ESL One Birmingham has just been approved by the Nevada Gaming Commission for bets.
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to stifle all sports leagues, Nevada continues its now long-standing trend of allowing sports gamblers to bet on esports tournaments. The latest tournament to get the green light is ESL One Birmingham, a Dota 2 tournament that’s currently underway.
Originally scheduled to take place this weekend, ESL One Birmingham is now an online tournament running from May 12 to June 7. Games are broadcast on Twitch and YouTube, with ESL’s website providing links to each match as it happens.
The Nevada Gaming Commission has approved three types of wagers, including head to head, match winner, and overall winner. Bookmakers determine the odds with the rules governing wagers made publicly available. Bookies are not permitted to accept in-play bets, and all wagers must cease prior to the start of each match. Once a winner is declared, all wagers stand.
As with previous exemptions to online esports tournaments, bets that deviate from the three permitted wager types must be submitted to the Control Board for special approval.
Without sports leagues playing games, Nevada has been forced to allow betting on esports to fill the void. CS:GO’s ESL Pro League Season 11 and Rio Major also received similar approvals, as did Call of Duty League last month.
Source: Esports Insider
