Betradar has an unusual attraction for its ICE display
News on 26 Jan 2017
News on 26 Jan 2017
BetRadar has devised a truly unusual and definitely creative exhibition that links its capabilities with the burgeoning eSports sector in a way that is sure to attract ICE expo visitors to the company’s stand next month.
The ‘Betradar Esports Invitational’ will see two UK teams – Impulse and Endpoint – take each other on in a CounterStrike: Global Offensive eSports tournament on the stand every day of the show at 11am and 2pm.
The two teams will have just completed a three day bootcamp courtesy of ESL UK and should provide top level CS:GO competitive entertainment, with commentary by veteran eSports analyst Paul ‘ReDeYe’ Chaloner.
Our readers may recall that Betradar partnered with eSports data firm Dojo Madness last year to create a live eSports betting solution, and the clash between the two Brit teams will help showcase the product.
In related news, the eCommerce director at the Alderney Gambling Control Commission, Susan O’Leary, has expressed concern at the lack of regulatory supervision in the booming eSports sector, which she says could fall prey to operational scandals such as those which hit the daily fantasy sports sector, attracting costly enforcement and legislative attention on the vertical.
With some 148 million followers around the globe, eSports has inevitably attracted betting on its large live tournaments, in which professional player teams compete in video games like CS:GO in stadiums packed with fans, with coverage live-streamed around the globe.
“I know some will say there is no need for stringent oversight as eSports has, thus far, escaped any major scandal that suggests the need to disrupt the status quo,” O’Leary said this week. “That is missing the point; regulation done properly does not impede operators and markets, rather it encourages them to succeed.”
O’Leary was clearly punting the AGCC’s regulatory and licensing services, but her comments are nevertheless valid in a rapidly growing industry that involves mainly young people and the potential of big money from sponsors and betting.
With an international fan base that is not far off in size to that of the US National Football League, and wagers predicted to reach $8 billion this year, consumers, sponsors and the players themselves may need the clear operating parameters that regulation can deliver.
