Nevada sportsbooks will now accept wagers for Call of Duty League after approval from the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
The move comes directly after the board lifted regulations and offered exemptions for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends, Dota 2, iRacing, and Overwatch. Licensees will now accept CoD wagers for head-to-head, match winners, and overall winners for the rest of the 2020 season.
For bookies that wish to offer CDL wagers, intent must be declared to the Enforcement Division before they are allowed to do so. Participating sportsbooks must also “display official rules on the sanctioning body’s website prior to accepting wagers,” reports esports Insider.
CDL is still in its inaugural season, a season marred by the arrival of COVID-19. The league consists of 12 franchised teams of 10 players from four different countries, which creates a logistical problem. As the pandemic continues to ravage all corners of the globe, the remaining events scheduled for 2020 will take place online rather than in-person.
In the past, Nevada sportsbooks have permitted betting on isolated esports events. But over the last three weeks, nine exemptions have been issued by the Nevada Gaming Control Board. This trend is long overdue and undoubtedly spurred by the lack of traditional sports betting that is available at the moment.
Almost every major professional sport has been on hold for the last month due to COVID precautions, and there really isn’t anything that can be done. Sportsbooks and casinos are taking a hit as a result. NASCAR is hosting online events as part of an eNASCAR pro invitational series that has drivers competing using at-home home driving sims. Very few sports are offered this kind of freedom, however.
There is no sim that allows NBA players to transfer their skills on the court to an online arena, for instance. Esports, however, are in an advantageous position. An online tournament offers zero disruption to gameplay compared to one that takes houses all competitors under a the same roof.
Esports was already on its way to becoming a regularity. But as precautionary measures keep the sports world under lockdown, the rise of esports is becoming even harder to ignore.
Keep up with CDL on the league’s website.
