The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) has recommended the approval of amendments to the state’s gambling laws that would allow betting on esports.
Following the NGCB vote, the Nevada Gaming Commission will now decide on the issue in its next meeting on January 26th. If approved by the Commission, the new regulations would take effect immediately and all licensed sportsbooks would be allowed to offer odds on esports events.
The changes approved by the board were amendments to Regulation 22 which lists the guidelines for traditional sports betting. The amendment allows all wagering on esports with the same guidelines and restrictions that are applicable to traditional sports. Sportsbook managers would be responsible for reporting any betting irregularities to the NGCB. This includes potential match-fixing patterns or bets placed by any players, coaches, or managers of teams involved in the events.
The new regulations were drafted by an eight-member Esports Technical Advisory Committee, which delivered the proposed amendments to the NGCB in October of 2022.
Senior Deputy Attorney General John Michela stated that regulators would monitor the new facet to the Nevada sports betting industry and would decide at a later date if further regulations would be needed that are specific to esports. The NGCB did not discuss the possible need for regulations relating to the age of players. As it stands, esports teams have many members that are younger than 21 which is the legal age for gambling in the state.
NGCB member Phil Katsaros said of the new regulations:
“What we’re doing here is enacting what I think are responsible and sensible regulations. Imagine what Nevada would have looked like if we never availed ourselves to sports betting years ago and only availed ourselves of it in 2018. We would have been flat-footed, a state of 40-plus million visitors a year which would have drawn a lot of focus from other participants in the space. We would have lost all those potential years of experience as well. So I like that we’re not being flat-footed here.”
Ciaran has been working within the Gambling Industry as a deep analyst since 2019. His deep knowledge and understanding of all the gambling regulations, and processes makes him a true asset, and an always valuable point of view for Gambling Industry News, allowing us to cover every topics from a brand new perspective.