thewallvegas-blog

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Here’s How Bitcoin Can Revolutionize Esports Betting

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Here’s How Bitcoin Can Revolutionize Esports Betting

If you’re interested in betting on esports with cryptocurrency, you’ve come to the right place. Here you’ll find some of the most popular esports games to bet on. We’ll also be looking into some Bitcoin leagues and tournaments. If you are still unfamiliar with Bitcoin, we will be explaining […]

Click here to view original web page at www.cryptonewsz.com

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International Olympics Committee clarifies its stance on esports

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International Olympics Committee clarifies its stance on esports

Here at Daily Esports, we have been following the news that esports could become an Olympic sport, but now the International Olympics Committee (IOC) has clarified its stance on the issue following its latest summit. It seems for now only games that are based on real sports such as […]

Click here to view original web page at www.dailyesports.gg

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ELEAGUE secures domestic television rights to FIFA 20 Global Series

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ELEAGUE secures domestic television rights to FIFA 20 Global Series

ELEAGUE has obtained the exclusive domestic television rights for the FIFA 20 Global Series in a deal with EA Sports . In addition to the United States broadcasting rights, ELEAGUE will host three FIFA Ultimate Team Champions Cup events. Image credit: ELEAGUE ELEAGUE’s first tournament will take place at […]

Click here to view original web page at esportsinsider.com

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ASUS Republic of Gamers Announces Partnership with ESPN at EXP Esports Gaming Series

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ASUS Republic of Gamers Announces Partnership with ESPN at EXP Esports Gaming Series

ROG is providing tournament-ready gaming equipment as the official hardware sponsor ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced it will be the official hardware sponsor of EXP, an esports gaming series created by ESPN. […]

Click here to view original web page at www.webwire.com

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced it will be the official hardware sponsor of EXP, an esports gaming series created by ESPN. This series exemplifies ESPN’s commitment to expanding their esports coverage across all platforms and content types to better serve every kind of sports fan.

The EXP summer tournaments kick off July 11 with a Pro-Am Apex Legends Exhibition that will feature players from across the gaming community, from influencers and fans to celebrities and esports champions. Following it up is the EXP Invitational – Apex Legends at X Games Minneapolis on August 2 and 3, where 20 of the best Apex Legends squads will fight for a $150,000 prize pool.

ROG is proud to have sponsored ESPN’s inaugural EXP event in May 2019 at the Collegiate Esports Championship and will continue supporting and supplying competition-level gaming hardware for both of the upcoming tournaments. Tournament participants will compete on ROG Strix GL12CX gaming desktops and ROG Swift PG248Q gaming monitors provided by ASUS.

“We’re thrilled to have ROG as a key sponsor of our first-ever EXP esports event series,” said Kevin Lopes, director of business development, ESPN. “Together, we’re able to serve both the athletes and fans with a unique and high quality playing and viewing experience, and we look forward to continue doing so for the next two events at The ESPYS and X Games.”

Elevating esports

The upcoming events underscore both ROG and ESPN’s dedication to bringing professional esports to a wider platform. These tournaments will be available to watch live on multiple digital platforms, including the ESPN app. A tape-delayed show focused on key moments and storylines will air across ESPN and ABC linear networks after each event, making this a solid first step in familiarizing mainstream audiences with pro gaming.

In sponsoring events such as PAX, Dreamhack, and ESL One, and this EXP series, ROG has worked to elevate every cross-section of the games industry, from developers to streamers to pro athletes.

“Competitive gaming is a passion at ROG,” said Vivian Lien, Global Head of Marketing for the Gaming Systems Business Group. “We were founded in order to innovate and create elite equipment for serious gamers. Our hardware is engineered to compete at the top level, and there is no better place to see it put to the test than at a tournament of upcoming and established esports champions.”

Gaming excellence

Tournament participants in the upcoming EXP series will play on ROG gear designed for competitive high-FPS gaming.

The Strix GL12CX is a liquid-cooled and factory-overclocked gaming desktop engineered to give competitors a serious edge in battle. Developed specifically for tournament play, its case features a hot-swap SSD bay hidden behind a magnetic front cover. These are useful at esports events, since players often store their games and profiles on 2.5” SSDs. With the hot-swap bay, organizers can easily remove and insert SSDs without ever lifting a screwdriver or rebooting the system.

This gaming machine is equipped with the latest NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2070 GPU, powerful enough to deliver the huge, triple-digit frame rates required for pro-level play. Competitors will immerse themselves in the action on a blazing fast ROG Swift PG248Q monitor. This high-refresh gaming panel features an overclockable 180Hz refresh rate and NVIDIA® G-SYNC, which reduces stuttering and eliminates tearing. It also has an ultra-responsive 1ms grey-to-grey response time, which means enemies and other targets will be rendered clearly without any ghosting or blurring.

