Should eSports Be Part of NY Betting Apps too?
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Sports betting in New York is now available online and it looks as if the new market is already booming.
The first weekend sports betting was live in New York saw massive participation statewide, with 17.2 million transactions over two days since the Saturday morning launch, Gambling.com reported Monday.
It has beat initial expectations, but more importantly, it has shown just how big this area will be for the Empire State in years to come and with it could come growth into other areas like eSports.
Is There a Market for eSports?
Although it’s still a great distance off that of regular sports in terms of viewing figures, eSports is growing each year and subsequently, so has eSports betting.
Many people who play video games might also bet. But similarly to how just being a fan of a sport doesn’t result in direct correlation to participation, the millions that play video games in the U.S are still not interested in eSports.
Despite eSports’ growth, it still remains a bit of a niche subject and the interest in sports betting is significantly greater than that of eSports betting.
Nevertheless, you only have to look at League of Legends and CSGO live events to see how big the attraction is and the potential market that could open up for New York.
The U.S. is the second-largest gaming market in the world and there is no debating the fact that eSports betting would attract attention.
New York would, however, be one of the very few states in the country that allowed it and with that would come plenty of issues and ones in which the state should want to avoid for now.
The Dangers to eSports Betting
Similarly to how betting on college sports is not allowed in some states, eSports remains a touchy subject in the world of gambling.
New Jersey is one of the very few states to legalize eSports betting, while other states regulate this area, meaning it is not entirely illegal.
With sports betting gradually being legalized across the country, over time, the U.S could become like Europe in the sense where as long as you’re of the legal age, you’re free to bet on any sport you like.
However, the main reason for the lack of eSports betting right now is the idea it attracts a younger audience to gambling which would cause states like New York serious problems.
We probably won’t see eSports betting come to New York’s betting apps for a while. We’re still in the early days and during this time, the state will want things to be as smooth as possible, and with the audience eSports targets, it seems unlikely it will arrive anytime soon.
Right now, it seems too problematic, and it does look like the right move for New York to park eSports betting and see how the online space grows over the first few months first.
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