports Entertainment intends to offer users from around the world the ability to participate in multi-player video games tournaments online for cash prizes. Esports Entertainment is led by a team of industry and technical experts from the online gambling and video game industries, eSports, marketing, legal and financial professionals. The Company maintains offices in St. Mary’s, Antigua and Barbuda. Esports Entertainment common stock is listed on the OTCQB under the symbol GMBL. For more information please visit www.esportsentertainmentgroup.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
The information contained herein includes forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or to our future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond our control and which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects our current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to our operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. We assume no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. The safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 protects companies from liability for their forward-looking statements if they comply with the requirements of the Act.

Corporate Finance Inquiries
Stephen Cotugno
Vice President, Corporate Development
[email protected]
201-220-5745

All Investor Relations Inquiries
AGORACOM
[email protected]
https://agoracom.com/ir/eSportsEntertainmentGroup

Esports Entertainment Group $GMBL Announces Receipt Of #Curacao #eGaming License To Conduct Real Money #Esports #Betting On A Global Basis

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 4:39 PM on Monday, August 28th, 2017

Esports large

  • Received its Curaçao eGaming License
  • License allows wholly owned subsidiary to conduct real money online gambling and wagering activities on a global basis

ST. MARY’S, ANTIGUA–(Aug 28, 2017) – Esports Entertainment Group Inc. (OTCQB: GMBL) (or the “Company”), a licensed online gambling company with a specific focus on eSports wagering, is pleased to announce today the Company has received its Curaçao eGaming License (the “License”). The License allows the Esports Entertainment Group wholly owned subsidiary to conduct real money online gambling and wagering activities on a global basis. A constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Curaçao has been offering the Curaçao eGaming License since 1996, making Curaçao one of the first jurisdictions to regulate online gambling.

Grant Johnson, CEO of Esports Entertainment Group stated, “We are very pleased to have been granted this eGaming from Curaçao. Curaçao is recognized as one of the world’s leading iGaming jurisdictions and this License authorizes Esports Entertainment Group to deliver real money next generation online gambling to Esports enthusiasts worldwide. This is especially timely given both our upcoming launch and tremendous success at gamescom 2017.”

This press release is available on our Online Investor Relations Community for shareholders and potential shareholders to ask questions, receive answers and collaborate with management in a fully moderated forum at https://agoracom.com/ir/EsportsEntertainmentGroup

About Esports Entertainment Group

Esports Entertainment Group Inc. is a licensed online gambling company specifically focused on eSports wagering. Esports Entertainment intends to offer wagering on eSports events in a fully licensed, regulated and secured platform to the global eSports audience, excluding the United States. In addition, Esports Entertainment intends to offer users from around the world the ability to participate in multi-player video games tournaments online for cash prizes. Esports Entertainment is led by a team of industry and technical experts from the online gambling and video game industries, eSports, marketing, legal and financial professionals. The Company maintains offices in St. Mary’s, Antigua and Barbuda. Esports Entertainment common stock is listed on the OTCQB under the symbol GMBL. For more information please visit www.esportsentertainmentgroup.com
.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
The information contained herein includes forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or to our future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond our control and which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects our current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to our operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. We assume no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. The safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 protects companies from liability for their forward-looking statements if they comply with the requirements of the Act.

Contact:

Corporate Finance Inquiries
Stephen Cotugno
Vice President
Corporate Development
[email protected]
201-220-5745

All Investor Relations Inquiries
AGORACOM
[email protected]
https://agoracom.com/ir/eSportsEntertainmentGroup

#ESports League Will Pay Players A Minimum Of $50,000/Year + Benefits; # Patriots/ #Mets Acquire Franchises For $20 Million $GMBL.us

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 11:08 AM on Thursday, August 24th, 2017

Players will also get health insurance, retirement benefits

League is built around company’s Overwatch shooting game

The league is one of several professional video-gaming organizations built to resemble traditional sports groups like the National Football League or National Basketball Association. Overwatch League will have franchises based in specific cities, with media rights, revenue sharing and free-agency periods. Unlike the established sports leagues, however, there is no players union to collectively bargain for benefits, leaving those decisions largely up to the publisher.

Video-game players competing in Activision Blizzard Inc.’s new esports league will receive minimum salaries of $50,000 a year, health insurance and retirement benefits.

Players in the Overwatch League, set to launch later this year, will also get at least 50 percent of all performance bonuses earned by their team, the Santa Monica, California-based company said in a statement Wednesday. Total bonuses distributed in the first season will be $3.5 million, according to Activision, with at least $1 million going to the season champion.