Game casters and commentators will follow the action on new Strix SCAR III gaming laptops, which represents the top tier of portable esports gaming. Released in Spring 2019, the Strix SCAR III was the world’s first gaming laptop to offer 240Hz gaming panels for both 15 and 17-inch options. Slim bezels frame the display, giving casters a more immersive and in-depth view of the game.

Equipped with a powerful NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2070, the Strix SCAR III delivers silky smooth visuals at any speed of play. The SCAR III also features a latest generation 9th Gen Intel® Core™ CPU, a blazing fast M.2 NVMe PCIe® SSD, and up to 32GB of RAM, so that content creators can spectate, take notes, participate in stream chats, and more all at the same time.

Let the games begin

The upcoming EXP tournaments are a major step forward in making esports a must-see, mainstream sporting event. ROG is excited to help bring esports to a wider stage with ESPN, the leading multinational, multimedia sports entertainment entity.

Tune in to the events live online and on the ESPN app. The EXP Apex Legends Pro-Am Presented by The Real Cost will be held the day following The 2019 ESPYS, July 11, and the EXP Invitational – Apex Legends at X Games Minneapolis is on August 2 and 3.

This news content was configured by WebWire editorial staff. Linking is permitted.

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Budweiser applies for “the official beer of esports” trademark

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Budweiser applies for “the official beer of esports” trademark

As the esports market continue to post high numbers of growth in the last decade with no signs of slowing down, many big corporate entities have shown interest in the market and want to get a piece of the gaming pie. […]

Click here to view original web page at www.talkesport.com

Earlier this week, the American-style pale lager company Anheuser-Busch is also known as Budweiser applied to trademark the phrase “the official beer of esports” in an effort to make it a leading proprietor of alcoholic beverages brand in the esports market.

Budweiser also applied to trademark other similar phrases i.e. “the official beer of gaming,” and “the official beer of gamers”. The applications of these were spotted on the official United States Patent and Trademark Office website.

Budweiser isn’t the only beverage brand invested into esports. MillerCoors have also invested in several organisations. The MillerCoors also sponsors several streamers to advertise their products (specially Miller Lite). Whereas, Budweiser is partnered with Overwatch league and Monumental Sports and entertainment.

There are also several energy drinks brands that are invested hugely into esports like RedBull, Sting, Gatorade etc. Since the market is so competitive, this trademark move can also be viewed as a form of advertisement to stand out in the crowd.

Although this might seem like an aggressive stance by Budweiser to trademark several phrases related to gaming which might be unfair to other brands. But the applications are still pending official approval and other brands can still contest the trademark application. Since the trademark phrases include “official” it might become troublesome for others in the market and also for Budweiser to get official approval.

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BIG extends partnership with OMEN by HP

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BIG extends partnership with OMEN by HP

German organisation BIG has extended its strategic partnership with gaming hardware company OMEN by HP for another year. The deal has also been expanded to include a larger focus on BIG’s academy efforts, helping it to develop talent outside of its main Counter-Strike: Global Offensive roster.  […]

Click here to view original web page at esportsinsider.com

The expansion of the deal sees more players and coaching staff brought on to the BIG. OMEN Academy Team, which has already reached the top division in the German league 99damage.

Daniel Finkler, CEO of BIG explained the decision in a statement: “Our Academy Team had a sensational start and was able to qualify for one of the highest German leagues within a very short time, also thanks to the intensive support of our coaching staff and OMEN by HP. The continuous development of our academy staff department has top priority for us, as a strong junior talent pool offers additional options for our professional division.”

First established in July 2018, the partnership sees OMEN by HP supply BIG’s players with hardware to practice on and marked the start of a project that would help to develop the German esports scene.

Rosa Maria Alcauce, Campaign Manager PC-Gaming and eSports at HP Germany commented on the extension: “After such a successful first year, we want to continue growing with BIG and believe in our future cooperation. The BIG. OMEN Academy Team proves the potential we have in German esports. We want to support talents like PREET to position themselves as a pro player.”

BIG is also partnered with Betway, Red Bull, CORSAIR, and Hörluchs. Outside of CS:GO, it competes in Legue of Legends, Quake, FIFA, and Trackmania.

Esports Insider says: It’s cool to see OMEN by HP commit to help support BIG’s academy players for another year, you never know when somebody could catch a break and be called up the main roster. OMEN by HP is committed to esports – as evident through its numerous deals through the industry – so this isn’t the most surprising move ever but at least it shows that the first year of the partnership had promise.

