The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NVGCB) earlier this week approved casinos to provide betting on Counter-Strike – ESL Pro League Season 11: North America. This marks the first esports event in 2020 that the NVGCB has given wagering approval for.
The permission to place bets on this event is in accordance with gaming regulation 22.1201 for “other events.” For Counter-Strike, only three kinds of bets have been sanctioned.
1. Direct confrontations <br>2. Champion of each game (best out of 3)<br>3. Ultimate winner of the season
Bets on this event must be placed before each match begins. No live or in-play betting is allowed for this esports event. This approval comes at a time when Nevada sportsbooks are exploring new sports betting opportunities.
Currently, in Nevada, only three out of the four operating sportsbooks are providing betting options for this esports event:
- BetMGM
- About Sports
- Hill William
Caesars is the only sportsbook app in operation in Nevada that isn’t providing betting on Counter-Strike – ESL Pro League Season 11: North America. However, they did post odds for events over the past weekend.
To minimize travel, the regular season is now being held entirely online rather than in physical venues like an arena. Twenty-four teams divided into four groups are participating in matches that commenced on March 16th and will continue until April 9th. The date for the finals is yet to be declared. As per the current plan, the final event will be conducted in a European studio, without any audience.
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Esports betting in Nevada
Betting on esports is not a recent development. Although Nevada doesn’t host many esports betting events, they have been taking place since 2016. The first Nevada sportsbook to offer esports betting was the William Hill sportsbook at Downtown Grand. In 2017, William Hill accepted bets on the DreamHack Masters Las Vegas esports event, which featured the video games Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and League of Legends.
Boyd Gaming offered betting on the Golden Tee World Championship at The Orleans in 2018. The event, a success, made a comeback to Las Vegas in 2019, and early wagering action was once again witnessed.
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Why isn’t there more esports betting in Nevada?
Esports fall under the category of “other events” for sports betting. Each wager request for these “other events” should be made separately. While there are numerous esports events throughout the year, sportsbooks generally attract more interest through major professional sports leagues.
Today, with no NBA, NHL, NFL, or Major League Baseball games happening, Nevada sportsbooks are in search of any potential wagering options. The absence of regular events has given sportsbook operators more time to seek approval for accepting bets on varying events.
Currently, new events, sports, and leagues are being regularly offered. Interest in betting on a wide range of activities, from esports to Sumo wrestling, may arise during the closure of casinos.
Should any of these new betting options gain significant popularity in Nevada, they may become permanent.
