Elements Casino in Surrey, British Columbia, has owned an eSports lounge that will host monthly tournaments and viewing parties, all for adults 19-years-old and older.
It will debut on December 3 with a “Street Fighter V” event with a $1,500 prize pool in cooperation with Spawn Point.
Able to seat 190, the eSports lounge, a converted poker room, is considered to be the first of its kind in Canada.
Spiro Khouri, Elements’ marketing manager, interviewed by the Now, commented, “This will be a place for patrons to watch eSports events, somewhere between 10 to 15 per month, in a comfortable lounge area.”
eSports games are broken into five types: first-person-shooter (FPS), real-time strategy (RTS), multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA), fighting games and sports simulation.
Khouri added, “There are many pubs where people can go to watch their favorite (pro sports) teams but nowhere for people to go to watch their favorite eSports teams. We plan to lead the charge in this space.”
Michael Kim, general manager of Elements Casino, added, “We are absolutely thrilled about this opportunity and ecstatic to be the first casino in Canada to welcome and embrace the eSports culture. I am confident that our dedicated Elements eSports Lounge will deliver an additional entertainment experience for our guests who are seeking another form of leisure or activity.”
A growing form of entertainment, the “League of Legends” world final eSports event was held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles to a sold out crowd. Projections say there will be 145 million eSports enthusiasts worldwide by next year.
Kevin Mercuri, co-founder of Spawn Point, told Calvin Ayre: “eSports has the ability to attract and entertain an entirely new demographic of casino players. The opportunity to help introduce eSports to Canadian gaming is a-once-in-a career opportunity for the Spawn Point team. We are glad to play a key role alongside Elements Casino.”
