Nevada approves esports betting on ESL One Rio

  • Esports Esl

Licensed sportsbooks will be able to offer ESL One Rio Major wagers, by a notice of approval issued by the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

Nevada licensees are allowed to place and accept CSGO bets on three different wager types with this derogation: head-to-head, winner of the match and overall winner.

Both Unikrn, Pinnacle and many other esports betting sites have been offering esports betting without Nevada approval, or much approval expect from regulators like Gambling Commissions.

The approval has been the latest in a long line of Nevada regulatory exemptions from the esports betting of the last few weeks, including League of Legends, Dota 2, iRacing, Overwatch and other Counter-Strike tournaments such as ESL Pro League and ESL Championship.

The markets of the ESL One Rio are available for state-licensed bookmakers to comply with the following regulatory guidelines with immediate effect. Until the approval of a bet, official rules regulating ESL One Rio shall be made public through the web site of the Event Coordinator or Enforcer Body.

Bookmakers in Nevada planning to follow ESL One Rio will send a letter of intention to the Compliance Division. The notice from the Control Board indicates that the betting option for this event is not permitted and that every bet must stop before every match begins.

At the discretion of the sportsbook, the placement of odds is controlled by rules and results which regulate certain wages from a licenced source and which are accessible to the public. The Nevada Gaming Control Board shall require separate application and approval from Licensors who decide to offer additional wagering types outside the approved three.

ESL One Rio is on its way to becoming Brazil’s first CSGO major and the 16th CSGO tournament with Valve. Event organiser ESL was originally scheduled to take place on 11 May and was to postpone the major until 19 November by the cancellation of the event by COVID-19. It is unclear whether the exemption for Nevada will take effect at the ESL One: Road To Rio event, which will start on the 22nd April.