In esports, professional video-game players compete live and online before crowds of spectators. Game publishers see the competition as a way to showcase titles and connect with fans. The new league is built around Activision’s Overwatch game, a cartoonish version of a shooting game featuring six-player teams competing in a future version of Earth.

The league is one of several professional video-gaming organizations built to resemble traditional sports groups like the National Football League or National Basketball Association. Overwatch League will have franchises based in specific cities, with media rights, revenue sharing and free-agency periods. Unlike the established sports leagues, however, there is no players union to collectively bargain for benefits, leaving those decisions largely up to the publisher.

Mad Scramble

Activision’s announcement Wednesday sets the stage for a mad scramble for talent. All 30 million Overwatch players are considered free agents, meaning they can sign with any team, regardless of previous affiliations. The official signing window will run from Aug. 1 to Oct. 30. All players will sign a one-year guaranteed contract with an option for a second year. Teams will also provide housing and practice facilities. The $50,000 salary floor compares with a $53,000 minimum in Major League Soccer.

Activision shares rose 2.8 percent to close at $62.64 in New York Wednesday. They’ve gained 73 percent this year.

Earlier this month, Activision announced the first seven ownership groups in the league, a list that includes New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Jeff Wilpon, whose family owns the New York Mets. The groups each agreed to pay a $20 million franchise fee, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

Activision Chief Executive Officer Bobby Kotick has identified esports as one of the growth areas for the company, the largest independent video game publisher. In March, Overwatch was named Game of the Year at the Game Developers Choice Awards.

The main rival to Overwatch League is Riot Games’ reformed League of Legends Championship Series, or LCS. The 2018 North American LCS announced that league revenue would be split among players (35 percent), teams (32.5 percent) and the publisher (32.5 percent). Los Angeles-based Riot Games is part of China’s Tencent Holdings Ltd.

There is no set launch date for Overwatch League. Activision said it may add more teams before the league starts later this year.

VIA BLOOMBERG

Nielsen count: Measuring value of #Esports tournaments $GMBL.us

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 11:04 AM on Thursday, August 17th, 2017
  • Nielsen has launched a competitive gaming branch that will measure the value of esports tournaments, events and streams
  • Also release global fan insights throughout the year, with a new research offering spanning the United State, England, Germany, France, Japan, South Korea, and China in 2017

Nielsen developed Esport24, a syndicated sponsorship tracking service for esports tournaments. The service measures brand exposure in esports tournaments representing a variety of titles, event formats and geographic locations based on the same methodology that allows traditional sports rights holders and brands to quantify value and benchmark performance.

Nielsen has created an esports advisory board of industry stakeholders who will provide insight to help shape the future of esports audience measurement and valuation. ESL, ESPN, Facebook, FIFA, Major League Gaming/Activision Blizzard, NBA 2K League, The Next Level, Sony PlayStation, Turner, Twitch, Twitter, Unilever, and Google YouTube are all part of the board.

“The global, digital and young nature of esports fan base audience represents advertising’s most highly sought after segment, yet consistent and high quality data has been a challenge to measure and define,” said Craig Levine, CEO of North America, ESL. “As ESL has been pioneering esports for the past 15 years, we have witnessed the incredible growth and enthusiasm of our audience.

“We’re excited to partner with Nielsen and other industry leaders to guide the framework to measure esports sponsorships, shape the industry, and help further accelerate the esports industry overall.”

Nielsen is one of top market research firms that measure the TV and media business.

Stephen Master and Nicole Pike will-lead the global Nielsen Esports business.

Source: http://nationalpost.com/pmn/entertainment-pmn/nielsen-count-measuring-value-of-esports-tournaments/wcm/7ab5e381-753b-447e-946f-c12fbb83b3b6

College #Esports Teams Aim To Get Varsity Sport Status $GMBL.us

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, August 16th, 2017
  • New leagues. Tespa’s events now include competitions in Overwatch, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, StarCraft II, World of Warcraft and Rocket League.
  • Open membership. Previously, students had to compete in a Tespa league or go to a university with a Tespa chapter. This year, students at any North American university may compete, a move Tespa hopes will spur chapter creation.
  • Six broadcasts a week, and on- and off-seasons for each game (Overwatch in the fall, for example, and Hearthstone or Heroes in the spring.)

I write about PC gaming, virtual reality games and Blizzard eSports.Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

Heroes of the Dorm Blizzard Entertainment

Fans cheer on University of California, Irvine, at the 2017 Heroes of the Dorm competition.

Two announcements today will help esports take one more step toward traditional competitive sports status at universities around the country.

