It’s no longer arguable that esports is not a significant industry; as of 2023, it is worth well over a trillion dollars, with new tournaments being held all through the year with substantial cash prizes. It is one of the most popular industries in the world and is known worldwide, and anyone can join the industry.
It truly is the best time to be a gamer. Although it wasn’t always the case, the beginnings of esports were very humble, with only fans in Europe, the United States of America, and certain countries in Asia being able to participate in local LAN tournaments, which had a turnout ranging from 50 to a few hundred. Fast forward two decades, and thanks to technological advancements and the internet, esports has come a long way to being the industry giant it is now.
Currently, esports has also caused a notable rise in esports betting; in the US, Esports betting is wholly allowed in Nevada, New Jersey, Tennessee, and West Virginia. Several websites enable esports fans to wager on relevant events. This MyStake casino review shows that even traditional bookies and online casinos include an esports betting section. Of course, there are differences in other parts of the world. Esports betting is entirely banned in certain countries, controlled by the government in others, and not permitted in others. In this article, we will look at how different regions handle esports betting so you can know where and where not to bet on esports.
United States of America
In the United States, betting on esports is wholly allowed in Nevada, New Jersey, Tennessee, and West Virginia. A lot of websites enable esports fans to bet on relevant events.
The states where esports betting is legal are Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.
In certain states, esports betting is not legal as that state’s laws restrict it; Esports betting is regulated but not 100% legal in Arkansas, Delaware, NY, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Rhode Island, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, and Pennsylvania.
LATAM
This region is a mixed bag as Esports and online betting laws change every so often; this means that while it can be said that esports betting is neither licensed nor strictly regulated. This frequently precludes offshore bookies from operating locally through land-based activations or local promotions.
However, they can still accept bettors from these markets with a global license, such as the Isle of Man. Some countries like Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Peru do have a generally open stance concerning esports betting.
APAC
In the Asian and Pacific-Asian regions, esports gaming is another mixed bag as some countries have the stance of allowing and regulating esports; other countries outright disallow it and place heavy bans on any form of betting, including esports betting.
Countries where esports betting is allowed include Australia, Japan, China, South Korea, Singapore, and India.
Countries where it is restricted include Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam.
There is still a lot of development in esports betting and online casinos in the LATAM region so things are still subject to change.
EU
Generally, esports betting is allowed in the EU; although many countries have limited and restricted this, it is still widely practiced in the EU.
Not surprisingly, the UK was the first to make esports betting legal, and a few other European countries have recognized and regulated esports betting in addition to the UK.
Malta, Italy, Spain, and Denmark; thus, customers from these countries can legally bet on esports through licensed sites.
If you’re from another part of Europe, you might also be in luck. Clients in Sweden, for example, can legally gamble on esports sites with the MGA license from Malta, as can clients in Poland and the Balkans.
