Bill would formally include esports in pari-mutuel betting

Gaming commentators are shown in a video form a tournament earlier in the month during a tour of the Millennial E-Sports facility under construction at the Neonopolis Mall in downtown Las Vegas Monday, Feb. 20, 2017.

Milllennial Esports Facility

Nick Fotheringham speaks outside the Millennial E-Sports facility under construction at the Neonopolis Mall in downtown Las Vegas Monday, Feb. 20, 2017. Launch slideshow »

CARSON CITY — Four students from UNLV’s William Boyd School of law testified Tuesday before the state Legislature in favor of a bill to add esports and awards shows to the state’s list of permitted pari-mutuel wagering events.

Senate Bill 240, sponsored by Sen. Becky Harris, a Clark County Republican, would add “other sports” to pari-mutuel wagering, a betting format that pools wagers and redistributes them among winners, with casinos taking a cut. Esports and awards shows, two growing industries in Nevada for pari-mutuel betting, would be included in that category.

Nevada gaming regulators have already allowed betting on esports, but the bill would formalize such wagering in state law.

“Wagering on events other than sports and races continues to gain global popularity, but Nevada statutes regarding the types of events allowed under the pari-mutuel system wagering are unclear,” Boyd law student Nelson Lambert said before the Senate Committee on Judiciary. “Our proposed modifications adapt the Nevada Revised Statutes to suit the growing popularity of these events.”

If passed, the bill would modify Nevada Revised Statutes 463 and 464, which defines and regulates only horse and dog racing and sporting events for pari-mutuel betting.

Nevada Gaming Control Board Chairman A.G. Burnett said regulators are taking a neutral position on the bill. Burnett defined esports as “video games being played by competitors housed in a large stadium or convention center” and said it has grown exponentially in recent years.

“It’s very unbelievable to watch,” Burnett said.

Esports giant Millennial Esports last month opened a 15,000-square-foot, 200-seat gaming arena in downtown Las Vegas. And Burnett said he hoped to one day see esports events and wagering at T-Mobile Arena on the Strip.

“Ideally, you would have people coming from all over the globe to compete, with people paying to come in and bet on that event like you would a sportsbook,” he said.

UNLV law student Chandler Pohl said Nevada “could be the capital of esports in the future.”

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