The digital conference on sports betting conference discussed the legal perspective of the developing e-sports gambling industry.
Industry associates underlined the significance of bringing the new gambling structure to a controlled system. On the other hand, it is not very clear just how this could materialize as compared to regulations imposed on online gambling (judi online).
E-sports betting has enormous potential
Raffaela Zillner, General Secretary for Betting and Gambling in Austria, stressed on the rising economic significance of e-sports in Austria in connection with the discussion about the future of e-sports regulation. This has been demonstrated through the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Zillner said the sports betting industry’s sales declined 80% due to the failure of traditional sports games, but interest in e-sports betting has increased significantly.
The proportion of esports providers has increased from small single digits to double digits. E-sports have proven to be resistant to the crisis-like era we are facing right now.
Even if some events are canceled due to the corona crisis, eSports enjoys decisive advantages as it is possible to play on the Internet.
Johannes Nijboer of the gaming company Kindred Group sees the growth of e-sports from a provider’s point of view. Similar brands have been offering esports betting since 2014. Since then, the market has grown year by year and has played a more important role in the corona crisis.
No Clear Regulations For E-sports
Although sales of e-sports betting are increasing in Europe, only a handful of countries/regions are currently looking for clear regulations on the market. France is an example of a country with certain regulations. So far, many other states are still inactive.
Stuart Tilly, an esports expert, said the European regulation of esports betting is still fragmented. The new betting format is similar to traditional sports betting. Tilly ruled out the problem of fast regulation of e-sports betting in Europe.
In countries where sports betting is not yet clearly regulated, according to the experience of the past 20 years, e-sports betting is no exception. Also, Europe is likely to have no unified regulations.
E-sports must solve these problems
Johannes Nijboer said that avoiding game fixation is a major challenge in esports today. Vendors must work hard to ensure the integrity of the game. To do this, you need to work closely with activists. One way is the training and training of the athlete.
In esports, the coordination of games and gambling have been recorded regularly in the past. Some people think the game name of the esports game series NBA 2K20 has changed recently.
However, there is no greater risk for providers than in other areas. Stuart Tilly emphasized the importance of understanding teams and players, just like traditional sports. Finally, the risk management strategy is the same as the rest of the proposal.
