LAWMAKER WANTS NEVADA TO REGULATE ESPORTS
CARSON CITY — Beneath the Luxor Sky Beam, video games have found a foothold.
The Luxor is home to the 30,000-square-foot Hyperx Esports Arena, the first of its kind on the Strip. It’s become a nexus for the rapidly expanding sport in which gamers compete against each other in tournaments, sometimes for cash prizes.
“We work with all the big game publishers and try to attract their esports events to Nevada, obviously with our place being the destination for all that,” said Jud Hannigan, the CEO of Allied Esports, which owns the Hyperx arena.
The esports scene has recently drawn the attention of the Nevada Legislature. Sen. Ben Kieckhefer, R-reno, has introduced a bill to create the Nevada Esports Commission to regulate electronic sports events.
“This is an effort to bring new events to our state by doing one of the things that Nevada has always done well, which is working with industry to make them want to be here,” Kieckhefer said.
Kieckhefer presented information at a recent legislative hearing showing the increased interest in esports with viewership rising from 454 million in 2019 to 646 million in 2023. Digital ad revenue from esports has grown from $142.5 million in 2018 to an estimated $225.8 million this year, he said.
“This is an incredibly popular sport all over the world, both online and in person,” Kieckhefer said.
During a committee hearing last week, Paul Hamilton, president and CEO of Atlanta Esports Ventures, said his goal was to turn Las Vegas into an “esports mecca.” The company has investments in two esports teams, the Atlanta Reign of the Overwatch League and the Atlanta Faze of the Call of Duty League.
“The goal here is not to put up so many guardrails that we prohibit esports from coming or scare people away, but to show the publishers and the public that we understand it in a way that we can help make it better, bring it here and cast it in the biggest light possible,” Hamilton said.
Lisa Motley, director of sports marketing and special events for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, called Las Vegas a “growing hub” for esports.
The bill would create a three-person committee to regulate esports events