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Twitch Rivals announces first Teamfight Tactics tournament

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Twitch Rivals announces first Teamfight Tactics tournament

RIOT GAMES Twitch announced they will be hosting the first ever official Teamfight Tactics tournament on their Twitch Rivals platform. Upon being released to PBE, Teamfight Tactics garnered a record number of viewers on Twitch. Many players even initially reported waiting several hours to get into a game. […]

Click here to view original web page at www.dailyesports.gg

With this success, it seems like the prime time to capitalize on the game mode’s popularity.

The tournament will take place over a two-day period starting on July 17 and feature 64 players. The competitors will be participating in a chance to win a USD $125,000 total prize pool.

Twitch Rivals

Day one of the Twitch Rivals tournament will feature the two groups of 32 players. Group one will start playing at 9 a.m. PST and group two at 1:45 p.m. PST. Day two will consist of the top 8 players per group from day one competing for the Teamfight Tactics championship title. The tournament will be broadcast live with commentary on the Twitch Rivals channel. Each streamer’s own point of view can also be seen on their respective Twitch channels.

Teamfight Tactics missions have been released today as well. The main menu gives every player the same three missions to complete per week. Missions consist of playing games, playing specific characters, or upgrading champions to a certain level. By completing missions, players can redeem new map skins and experience toward their Beta Pass bar.

Teamfight Tactics

Teamfight Tactics, a new game mode released by Riot Games, is turn-based, unlike the main MOBA mode. Riot created the game due to the former wildly popular Dota 2 game mod Auto Chess by Drodo Studio. Players can create their own team composition with unique items and strategies. Each game consists of eight players facing each other in turns.

Each player’s champions fight on the board with active and passive skills. Gold coins can be used to draw new champions and buy experience to level up. The losing player will have their game character’s health bar decreased based on performance, until they are eventually removed from the match.

Have you tried out Riot Games’ newest popular game mode, Teamfight Tactics? Or any of its competitors including Dota Underlords or Dota Auto Chess? Do you think any more esports organizations will sign their own “auto chess” players as Team Liquid did?

Keep up with all of the latest League of Legends news and content here at Daily Esports.

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Sports Betting & Esports: What's Next and How to Invest

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Sports Betting & Esports: What's Next and How to Invest

 […]

Click here to view original web page at finance.yahoo.com

Welcome to the latest episode of the Full-Court Finance podcast from Zacks Investment Research where Associate Stock Strategist Ben Rains dives into the latest news from the world of legalized sports gambling and esports. The episode also breaks down the companies, industries, and stocks that stand to benefit from the expansion of these two growing markets.

New reports show that New Jersey overtook Las Vegas as the U.S. sports betting capital—well at least for the month of May. The rise of mobile betting from the likes of DraftKings and others has helped the Garden State’s nascent sports gambling market take off. And it’s not just New Jersey that is ready to profit from legal sports betting.

In fact, 15 states and Washington D.C. now have legalized sports betting or passed legislation to introduce it soon. All of this has happened in roughly a year since the U.S. Supreme Court in May 2018 struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act.

The four major North American professional sports leagues all have gambling partnerships with either MGM Resorts MGM or Caesars Entertainment CZR. Meanwhile, the likes of Paddy Power BetFair PDYPY, William Hill WIMHY, Madison Square Garden MSG, Penn National Gaming PENN, Churchill Downs CHDN, Boyd Gaming BYD, and others all stand to benefit from the continued expansion of the sports betting market. On top of that, Disney’s DIS ESPN and other media companies have rolled out betting-focused entertainment.

Along with the booming potential of the legalized sports gambling market, is professional video gaming. A few weeks ago, we talked about how Google GOOGL and Microsoft MSFT plan to square off in the cloud gaming market. Now, Simon Property Group SPG, which is the largest American mall owner, has bet on the rising popularity of esports as malls suffer in the Amazon AMZN age.

Overall, global esports revenues are projected to reach an $1.1 billion in 2019, up 27% from 2018, according to NewZoo. Esports have become very popular in South Korea, China, Europe, and the U.S. The industry also has the potential to overtake the NFL in terms of viewership within the next few years, as it fights to become the next global sports. At the moment, more people reportedly prefer watching video games over Netflix NFLX, HBO, ESPN, and Hulu combined.

Clearly, some of the gaming giants, such as Electronic Arts EA, Activision Blizzard Inc ATVI, and Take-Two Interactive TTWO stand to benefit from the growth of esports. But so do chipmakers like Nvidia NVDA and major sponsors such as Coca-Cola KO.

As a reminder, if you feel that we missed something, or if you have any topic suggestions, shoot us an email at podcast@zacks.com. Make sure to check out all of our other audio content at zacks.com/podcasts, and remember to subscribe and leave us a rating wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside?

Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana.

Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look.

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Former NFL VP Johanna Faries Named Commissioner of Call of Duty Esports

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Former NFL VP Johanna Faries Named Commissioner of Call of Duty Esports

Click here to view original web page at esportsobserver.com

Johanna Faries, a former NFL executive who joined Activision Blizzard in 2018, has been named the new commissioner of Call of Duty esports, the company announced today.

The move comes ahead of the transition from the current Call of Duty World League (CWL) to a franchised, geolocated league for the first-person shooter series. Seven teams have already secured spots in the league in Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Toronto, Atlanta, Dallas, and Minnesota.

Faries, who was appointed the CWL’s head of product in October, was previously the vice president of club business development at the NFL. In her new role, Faries will oversee further development and execution of the franchised league while working with stakeholders to bring the league to life.

“During my initial phase on the job, my team’s focus was really on setting a new product vision for Call of Duty as a city-based franchised league and to design an experience that we believe can grow to become one of the biggest sports leagues on the planet,” said Faries in an interview on Activision’s website. “Now that we have begun to sell franchises to ownership groups all over the world, it’s less about going from a white sheet of paper to what we have shaped now, and more about operating and managing this competitive ecosystem in a best-in-class way.”

According to Faries, the new league will launch in 2020. The next game in the franchise, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, releases this October. The current season’s CWL Championship takes place in Los Angeles from August 14-18.

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Invictus Gaming Signs Partnership Deal with Chevrolet

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Invictus Gaming Signs Partnership Deal with Chevrolet

American car brand Chevrolet signs a partnership deal with Chinese esports organization Invictus Gaming (IG). Chevrolet’s logo has appeared on IG’s regular team jacket and LPL team jersey, and the team will specifically promote the new Chevrolet Tracker SUV. IG and Chevrolet posted an “IG X Tracker” commercial on […]

Click here to view original web page at esportsobserver.com

American car brand Chevrolet signs a partnership deal with Chinese esports organization Invictus Gaming (IG).

Chevrolet’s logo has appeared on IG’s regular team jacket and LPL team jersey, and the team will specifically promote the new Chevrolet Tracker SUV.

IG and Chevrolet posted an “IG X Tracker” commercial on Weibo, featuring the five IG League of Legends players. In addition, the players each appeared in their own Chevrolet commercials.

American car brand Chevrolet has signed a deal with Chinese esports organization Invictus Gaming (IG), acting as the team’s official car partner. Financial terms were not disclosed. The specific aim of the deal is marketing Chevrolet’s new Tracker SUV, which will be used by the team for travel and content. In addition, Chevrolet’s logo has been featured on IG’s regular team jacket and League of Legends Pro League (LPL) team jersey.

On July 4, Chinese esports organization Invictus Gaming posted a commercial called “IG X Tracker” on the Chinese social media platform Weibo. The commercial featured the five IG players from the organization’s world champion League of Legends squad. In addition, each of the five players were featured in their own individual Chevrolet commercials. All six commercials were posted on the Chevrolet official Chinese website.

Related Article: Mercedes-Benz Enters One Year RNG Sponsorship Deal, Includes Jersey and Stadium Branding

This partnership deal was first showcased on June 12. IG’s five League of Legends players appeared on the Chevrolet stage at the Chongqing Auto Show, wearing their team jackets with Chevrolet’s logo alongside the team’s own branding.

In June of 2018, Mercedes-Benz signed a one year deal with fellow Chinese esports organization Royal Never Give-Up (RNG). Last month, Mercedes Benz announced it has renewed the sponsorship deal with RNG in 2019, financial terms undisclosed. Mercedes-Benz has also been a main sponsor for the LPL since 2018.

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How the Steelers are tapping into the esports world in Pittsburgh

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How the Steelers are tapping into the esports world in Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh’s official esports team has finally found its Mr. Right — or in this case, Mr. Rooney. It’s been 18 months since the Pittsburgh Knights’ official launch party in Hazelwood . Since then, they’ve recruited several top players and formed world-ranked teams in games such as “Smite” and “Paladins” […]

Click here to view original web page at www.post-gazette.com

It’s been 18 months since the Pittsburgh Knights’ official launch party in Hazelwood. Since then, they’ve recruited several top players and formed world-ranked teams in games such as “Smite” and “Paladins” to go along with their already established “PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds” (PUBG) squad, which placed fifth in the finals of last year’s PUBG Global Invitational.

Now the city’s first professional esports franchise has moved to one of the Steelers’ offices on the North Shore and — after months of negotiations — formed a partnership with the Steelers and team President Art Rooney II that could change the Pittsburgh sports landscape.

