Nevada regulator appoints Ubisoft's executive as member of new esports advisory committee

The Nevada Gaming Control Board has chosen a video game company executive to join the new Esports Technical Advisory Committee. Che Chou, senior director of esports at Ubisoft Entertainment, received approval Thursday to become the eighth member of its esports committee.

The committee is currently composed of esports industry participants, publishers and broadcasters that will advise the Control Board on facilitating esports betting and competition integrity. 

Being a 25-year video game industry veteran, with more than a decade of esports experience, Chou manages esports strategy and development for current and upcoming Ubisoft games. He has held high-level esports roles at Microsoft Corp. and Blizzard Entertainment Inc.

“Mr. Chou is passionate about the intersection of esports and gaming, and has a deep understanding of esports strategies, ecosystems and community building”, the board said. 

Also in the committee is Chairman Paul Hamilton, CEO of venture capital firm Atlanta Esports Ventures; Brett Abarbanel, director of research at UNLV’s IGI; Seth Schorr, CEO of Fifth Street Gaming; Brandon Snow, head of Activision Blizzard Esports; Lovell Walker, vice president of development at Penn National Gaming; Allied Esports CEO Jud Hannigan; and Christian Bishop, director of Twitch Properties. 

The committee will hold its first hearing on Tuesday, and will meet quarterly throughout the year. The appointed members will maintain their positions until November 2024. 

Current regulation in Nevada authorizes esports betting on a per-event basis. This requires submitting an application to the Gaming Control Board for vetting and approval for each competition. 

The Esports Technical Advisory Committee was created after the amendment of a new Esports Regulatory Commission proposal, based on the existing Nevada Athletic Commission. 

In an exclusive interview with Yogonet International, Dr. Brett Abarbanel spoke about the committee and said: “A Committee like this is a little bit more flexible in the sense that it can be more open about recommendations, as opposed to trying to come up with very strict guidelines as to how an event might need to take place. And I hope that that really provides for a very collaborative environment”.