eSports
Net negative: what the repeal of net neutrality means for esports
Corporate and business regulations have always played a role in sports. Whether it be the NFL, NBA, MLB or NHL, internal strikes and lockouts have affected the leagues’ entertainment products. Esports is no exception to this trend, and it appears that the young industry’s first major battle will be over the very medium that has allowed it to thrive.
The Federal Communications Commission’s decision to repeal Obama-era net neutrality rules expanded the ability of internet service providers, or ISPs, to influence the data we receive from the internet. Now, ISPs can provide faster and more stable connections (“fast lanes”) to those who pay more, enforce data caps and charge premiums on overages or simply block certain internet sources at their own discretion. These actions will have a devastating effect on the growth of esports.
It’s unlikely that esports leagues such as the new Overwatch League or League of Legends Championship Series can continue their current trajectory after a drop in viewership. They depend on continual growth in order to attract sponsors and investors. Esports leagues don’t really have any other sources of income, given that they stream for free and don’t sign TV contracts.
Esports has drawn so many viewers in because of the accessibility of content on Twitch, the premier platform for video game streaming. In 2014, Twitch streamed 12 billion minutes of content, and that figure increased exponentially to 292 billion in 2016. The industry was only able to experience that type of growth because esports doesn’t require a subscription to cable, but the repeal of net neutrality is bound to change that, as viewers may have to begin paying for access to Twitch.
As it currently stands, esports is barely profitable, if it all, but the rate at which it grows makes it extremely lucrative for sponsors. Regardless of the bonus publicity from the entry of professional sports into the esports realm, if people have to start paying to watch, the rate of growth will be reduced dramatically, and sponsors will be unable to justify continued investment. Without the viewers, sponsors and investors, net neutrality could very well spell the death of professional esports as we know it.
Whatever hits professional esports take, collegiate esports will experience tenfold. In recent years, we’ve seen more and more universities gaining an interest in esports. Schools such as UC Irvine and Robert Morris University Illinois have formed elite programs offering students scholarships. Cal also recently joined the fray when Berkeley Rec Sports teamed up with Gaming @ Berkeley to form the Cal eSports program, albeit without scholarships. Unfortunately, the repeal of net neutrality has the potential to gut these programs before they have an opportunity to thrive.
Cal Athletics’ hand has been forced in the past to cut certain sports from its athletics program. Similarly, Cal will be likely unable to justify covering the ISP fees incurred by any future and current esports teams, especially given the fact that such teams provide little to no monetary incentive for the university. Slowly but surely, every school will avoid spawning eeports programs that would’ve been part of intercollegiate esports leagues rivaling their professional counterparts.
To make matters worse, if ISPs decide to enforce “fast lanes” and data caps on players, it would threaten the competitive integrity of online video games. Gamers are true egalitarians; they believe in an equal playing field, where everyone has the same opportunity and victory is solely dependent on an individual’s skill. The most popular games have generally done their best to shy away from this “pay-to-win” model.
Naturally, you would have an advantage with a faster, more stable connection, and you also get better the more you play. This would lead to a trend of wealthier players, who can afford to pay for “fast lanes” and more data, filling the top of the competitive ladders, even if they aren’t as skilled. The repeal of net neutrality would most definitely introduce negative “pay-to-win” environments into every video game. Without competitive ladders that accurately represent each player’s skill, professional teams may miss out on recruiting opportunities, and some players may never make it to the big stage.
Fundamentally speaking, the repeal of net neutrality threatens to erode the free and open atmosphere that has allowed esports to blossom into what it is today. The capability of any individual to find success and fame in the budding industry will disappear. Nevertheless, there is still some hope. Thirty U.S. senators have co-sponsored a bill under the Congressional Review Act that could overturn the FCC’s decision to repeal net neutrality.
Even though it is unlikely to pass, as it requires simple majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, it would require every member of Congress to be on the record in regard to where they stand on net neutrality. After that, it would be the responsibility of gamers around the world to support leaders who share the belief in a free and open internet, for the sake of the future of esports. Hopefully, net neutrality will be back before it’s too late.