“We’re working hand in hand,” said Omar Khan, Steelers vice president of football and business administration. “They’re coming on board and working closely with our people. We wanted to not only get an idea of how their business works, but for them to see how our business works and see if there are ways for us to collaborate and grow our respective areas in our business.”

“They were our ideal partners, and we’re blessed to have them as partners,” Knights co-founder/CEO James O’Connor said.

■ ■ ■

O’Connor said a partnership between the Knights and the Steelers was one of his ultimate goals when launching the esports franchise along with co-founder Rob Lee.

Members of the Steelers’ staff have taken some of the Knights’ workers under their wing and shared their business models for various operations, such as marketing, sponsorships and merchandise. The Steelers are also providing the Knights with financial management and public relations support, and the two franchises are in the early stages of developing plans for Heinz Field to host esports events.

The Knights are releasing a line of jerseys inspired by the Steelers’ retro uniforms and soon will have a separate wing for merchandise sales on the Steelers website.

“I think through the process, people in our offices will tell you these guys are very capable and knowledgeable, and we’ve been able to grab certain ideas from them also,” Khan said.

According to Khan, the Steelers first became aware of the emerging esports landscape about three years ago and began rigorously researching the industry and ways to get involved. Through that research, they were introduced to the Knights, and they instantly liked what they saw.

“We really got to know the leadership team at the Knights, and we really connected,” Khan said. “We really felt good about those guys and specifically their work ethic and their knowledge of the industry.”

Little did Khan and the Rooneys know, O’Connor had been plotting ways to one day collaborate with the Steelers all along.

“The Steelers vetted us pretty hard. They spent a lot of time learning about us,” O’Connor said. “I think we work pretty hard and I think they appreciated that, and we’re going to continue to do so. … It’s a long process. It took close to a year. But that’s how it should go, because the Steelers are very conservative and careful, and we like them for that. We respect them for that.

“We were patient, and we knew they were the people we wanted to partner with.”

■ ■ ■

The partnership between the Knights and Steelers is strictly business and completely separate from the Steelers’ football operations. O’Connor said there may be opportunities for the Knights to collaborate with the team in the future during the offseason, but for now, the Steelers remain focused on football first.

Even if the Knights can’t bring Mike Tomlin out to hype up the crowd at ReplayFX — an annual retro gaming and pinball showcase the Knights are co-producing this year from Aug. 1-4 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center — Khan believes the new partnership can help the Steelers’ globally renowned brand tap into even more markets than before.

“I think one of the areas that esports is pretty unique is its reach internationally and globally,” Khan said. “I think the last numbers I saw were over 450 million people watch esports worldwide. I think that provides an opportunity for us as an organization to engage some fans out there that aren’t maybe Steeler or football fans currently. It’s a rapidly growing industry, for sure.”

According to O’Connor, the Knights’ relationship with the Steelers is one of the first of its kind in the world of esports.

The Dallas Cowboys were the first NFL franchise to partner with an esports organization when owner Jerry Jones and real estate investor John Goff purchased a majority stake in compLexity Gaming in 2017, and the longtime esports powerhouse underwent a major rebranding in May, complete with a new logo inspired by the Cowboys’ iconic star emblem.

Unlike compLexity, though, which is now under Cowboys control, O’Connor and Lee are still the primary owners of the Knights. The Steelers declined to say how much they’ve invested in the Knights, but they now own a minority stake in the franchise.

A more apt comparison for the Knights’ relationship with the Steelers would be the crossover between the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers and the esports organization 100 Thieves. 100 Thieves is still owned by former professional “Call of Duty” player Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag, but Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert made a multimillion dollar investment in the company in 2017 to become a co-owner. One of Gilbert’s companies, Rocket Mortgage, is 100 Thieves’ primary sponsor.

While Khan wasn’t ready to declare Knights-CompLexity the second coming of the Steelers-Cowboys rivalry of the 1970s, he is excited about the new possibilities on the horizon.

“I’m not one to know predictions and I’m not going to claim to know all the details on how the Cowboys partnership works,” Khan said. “But I know we feel good about the future.”

[thewallvegas-blog]

Profit focus to drive the esports debate at CEC Vegas

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Profit focus to drive the esports debate at CEC Vegas

Roy Student, the US-based event ambassador for Clarion Gaming, has described the forthcoming CEC Vegas (September 4 & 5, Luxor Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas) as providing casino operators with answers to their most frequently asked question, ‘how do we make money?’  […]

Click here to view original web page at www.igamingbusiness.com

Expanding on the initiative, which is aimed at industry decision makers and entrepreneurs, Student added: “CEC Vegas will arm senior executives with the information and intelligence they most definitely need in order to fully understand the eSports phenomenon and integrate it as a positive amenity and attraction. This is an exciting and emergent industry and CEC Vegas will enable delegates to hear from and network with colleagues who are already in the space, benefit from their insight and identify the stumbling blocks that should be avoided. Attending an event like this enables the serious players to sidestep the pitfalls and accelerate their profits – it’s as simple as that and it’s why CEC Vegas is being heralded as one of the key C-Level events on the gaming industry calendar.”