Tespa, organizers of the “Heroes of the Dorm” competitions broadcast on ESPN networks, announced a slew of new changes for its events designed to direct more scholarship money towards student gamers and encourage participation from more university campuses. Among the announcements:

  • New leagues. Tespa’s events now include competitions in Overwatch, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, StarCraft II, World of Warcraft and Rocket League.
  • Open membership. Previously, students had to compete in a Tespa league or go to a university with a Tespa chapter. This year, students at any North American university may compete, a move Tespa hopes will spur chapter creation.
  • Six broadcasts a week, and on- and off-seasons for each game (Overwatch in the fall, for example, and Hearthstone or Heroes in the spring.)
  • More money. Tespa tournaments will hand out more than $800,000 in scholarships and $200,000 in other prizes. Heroes of the Dorm winners already received full scholarships for the remainder of their college careers.
  • In-game rewards. Tespa competitors in Blizzard Entertainment titles–all the games on the list but Rocket League–will earn in-game goodies such as Hearthstone card packs or Heroes of the Storm loot chests by progressing in standing with Tespa.

In a simultaneous statement, Georgia State University announced that it will join two collegiate gaming leagues, the National Association of Collegiate eSports (NACE, which has 33 programs) and the new Georgia Esports League (GEL), which launches next month. GSU will become the latest university to award scholarships, practice facilities and other varsity-team perks to its gamers, joining such campuses as University of California, Irvine; Western Kentucky University and the University of Utah.

 

Blizzard Entertainment

Adam Rosen

“One of the things we’re focused on is to help grow collegiate teams in the esports space,” said Adam Rosen. He and twin brother Tyler founded Tespa when they were students at  the University of Texas at Austin. “We want competing for universities to be an aspirational thing. A lot of times universities are a little bit scared of it. It’s a risky endeavor. We’re attempting to provide assurances that our leagues will be around for multiple years, and formats will be consistent. We strongly feel it’s going to be the best year ever for esports.”

Tespa’s first year in 2010 consisted of an informal group of approximately 30 gamers from UT who showed up to compete in StarCraft II. Today it encompasses more than 65,000 members, with 220 chapters at more than 1200 universities.

“If we were to look at Tespa’s size now and compare it to a Greek organization, we’d be in the top 10 in the world for number of chapters,” Tyler Rosen said. “When Adam and I founded Tespa, we had this dream of elevating gaming to the same levels as traditional sports on campus. Last year, we had more tournaments than ever before.”

Georgia State University statements say the university sees esports as a way for its students to not only compete, but build skills and provide opportunities to learn concepts in broadcasting, production, coaching, student management, game development and marketing.

Blizzard Entertainment

The University of Texas at Arlington won Heroes of the Dorm 2017.

“The skills developed by eSports-interested students are the very skills most needed for success in the 21st century economy, including collaborative soft skills and computer coding,” said David Cheshier, director of the Georgia State Creative Media Industries Institute, in a written statement. “We see this initiative as building essential links to emerging creative careers in animation, 3D and immersive world creation, and other media industries.”

More than 90 million viewers watched esports finals in 2016, the university said.

“Esports are both the most rapidly growing field of sports and also one of the best ways to get students interested in technology,” said Andrew Greenberg, president of the Georgia Game Developers Association. GGDA sponsors the new Georgia league.

“Georgia State has become one of the first schools to recognize the link between eSports and academic achievement. We are delighted both with its role as one of the Georgia Esports League’s inaugural members and the opportunities it is providing its students.”

 Blizzard

Tyler Rosen

Tyler Rosen said when the company first got started–even when its Heroes of the Dorm tournament was first broadcast on ESPN–colleges were hesitant.

“At first, a lot of the universities ignored their teams,” he said. “But what we saw hosting that tournament year over year was that universities were supporting their teams: celebrating on social media, giving them facilities they needed. Arizona State University [winners the 2016 Heroes of the Dorm competition] brought them back to campus, paraded them at a baseball game, and gave them full housing scholarships. That’s a really great trend that we’ve seen growing.”

Registration for upcoming Tespa tournaments begins today.

 

I’ve covered gaming for more than two decades, and I cover PC games, VR games and Blizzard eSports for Forbes. Sign up for email alerts when my stories run. Follow me @gbitses.

