There’s a Betting on Esports Conference in London this September…

How should a bookmaker offer esports markets? What are the challenges involved in doing so? From tussles with the game developers who own the IP, to issues with data, stream delays, the diverse and complex communities that exist under the umbrella term of esports, to the opportunity for casinos, self-titled ‘esports experts’, skins betting, ambassadors and more, it’s fair to say it’s something of a minefield.

For the first time this September, SBC’s Betting on Sports Conference will have a dedicated Betting on Esports Conference running alongside the main agenda. More details are available here.

Included in the Betting on Esports programme are:

  • A dedicated esports betting exhibition space featuring eight companies
  • 20+ high profile industry speakers sharing their knowledge and opinions
  • Six panel sessions discussing the latest trends in esports betting
  • Two high quality networking parties in the evening

The panels will take place over the 13-14 September at Kensington Olympia Conference Centre  in London. Tickets are currently available at a 50% discount until June 15th.  Click here to take advantage of this offer.

Las Vegas-based Millennial Esports has come on board as the Platinum Sponsor of Betting on Esports. The company runs a dedicated esports venue in downtown Vegas at the Neonopolis and is involved elsewhere in the space; for example it recently acquired Spanish data analytics firm Stream Hatchet. 

Alex Igelman, Millennial Esports

Millennial Esports’ CEO Alex Igelman said this regarding Betting on Esports: “With Nevada’s recent passage of SB 240, esports betting will soon be a common occurrence in Nevada sportsbooks. We are looking forward to Nevada’s continuing leadership in the space and we expect the State’s involvement to legitimise esports betting and set the standard for integrity and  oversight of esports events.

“In the same token, conferences like ‘Betting on Esports’ are leading the way in educating the industry on the unique challenges and opportunities for all those seeking entry in the space. We are proud to be an integral part of this.”

Speakers confirmed to date include Igelman, Pinnacle Head of Sportsbook Marco Blume, Unikrn CEO and Founder Rahul Sood, Esports Pools (ESP) CEO Scott Burton, GameCo CEO Blaine Graboyes, ESL UK Managing Director James Dean, Squawka Co-Founder Sanjit Atwal, Danske Spil Esports Manager Kasper Nemeth and PVP.ME CMO Michael Doyle.

This conference is a move away from the now plentiful esports business conferences, and focuses purely on the opportunities that exist around the convergence of esports and gambling. Las Vegas, and land based casinos at large, stand to benefit from this opportunity offered by esports; whether that’s as a tournament venue or by offering a different type of product such as GameCo’s VGMs.

GameCo CEO Blaine Graboyes will be speaking on the casinos panel, and will also be available to chat to with a stand in the exhibition area. Millennial is amongst the leaders in the space in Vegas in regards to hosting esports events; and the company has already hosted tournaments for Call of Duty and Madden.

Away from casinos, there are now countless online bookmakers offering esports markets, but the quality of these offerings vary greatly. The likes of Betway for instance are one to follow when it comes to engaging with the communities of fans that are potential customers. One look at the Betway Esports Twitter and its content portal will show this, and moreover the firm has delivered one of the top bookmaker-team sponsorships in esports so far via its deal with NiP.

Other dedicated services such as Unikrn are making interesting moves, and the Seattle based firm (which has a deal in place with Tabcorp), recently acquired LEET.gg as it appears set to diversify and enter the casino space too. Pinnacle meanwhile continue to offer esports markets, as they have done since 2010, and are currently seeking an Esports Marketing Manager to join their London office.

With the esports betting space at something of a crossroads right now, the Betting on Esports Conference provides the perfect platform for the two elements of the business to come together and discuss trends and ambitions. For instance unlicensed skins betting sites continue to operate, whilst the likes of ESIC (Esports Integrity Coalition) are doing good work to combat this and unite the stakeholders in the regulated space. The likes of Betway, Esportspools (ESP), Pinnacle, GameCo, Unikrn, ESL, DreamHack and more are partners.

-Betting on Esports is taking place as an event within the wider betting on Sports Conference. All ticketed attendees will gain full access to both shows.-  

Disclaimer: As a part of SBC Global, Esports Insider is an organiser of the Betting on Esports conference

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