Through a focused conference program and exhibition, CEC Vegas attendees will enhance their understanding of how to generate revenue, drive traffic and improve experiences through eSports events and wagering. Online gambling operators will learn how to drive more revenue through eSports events and wagering and the eSports event community – comprising teams, league organizers, streaming platforms and influencers – will discover sponsorship opportunities and the benefits of collaborating with gaming operators. Finally, the supply side of the industry, which includes wagering platforms, tech suppliers, payments specialists and big data organizations, will be presented with a unique and powerful chance to network, solidify partnerships and generate revenue opportunities.

Roy Student concluded: “eSports is an increasingly important vertical within the gaming space and it is therefore totally appropriate that Clarion, the world’s most successful organizer of gaming events, should join forces with the CEC team, the most influential voice in the sector to address the commercial opportunities at an event that’s taking place in Las Vegas – the home of gaming. The level of interest is building and building in what is the intelligence hub for eSports in Gaming.”

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Soldiers attend Esports gamer ‘Boot Camp’ through Exchange partnership

New Post has been published on http://www.thewall.vegas/2019/07/09/soldiers-attend-esports-gamer-boot-camp-through-exchange-partnership/

Soldiers attend Esports gamer ‘Boot Camp’ through Exchange partnership

Two weeks after professional gamers visited Fort Bliss to see how Soldiers train and live, the tables were turned when 15 Soldiers visited Complexity Gaming headquarters at the GameStop Performance Center in Frisco, Texas, on June 28 to experience the life of a professional esports gamer. (Photo: Courtesy photo/ […]

Click here to view original web page at www.alamogordonews.com

FRISCO, Texas – U.S. Soldiers come from all walks of life and are stationed all around the world, but there’s one thing they almost all share in common: gaming.

Two weeks after professional gamers visited Fort Bliss to see how Soldiers train and live, the tables were turned when 15 Soldiers visited Complexity Gaming headquarters at the GameStop Performance Center in Frisco, Texas, on June 28 to experience the life of a professional esports gamer.

“It’s amazing. It’s like a gamer’s dream,” said Pvt. Carlos Silva of Complexity’s brand new facility.

The event is part of a partnership between the Army & Air Force Exchange Service, U.S. Army Installation Management Command (IMCOM) Family & MWR Programs, and Complexity Gaming, which are bringing esports tournaments to installations around the world.

“For me, gaming has always been a stress reliever. When you go to work, being in the Army, you do 16-hour workdays, 18-hour workdays,” said Silva, who is stationed at Wheeler Army Air Field in Hawaii. “Gaming helps you relieve stress and helps train your mind. It requires a lot of hand-eye coordination [and quick] reaction time.”

Esports has become a focus of Army Entertainment, where Family & MWR leaders recently created an Army esports program. This program allows for Soldiers to compete in nationwide tournaments, which build relevant programming and boost morale.

“Gaming is great for cognitive skills, decision-making and teamwork,” said Col. Collin Fortier, the Exchange’s military community liaison. “The skills needed in gaming are a good blend of what the Army is looking for in Soldiers.”

Soldiers around the world submitted applications for the chance to participate in the esports program through Family & MWR’s Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers (BOSS) initiative. MSI Computer Corp., a presenting partner with the Exchange and Family & MWR, sponsors the BOSS’ Soldier Esports Showdown program that allowed the Soldiers to come to Frisco.

While at Complexity headquarters, the Soldiers played competitive assessment games that measured speed, decision making, dexterity, spatial recognition and audio-visual skills. They also had an opportunity to play against professional gamers.

“It goes to show how much we all have in common, whether it’s sports, esports, military,” said Specialist Joshua Velazquez, also stationed at Wheeler Army Air Field. “They all require a lot of mental endurance and certain physical attributes. I didn’t realize how similar they were before I got here. [It’s] a lot of similar training for the mind.”

More Soldier Esports Showdown events will take place at the BOSS Symposium in Indianapolis in July and at Fort Sill, Okla., in September.