 

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/hnewman/2017/08/16/college-esports-teams-aim-to-get-gaming-varsity-sport-status/#3a5ce9c51191

 

The rise of Esports sees wave of Gaming Cafe’s open $GMBL.us

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 11:46 AM on Friday, August 11th, 2017
  • Each month, over 100 million viewers tune to watch video game play and that number is expected to near 145 million by the end of the year
  • eSports tournaments have exploded in the past 14 years and what started as small events between amateur players has grew to nearly 2,000 tournaments boasting the world’s top professional players

eSports is undoubtedly a million-dollar industry with millions of fans worldwide. America, with its NBA, NFL, NHL and MLS is even witnessing eSports coming the fastest-growing and most-viewed sport. Each month, over 100 million viewers tune to watch video game play and that number is expected to near 145 million by the end of the year. eSports tournaments have exploded in the past 14 years and what started as small events between amateur players has grew to nearly 2,000 tournaments boasting the world’s top professional players.

The likes of Vodafone are now even getting in the action and took advantage of the thriving gaming market in Spain by launching its own eSports channel. The network provider launched a dedicated Twitter page for eSports Vodafone and has also announced a collaboration with G2 eSports, a world premier eSports club, to support a League of Legends team in Spain.

Many high-street bookmakers are capitalising on the buzz and host a platform for betting on eSports, offering great deposit bonuses and more. Betting on eSports may sound strange but live-betting is a form of wagering that has taken off in recent years, in particularly on live casino platforms like CasinoCruise.

Elsewhere in Europe, eSports is also big business in the UK with a number of eSports cafes propping up. In London, popular eSsports café Meltdown allows you to play games including Hearthstone, Starcraft 2, DOTA 2 and League of Legends to name a few. The café offers customers their PCs and consoles for free, whether its to play or watch live streams. All users need to pay for is any food or drink they consume, entry is free and the majority of tournaments are free to enter. The café is overwhelmingly popular and has been since its opening in 2013.

credit: Micko1986

Across the capital is Swan Wharf, a Victorian warehouse amassed with design agencies, metalworking workshops and other assorted businesses. It does not look like the place to find a promising new hub for gamers, but that’s exactly what you’ll find spanning two floors of this building. Named EXP, it is described by its founder as “the largest dedicated games and play-space in London, embracing video games, table top games, films, TV, books and comic hobbyists”. On the top floor, you’ll come across 32 gaming PCS – all great for watching and playing eSports, 20 consoles ranging from Xbox One to PlayStation 4 from the modem era and retro favourites such as Nintendo 64.

The popularity of eSports tournaments is booming. Players are simply competing against one another on the latest computer games and the industry is booming.

eSports tells us that the likely winners in the online gambling market will be not only the obvious casino players, but also others that embrace the full spectrum of entertainment and social media around it.

The total of number of hours spent watching eSports events last year exceeded six billion worldwide, up 19% from 2015. Not only has the popularity of eSports grown exponentially but so has its profitability, thus gambling websites are leveraging the trend’s success.

Read more: The rise of eSports sees wave of Gaming Cafe’s open – TNT Magazine

BULLETIN: Casinos embrace esports even as they work to understand it $GMBL.us

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 10:44 AM on Tuesday, August 8th, 2017

  • Competitive video game tournaments, known as esports, are a growing industry around the world
  • fast-paced action, vivid graphics and often violent on-screen action is catnip to millennials, the audience casinos are targeting as their core slot players grow old and die

In this March 31, 2017 photo, video game players compete against one another in an esports tournament at Caesars casino in Atlantic City, N.J. Casinos are slowly embracing esports as a way to help their bottom line, but so far, the money is coming from renting hotel rooms to the young players and selling them food and drinks, not from turning them into gamblers. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Casinos are slowly embracing competitive video game tournaments as a way to help their bottom lines, but the money is coming from renting hotel rooms to the young players and selling them food and drinks, not from turning them into gamblers.

Like most other ways gambling halls have tried to attract millennials and their disposable income, it hasn’t been easy. Atlantic City was first city in the nation to adopt skill-based slot machines to woo millennials but bailed on them after a few months when the response was underwhelming.

Competitive video game tournaments, known as esports, are a growing industry around the world. The fast-paced action, vivid graphics and often violent on-screen action is catnip to millennials, the audience casinos are targeting as their core slot players grow old and die.

But it’s been difficult to move them from the video console to the craps table.

“Everybody’s still trying to figure out, how do you make this appealing for the consumer and make sense for the business? How do we all profit from this?” said Kevin Ortzman, Atlantic City regional president for Caesars Entertainment, which owns three casinos in the city.

The company in March hosted an esports tournament at Caesars that drew about 900 competitors and spectators.

The bottom line result was encouraging, if not dynamite.

“We certainly experienced a spike in our hospitality offerings — the hotel, food and beverage side of things,” Ortzman said. “We didn’t see as much on the gambling side, which we weren’t terribly surprised by.”

