MARKET FOCUS
US LEGISLATIVE
The core reason why US esports betting volumes lag behind European and Asian markets , is legal aspect of esports betting . The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act ( PASPA ), was repealed in May 2018 . This decision dissolved a federal ban on sports betting . States can now decide whether or not they want to legalise the activity . However , betting on sports and esports is still taken as different categories , mainly for two reasons :
1 ) It is illegal to wager on players under the age of 18 2 ) No clear legality in many states - “ grey markets ”
The first problem already found a solution , as there are companies like GameScoreKeeper , monitoring the age of all players . That makes it very easy to exclude non compliant matches .
Second problem is more difficult to solve . Some states , like New Jersey , Nevada or Tennessee have already ruled towards legal esports betting . Other states don ’ t have clear ruling on esports betting , and they allow sports betting , for example Arkansas , Delaware , New York or Iowa . And there are also states that allow sports betting , but specifically outlaws esports betting . However , there are ways to introduce esports betting before legislation is passed .