eSports arena planned for Las Vegas

The Las Vegas Review Journal reports that Neonopolis in downtown Las Vegas will be home to an eSports arena, with around 15,000 square feet of third floor space previously taken up by a movie theatre and a nightclub to be devoted to eSports competitions.

Pro Gaming League Inc. and Toronto-based Stratton Capital Corp., are the companies behind the new venture. The former is a digital eSports entertainment firm and operates the ProGamingLeague.com, an eSports platform that connects gamers to online competitions.

The company is in the process of merging with Stratton to form a new company branded Millennial Esports, with experienced Toronto gaming lawyer Alex Igelman as CEO.

Igelman told the Las Vegas Review Journal that the Neonopolis eSports facilities will seat 400 to 500 people and be open by the end of 2016. The company has a deal to host a Halo championship tournament in November.

Igelman opined that eSports is complementary to land casino activity and will attract a younger audience who are not necessarily interested in casino gambling.

eSports events, in which the audience watches competing teams playing video games and bet on the outcomes, are now a well established feature of the eSports vertical. The events are often streamed via Twitch or on Youtube to a global audience of millions, mainly in the younger demographics.

Media giants like ESPN and Yahoo Sports have taken notice and have teams devoted to covering eSports.