[thewallvegas-blog]

Call of Duty Sells LA and Minnesota Spots, The International Prize Pool Exceeds $25M

New Post has been published on http://www.thewall.vegas/2019/07/08/call-of-duty-sells-la-and-minnesota-spots-the-international-prize-pool-exceeds-25m/

Call of Duty Sells LA and Minnesota Spots, The International Prize Pool Exceeds $25M

Activision Blizzard LA and Minesota spots are sold for the upcoming Call of Duty League, Twitch reveals a “subscriber only” stream feature, and The International prize pool exceeds $25M.  […]

Click here to view original web page at esportsobserver.com

Missed any of the biggest esports business news last week? The TEO Monday Morning Briefing recaps the top headlines

Activision Blizzard has selected Immortals Gaming Club (IGC) for a Los Angeles, California, slot in the upcoming franchised Call of Duty League (CDL). Immortals’ own announcement stated that the company’s team will compete under the recently-acquired OpTic Gaming brand.

Additionally, Activision Blizzard announced that WISE Ventures, an investment fund launched in late 2018 by Minnesota Vikings owners the Wilf Family, will operate a team based in Minnesota. VaynerMedia CEO Gary Vaynerchuck will also join the ownership group as an investor.

Twitch’s new Subscriber Stream feature that allows content creators to broadcast exclusively to their paid subscription base may have less of an impact than it was initially speculated to have when it was unveiled last week.

Twitch began beta testing for these Subscriber Streams on June 26. Shortly after testing began though, numerous people in the gaming community began to notice that these subscriber-only streams, which effectively serve as a form of pay-to-view, could be interpreted as a violation of some game developers’ terms of service, which prohibits charging for video content featuring their games. Twitch has not yet responded to a request for comments from The Esports Observer about its new feature.

Dota 2’s The International (TI9) has broken last year’s prize pool record of $25.53M. The current prize pool has exceeded $25.64M, with an almost 1500% increase on the base prize pool of $1.6M. Funded by an in-game item pack known as the Battle Pass, The International is not only the biggest Dota 2 esports event of the year, but has also consistently been the esports tournament delivering the highest prize pool since 2011, when the first TI in Cologne, Germany, awarded $1.6M. At the current rate of increase, TI9 could even overtake the $30M prize pool Epic Games is providing for its Fortnite World Cup this month.

Riot Games has announced the first official tournament for its ranked League of Legends game mode Teamfight Tactics, set to take place July 17-18. The competition will be hosted by Twitch Rivals, Twitch’s influencer-based esports division. Sixty-four Twitch streamers will be invited to participate for a chance of winning a piece of the $125K prize pool. The full roster will be announced on July 8.

Sponsorships and Partnerships

The League of Legends Premier Tour will expand into a new regional league next year, as part of a new partnership between Riot Games , Freaks 4U Gaming, and Lagardère Sports. The multi-year agreement will focus on developing a sustainable ecosystem for German-speaking players, teams, and companies.

Brazilian esports organization FURIA announced a multi-year partnership with global sportswear brand Nike. A co-branded uniform was revealed during ESL One Cologne on July 2, where FURIA competed in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO).

Korean organization Team Griffin, owned by STILL8, has signed a deal with Chinese livestreaming platform HUYA to broadcast its streams in the country. STILL8 previously signed similar deals with rival Chinese streaming platform Douyu for other teams competing the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) competition.

[thewallvegas-blog]

Test Post from The Wall E-Sports Lounge Las Vegas

Test Post from The Wall E-Sports Lounge Las Vegas http://www.thewall.vegas

[thewallvegas-blog]

Sports Betting & Esports: What's Next and How to Invest

New Post has been published on http://www.thewall.vegas/2019/07/08/sports-betting-esports-whats-next-and-how-to-invest/

Sports Betting & Esports: What's Next and How to Invest

Full-Court Finance podcast from Zacks Investment Research where Associate Stock Strategist Ben Rains dives into the latest news from the world of legalized sports gambling and esports.  […]

Click here to view original web page at www.zacks.com

New reports show that New Jersey overtook Las Vegas as the U.S. sports betting capital—well at least for the month of May. The rise of mobile betting from the likes of DraftKings and others has helped the Garden State’s nascent sports gambling market take off. And it’s not just New Jersey that is ready to profit from legal sports betting.

In fact, 15 states and Washington D.C. now have legalized sports betting or passed legislation to introduce it soon. All of this has happened in roughly a year since the U.S. Supreme Court in May 2018 struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act.

The four major North American professional sports leagues all have gambling partnerships with either MGM Resorts (MGM – Free Report) or Caesars Entertainment (CZR – Free Report) . Meanwhile, the likes of Paddy Power BetFair PDYPY, William Hill WIMHY, Madison Square Garden (MSG – Free Report) , Penn National Gaming (PENN – Free Report) , Churchill Downs (CHDN – Free Report) , Boyd Gaming (BYD – Free Report) , and others all stand to benefit from the continued expansion of the sports betting market. On top of that, Disney’s (DIS – Free Report) ESPN and other media companies have rolled out betting-focused entertainment.

