The Downtown Grand in Las Vegas is the world’s first casino to embrace eSports, which has proven popular among younger bettors and could go city-wide.
With the millennial generation growing in importance among casino operators everywhere, many are looking for ways to better serve their preference for more interactive, skills-based betting activities. Downtown Grand Chairman Seth Schorr says eSports likely will become an important innovation.
Like other casino operators, Schorr says the gambling landscape is changing. Once driven by revenues from slot gaming that has been very popular among Baby Boomers and others, the millennial generation generally prefers more sophisticated and interactive forms of gaming.
They grew up playing video games at home and online, and they crave a different experience than their older counterparts, and casino executives like Schorr say competitive video gaming will be a key element of serving the younger market.
With the millennial generation growing in importance among the casino gaming industry, more land-based casinos are looking to embrace online gaming to maintain their future business models.
While casinos traditionally make the bulk of their gaming revenues from slot machines, current studies consistently show Millennial-generation bettors dislike the slot machines their parents and grandparents have enjoyed for decades.
Affinity Gaming CEO Michael Silberling says land-based gaming will remain profitable, as it has since man first laid a wager thousands of years ago. But he says online gaming continues growing, and land-based casinos should do more to embrace online gaming.
To help show its potential, the Downtown Grand is hosting weekly video game contests every Friday and Saturday. It also is the host site of a professional Australia-based e-gaming team, which competes in professional eSports events around the world.
Schorr envisions a time when contestants can sit in an e-pit, ante their money, and winner takes all at venues across Las Vegas. The casino would get a cut of the pot, as it does at poker tables.
But to do that, the Nevada Gaming Commission would have to enact enabling regulations, and that would take time.
In the meantime, international leagues continue growing in popularity. Among them is Wargaming.Net League North America.
Sponsored by Cyprus-based Wargaming, contestants can choose among World of Tanks, World of Warships, World of Warplanes, and Master of Orion strategic multi-player gaming competitions.
Participants compete in one of several different skill levels for seasons that can last months.
If Nevada gaming regulators ever approve eSports for cash competitions, the many hours kids spend playing gaming competitions could prove as lucrative for some as skateboarding, snowboarding, and other pursuits have become profitable for others.
And the casinos would get a cut of the action.