But he said coming up with ways to attract millennials is a necessity for the casino industry as a whole, adding that esports players could be cultivated to embrace casinos for video game competitions the way their parents and grandparents went there to play slot machines.

Gambling requires discretionary income and free time, things that people starting their careers or families may not have in abundance, said David Schwartz, director of the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.

“The big question is whether people who are 40 or 20 now will begin to play casino games as they get older,” Schwartz said. “This isn’t a given.”

Schwartz agreed the real money for casinos in esports tournaments comes from ancillary spending on food, drinks and hotel rooms.

The Caesars video tournament offered $200,000 in prize money, including a $70,000 top prize, that lured players like Jose Mavo, of Charlotte, North Carolina, who has been playing competitively for a decade and has become a casino customer as a result of being in tournaments hosted by gambling halls.

“We had a tournament in Vegas, and that was the first time I went to a casino, so ever since then, I’ve been gambling quite a bit,” he said, listing blackjack and roulette as favourites.

Alec Collins, of Piedmont, South Carolina, who goes by the competitive name Shock, is only 18, so he’s three years away from gambling legally. But it’s something he’d like to try then.

“I love Atlantic City so in a few years I would definitely come back and experience the casino a little bit,” he said.

Until then, he added, referring to the video game competition, “We’re just here to shoot our guns.”

Wall Street sees growth potential in esports. Deloitte Global pegged the worldwide esports market last year at $500 million, up from $400 million in 2015, and estimated the industry has a global in-person or online audience of nearly 150 million people a year.

Newzoo, a company following the esports market, predicted in a report that esports will generate nearly $700 million this year, including media rights, ticket and merchandise sales, brand partnerships and game maker investments. The company projects that figure will surpass the $1.5 billion mark by 2019.

One of the biggest supporters of esports among casino owners is Seth Schorr, CEO of the Downtown Grand in Las Vegas, whose casino regularly hosts video game tournaments that, he said, “make a little bit of money.” But Schorr said the tournaments offer other revenue opportunities, including suites for groups and meal packages.

“Is it the silver bullet? Of course not,” he said. “Is it one tactic in an overall strategy? Of course it is.”

Source: http://business.financialpost.com/business-pmn/casinos-embrace-esports-even-as-they-work-to-understand-it/wcm/558dffd2-75e5-49e2-932f-58b8e0e8ab66

Tencent Details $15B Esports Investment Plan Over The Next 5 Years $GMBL.us

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 8:23 AM on Friday, August 4th, 2017

tencent esports

  • World’s largest mobile gaming developer and the parent owner of Riot Games, has revealed a five-year outline for its esports ventures
  • Planning to create a 100 billion yuan ($14.6 billion) industry within China,
  • Includes new leagues, tournaments, associations and its previously announced esports-themed industrial parks

Tencent, the world’s largest mobile gaming developer and the parent owner of Riot Games, has revealed a five-year outline for its esports ventures. The investment holding company announced at a press conference last Friday that it would create a 100 billion yuan ($14.6 billion) industry within China, complete with new leagues, tournaments, associations and its previously announced esports-themed industrial parks.

Tencent sits within the world’s top ten companies measured by market capitalisation.

The announcement was made by Tencent E-sports, its competitive gaming subsidiary established in December 2016. At the same conference, Ding Dong, Director of the information center of the State General Administration of Sports, confirmed that Chinese sport authorities would be working closely with Tencent over the next five years to establish unified standards for esports in the country.

Tencent, as well as fellow esports competitor Alibaba, sits within the world’s top ten companies measured by market capitalisation. Alongside its esports success with League of Legends, Tencent acquired 84% of Finnish mobile developer Supercell in 2016 for $8.6 billion, and recently launched a $1 million prize pool league platform for its tower defense/MOBA hybrid title Clash Royale.

In China, Tencent’s LoL “inspired” MOBA Honor of Kings has consistently been a chart topper for mobile devices, was largely responsible for an 87 per cent spike for the company’s mobile game revenue in Q3 of 2016, and its Pro League last year was watched by over 70 million people. The title was soft-launched in Europe earlier this year, under the alternative title Strike of Kings.

According to the research firm IDC, China’s total revenue from the esports industry has grown 52% year-on-year to $7.3 billion, and 34 percent of this was generated by mobile gaming. Tencent’s major investment in their home esport-turf could be an attempt to finally claim the last area where they aren’t #1: prize-winnings. According to Unibet, Chinese esport tournament winnings last year eclipsed $19.3 million, primarily on the back of Valve’s Dota 2.

Source: https://esportsobserver.com/tencent-china-investment-plan/