13
“ Video game industry leaders must tackle internal problems before sportsbooks and casinos will buy into the hype ”
Ryan P . Toomey , attorney have filled gaps in the market and taken advantage of players and publishers in order to gain financially . Unsavoury conduct , including match fixing and doping , have proven to be significant contributors to the integrity issues faced by the esports industry .”
Toomey went on to say that should esports wish to grow to mainstream levels such as those enjoyed by NFL and other traditional sports , the industry as a whole must offer greater safeguards to ensure integrity and legitimacy .
In 2021 , Peter K . Czegledy , a partner at Aird & Berlis LLP and chair of its gaming & esports and gambling industry teams , also published an article in the Gaming Law Review , which looked at the current state of esports integrity policies .
He too pointed to the absence of a central regulator or rules authority as one of the challenges facing integrity in esports .
“ The regulatory environment for esports is highly fragmented ,” Czegledy wrote . “ While some ‘ best practices ’ have emerged , there remain a multiplicity of groups – games publishers , member-run organisations , league management , state entities and other parties – that oversee the integrity of esports through what are often divergent or overlapping policies .
“ Furthermore , there is little or no unity of enforcement in the application of policies , with the result that transgressors may easily evade the harsher consequences of penalties , and continue as active participants in other parts of the industry .”
Czegledy also said this problem is compounded by the “ new and changing nature of video games ”, which means that “ any policies seeking to address esports integrity must be designed to adapt to a constantly shifting electronic playing field or risk a quick obsolescence .”
One organisation that aims to solve this problem is the Esports Integrity Commission ( ESIC ), established in 2016 to take responsibility for disruption , prevention , investigation and prosecution of all forms of cheating in esports , including , but not limited to , match manipulation and doping .
Through its member and supporter network , which includes betting operators , tournament operators , game developers , gaming regulators , data partners and technology firms , ESIC has developed a robust integrity programme which includes a code of conduct , code of ethics and disciplinary guidelines aimed at ensuring the integrity of esports tournaments and their competitors .
March 2022