The eSports community will descend upon the Las Vegas Strip following Labor Day in what’s being labeled as one of the biggest engagements between the eSports and casino industries.
A centerpiece of the two-day Casino eSports Conference at Luxor Las Vegas – managed by Clarion Gaming – is the keynote address by computer game publisher J Moses, interactive director of game developer Take Two.
Moses will open the conference on Sept. 4 and will discuss the future of eSports betting. Take Two, which owns the labels Rockstar and 2K, publishes NBA 2K and the Grand Theft Auto series.
“They are launching a new casino game based on Grand Theft Auto,” said Ben Fox who along with his brother Ari Fox launched the conference two years ago. “It’s a fictitious casino within the game where you gambling in simulated.”
The theme of the conference is building a link between the eSports business and casino industry to take eSports to another level.
Moses will appear with Johnathan Wendell, an eSports legend known as “Fatal1ty.” He was the first player to earn more than $1 million playing eSports. Wendell is co-founder of ReadyUp, a platform for player connection and team management for gaming and eSports. In 2018, ReadyUp raised $2 million from investors.
The two speakers will attempt to debunk eSports myths; the advantages of treating eSports differently from traditional sports, the importance of publishers and data access within the eSports betting market; exploring the integration of sports betting and eSports wagering; and the future of eSports within the gaming industry.
As part of the theme of bringing the eSports industry into the casino realm, the conference will feature video welcomes from Tetsu Yamada, president and representative director at Taito Corp., a Japanese video game maker, and Frederic Chesnais, chairman and CEO of the Atari Group.
“They are where everything started,” Ben Fox said of eSports and how the conference is bringing together the industries. “It’s remarkable to see everything take shape for the conference. A year ago we were talking about it, but now it’s actually happening.”
Investing in eSports will be addressed through a panel on Sept. 5th. Moderated by Robert Heller, CEO of Spectrum Gaming Capital, the discussion will feature Melissa Blau, director of iGaming Capital; Adam Rosenberg, managing director and global head of gaming and leisure with Fortress Investment Group; Khalid Jones, managing partner with Source Rock Partners; and Wayne Kimmel, managing partner with SeventySix Capital.
The panel will map the current and future growth and where in eSports should people invest.
“If you’re not a casino and want to invest in what’s going on, there are opportunities,” Fox said. “What we are trying to do is build the business side at this event and not just what eSports is anymore. It’s how to make money and how to invest in this space. The takeaway is that’s it’s not the game but the gamers. Find out how they operate and what they need as opposed to trying to focus on whether you have a gaming lounge or providing the right video games.”
This year’s conference is titled “For the New Era of Gaming” with online and land-based casinos and the eSports industry working to map out a future that creates and grows profits. The conference connects the casino world with eSports players, marketers, developers, product, services, event providers, lawyers and educators.
“The people that are attending are very influential high-level people within the casino industry and video game industry,” Ben Fox said. “These are people you would normally be unable to get an appointment with.”
There are three panels on the opening day dealing with eSports betting.
One discusses regulatory challenges and forecasts and looks at the activity in various states, as well as Europe, Asia and Latin America.
Kathryn Rand, co-director of the Institute for the Study of Tribal Gaming Law will moderate the panel, that includes Karl Bennison, chief of the Nevada Gaming Control Board Enforcement Division; Becky Harris, academic fellow at the UNLV International Center for Gaming Regulation and former chairwoman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board; Dr. Laila Mintas with Dr. Mintas consulting; Jennifer Roberts, associate director of gaming regulation at UNLV; and John English, a partner with Global Market Advisors.
A panel discussion on gambling and eSports is sponsored by Next Gaming and will discuss integration of skill gaming mechanics into gambling and about mobile peer-to-peer play.
Chris Crescitelli, founder of Dreamland, will moderate that panel, that includes Next Gaming CEO Michael Darley; GameCo CEO Blaine Graboyes; Michael Shorrock, the vice president of digital play innovation lab at IGT; and Amir Rubin, co-founder and CEO of Sixense Enterprises.
A panel on Sept. 5th envisions eSports as part of a casino sportsbook, looking at early lessons from Las Vegas, marrying eSports with sports betting, eSports betting and fantasy sports; eSports betting during eSports events hosted by casinos; and how European operators deal with eSports betting.
William Webb, founder and CEO of Jackpot Rising, will moderate the discussion and panelists include Serge Vartanyan, founder and CEO of WIN, an eSports company; English; Full Engagement Sports CEO Nigel Wheatstone; and Karl Rutledge, partner and chair of commercial gaming with Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie.
Online ticket registration is $799 and $999 at the conference. For more information and to register, https://registration.n200.com/survey/03k1ykkgxdz0b
