Nevada regulators select members of the Esports Technical Advisory Committee

The Nevada Gaming Control Board announced during a Wednesday November 3 hearing the appointment of several members to the Esports Technical Advisory Committee, a panel intended to facilitate betting on esports in the state. 

The new Esports Committee has been tasked to provide the best practices in the field to the Board, including guidance surrounding the maintenance of integrity of esports competitions and related betting. 

The Esports Technical Advisory Committee consists of seven industry professionals, including: 

• Brett Abarbanel, Director of Research, International Gaming Institute at University of Nevada, Las Vegas
• Paul Hamilton, Co-Owner & CEO, Atlanta Esports Ventures
• Seth Schorr, CEO, Fifth Street Gaming
• Lovell Walker, Vice President of Development, Penn National Gaming
• Christian Bishop, Chief Revenue Officer, Method
• Jud Hannigan, CEO, Allied Esports
• Brandon Snow, Head of Esports, Activision Blizzard

Newly-appointed committees will maintain their positions until November 2024. Current regulation in Nevada authorizes esports betting on a per-event basis. This requires operators to submit an application to the Gaming Control Board for vetting and approval for each competition.

The committee will meet no more than once per calendar quarter, unless otherwise approved by the board to provide ‘necessary’ guidance to ensure the integrity of esports wagering. Administrative support provided by the NGCB will be made available to the committee.

In 2020, Nevada regulators approved a record 12 esports events and leagues for wagering across a variety of game titles, including Dota 2, iRacing, League of Legends, Overwatch, and Call of Duty. Licensed operators could accept bets on three wager types: head to head, match winner, and overall winner.