Along with the booming potential of the legalized sports gambling market, is professional video gaming. A few weeks ago, we talked about how Google (GOOGL – Free Report) and Microsoft (MSFT – Free Report) plan to square off in the cloud gaming market. Now, Simon Property Group SPG, which is the largest American mall owner, has bet on the rising popularity of esports as malls suffer in the Amazon (AMZN – Free Report) age.

Overall, global esports revenues are projected to reach an $1.1 billion in 2019, up 27% from 2018, according to NewZoo. Esports have become very popular in South Korea, China, Europe, and the U.S. The industry also has the potential to overtake the NFL in terms of viewership within the next few years, as it fights to become the next global sports. At the moment, more people reportedly prefer watching video games over Netflix (NFLX – Free Report) , HBO, ESPN, and Hulu combined.

Clearly, some of the gaming giants, such as Electronic Arts EA, Activision Blizzard Inc ATVI, and Take-Two Interactive TTWO stand to benefit from the growth of esports. But so do chipmakers like Nvidia NVDA and major sponsors such as Coca-Cola (KO – Free Report) .

As a reminder, if you feel that we missed something, or if you have any topic suggestions, shoot us an email at podcast@zacks.com. Make sure to check out all of our other audio content at zacks.com/podcasts, and remember to subscribe and leave us a rating wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside?

Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana.

Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look.

[thewallvegas-blog]

CJ eSports signs aMSa, other Japanese Super Smash Bros. players

New Post has been published on http://www.thewall.vegas/2019/07/08/cj-esports-signs-amsa-other-japanese-super-smash-bros-players/

CJ eSports signs aMSa, other Japanese Super Smash Bros. players

Japanese esports organization CJ eSports officially began operations on July 7. The team currently consists of Super Smash Bros. Melee players Masaya “aMSa” Chikamoto and Hitoshi “Sanne” Hatama. “Abu” joined the organization as a player and team manager. CJ eSports was founded by old-school Melee player Ryota “CaptainJack” Yoshida. […]

Click here to view original web page at www.dailyesports.gg

CaptainJack initially announced his plan of forming an esports team near the end of 2018. At first, this simply involved providing prize pools for local Japanese tournaments. Of course, CJ eSports has now expanded to involve directly sponsoring Smash players from Japan.

CJ eSports has not yet announced if it will expand further in order to bring on more players. However, the company’s focus on Smash as a whole suggests that it may sponsor dedicated Super Smash Bros. Ultimate players in the future.

Meet the members of CJ eSports

While CaptainJack currently competes in both Melee and Ultimate, he is past his glory days as a competitor. However, he was one of the best players in the world during the early years of Melee, from about 2004 to 2008. In his prime, CaptainJack defeated Ken Hoang, Joel Isai Alvarado, Christopher “Azen” McMullen, Daniel “ChuDat” Rodriguez, and Amsah Augustuszoon.

As Japan’s best player and a top 10 player in the world, aMSa is naturally CJ eSports’ most renowned member. AMSa has placed in the top 8 of three major tournaments in 2019: GENESIS, Smash’N’Splash, and Smash Summit. He has only missed top 8 at one tournament, placing 9th at GOML 2019.

This year, aMSa has won sets against Juan “Hungrybox” Debiedma, Johnny “S2J” Kim, Zachary “SFAT” Cordoni, and Edgard “n0ne” Sheleby. He also boasts a 2-0 record over Joseph “Mang0” Marquez. Interestingly, CJ eSports is the third competitive gaming team that aMSa has joined. He is also a Red Bull athlete and a member of VGBootCamp.

AMSa is further a commentator for Japanese Super Smash Bros. Ultimate events. However, he does not compete in Ultimate as he did in Smash 4. This is because he playtested Ultimate during development, along with Ryuto “Ranai” Hayashi, Yuya “9B” Araki, and Tomoyasu “Earth” Yamakawa.

Though he is not as well-known as aMSa, Sanne is currently one of the strongest players in Japan. In 2019, he has beaten Japanese greats like aMSa, “Shippu,” and Nao “Gucci” Iguchi. Sanne has only attended one supermajor this year, GENESIS 6 in February. There, he finished in 97th place.

Abu is a bit of an interesting pick-up on the part of CJ eSports. He is currently involved in the management of a host club, a form of Japanese nighttime entertainment. However, Abu does have a bit of a background in esports, having worked with programs like YUBIWAZA and Buzz e-Sports.