William Hill’s sportsbook at Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada will be the first such venue to legally accept wagers on eSports, thus marking historic industry first for the state and the US, as a whole.
The bookmaker’s US division announced on Friday that it would be taking bets on the IEM Oakland eSports event set to take place this weekend at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California and to feature popular video game League of Legends.
The move comes in the wake of a Wednesday hearing of the Nevada Gaming Policy Committee, during which lawmakers heard opinions and discussed the matter to eventually provide William Hill with a regulatory green light. Here it is important to note that the committee is led by state Governor Brian Sandoval.
eSports and betting on this type of competitions have been widely discussed topics over the past several months. With William Hill US and its partner Downtown Grand Casino now accepting wagers on eSports, Nevada has come an important step closer towards the completion of the state’s objective to establish itself as the world’s eSports capital.
Wagering on eSports competitions could be classified as betting on athletic sports events, as A.G. Burnett, Chairman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, had previously noted. Bearing this in mind, the provision of this type of betting options would not require the current state gambling laws to be amended. Only small regulatory adjustments would be made instead.
Commenting on the Friday announcement, Gov. Sandoval described it as an expansion of the potential of one of Nevada’s oldest industries, referring to the state’s long-time reputation as a popular gambling destination.
Seth Schorr, Chairman of Downtown Grand Casino, expressed his gratitude towards the state’s gambling regulators and said that they were really happy that their venue, together with William Hill US, will accept the first legal eSports bet to be ever placed in the United States.
William Hill US Chief Executive Joe Asher said that the Friday announcement came as another manifestation to their commitment to provide gambling customers with innovative portfolio.
As of Saturday, November 19, bettors at William Hill’s sportsbook at Downtown Grand Casino will be able to place their bets on which one of all six participating teams will triumph in the Oakland-hosted League of Legends tournament.
William Hill US currently manages more than a hundred race and sportsbooks across Nevada. Apart from the brick-and-mortar venues, gambling customers can also wager via the bookmaker’s mobile application as long as they are in the state.
