The first conference dedicated to the future of eSports betting will take place next month in England.
The eSports Betting Summit is scheduled for May 18 at the Royal Gordon Hotel in London. Click here for full agenda and list of speakers.
The eSports Betting Summit, at a glance
eSBS will bring together stakeholders from both the gambling and eSports industries. It will allow attendees to learn more about the present and future of the eSports betting industry, which could eclipse $20 billion within five years, according to some projections.
Featured speakers at the event include:
- Rahul Sood, CEO of eSports betting platform Unikrn
- James Dean, founder of the UK Electronic Sports League
- Moritz Mauer, Head of eSports for BetGenius
- Victor Martin, CEO of GosuGamers.net
- Harry Lang, marketing director for Pinnacle Sports
- Seth Schorr, CEO of Fifth Street Gaming (owner of the Downtown Grand in Las Vegas)
Other panelists include government regulators, and eSports league organizers, representatives from sportsbooks already in the eSports betting vertical, and experts from the sports data industry.
Summit comes as gaming interest in eSports ramps up
The intersection of the gambling and eSports industries is already happening, and that trends shows no signs of slowing down.
Recent examples in Las Vegas include the Mandalay Bay recently hosting the North American LCS for League of Legends and the Downtown Grand installing an eSports lounge.
Integrations on the wagering side are also deepening.
In addition to fantasy eSports offering from both FanDuel (via AlphaDraft) and DraftKings, nearly all major online bookmakers offer eSports fixtures, including bet365 eSports and betway eSports.
But the market for fantasy and cash betting on eSports pales in comparison to the market for “skin betting” — the market for wagering virtual in-game items — an area that recently received mainstream exposure when Bloomberg tackled the subject.
The explosive growth around skin betting likely signals a possible playbook for mainstream betting sites intent on cracking the eSports market.
eSports betting panels
The summit will take a look at all aspects of the eSports betting industry, with panels on subjects such as:
- eSports integrity: match fixing and doping
- Market penetration, user acquisition and community growth
- The intersection of eSports vs. traditional sports betting
- Implications for skin betting as a product and a model
- Building a betting brand that appeals to eSports fans
- Understanding the eSports customer
- Legal and regulatory issues for eSports betting
Image credit: pio3 / Shutterstock.com