Source: dailycal.org
eSports
BETER and BVGroup extend partnership on global Esports coverage
BETER, the leading provider of next-gen betting content and data covering sports and Esports, has extended its partnership with BVGroup, the top-flight online betting operator and B2B technology solutions provider.
According to the deal, BVGroup’s brands, including BetVictor, Betano UK and others, will be provided with BETER’s Esports Odds Feed, an end-to-end trading solution which covers 450+ esports tournaments worldwide with the highest odds uptime in the industry of 90%+.
This means that their players will get access to odds for more than 40,000+ live and pre-match events per year, further enriching and improving their Esports wagering experience with the brand.
Odds are calculated using official data and compiled by BETER’s in-house team of expert Esports traders for in-demand disciplines such as CS2, Dota 2, League of Legends, Valorant and many more.
The extended partnership further establishes BETER as the go-to provider of Esports content and data for the biggest operators in the business. Indeed, the provider’s fast-betting experiences have proved to be a big hit with significant player groups such as Millennials and Gen Z.
BETER and BVGroup have a longstanding partnership in place with the operator offering the provider’s proprietary ESportsBattle tournaments, which cover eFootball, eBasketball, eHockey and CS2, as well as Setka Cup table tennis tournaments to its players. Combined, this gives players access to more than 45,000 monthly events.
Gal Ehrlich, CEO of BETER, said: “We are thrilled to have strengthened our partnership with our good friends at BVGroup and for its brands to provide players with an enhanced Esports betting experience.
“Esports betting is a significant vertical in its own right with players demanding a great selection of markets and the best-priced odds. By combining official data with expert traders, we can provide our partners with highly accurate odds for Esports tournaments worldwide.
“We have already enjoyed a hugely successful partnership with BVGroup, but this enhanced agreement will really take it to the next level.”
Eoin Ryan, Director of Sportsbook at BVGroup, added: “BETER has proved to be one of our most important partners, allowing us to deliver fast betting content to players at our sportsbooks.
“The success of this made us want to deepen our collaboration by taking the provider’s global Esports data and odds, allowing us to offer bets on more than 40,000 events across major disciplines such as CS2, League of Legends, Valorant and others.
“It’s partnerships like this that ensure our sportsbooks remain the go-to sports and Esports betting brands of choice for players in core markets across the world.”
eSports
PandaScore boosts Amelco’s esports offering with sportsbook integration
PandaScore, the award-winning provider of esports odds, stats and betting products, has signed a major deal with leading sportsbook and platform provider Amelco, as the supplier looks to enhance its esports betting offering.
Established as one of the world’s leading sportsbook and platform providers, Amelco is the partner of choice for the likes of Fanatics, Hard Rock Bet, Entain, BET99, and Flutter Entertainment.
Under the deal, Amelco will integrate PandaScore’s full suite of esports solutions into its offering. This will include its odds and stats, as well as its esports betting products such as its Bet Builder, Player Props and Micro Markets.
PandaScore’s odds feed is powered by a sophisticated model that leverages AI and is backed by a team of experienced traders, with specialist traders for certain disciplines. This covers the likes of CS2, Dota 2, LoL and Call of Duty.
Amelco will also benefit from PandaScore’s stats offering which provides real-time statistics for LoL, CS2, Dota 2 and all major esports titles. This includes extensive in-depth data points coverage, delivered in real-time with just 300ms latency from the original stream.
When combined with PandaScore’s innovative Player Props, Bet Builder and Micro Markets, it makes for the complete esports offering, allowing Amelco’s operator partners to offer an even wider selection of Esports than ever before.
Oliver Niner, Head of Sales at PandaScore, said: “Amelco is a top-tier technology company and platform supplier and understands the need to provide its customers with a proven esports betting solution and that’s exactly what PandaScore offers.
“The demand for esports betting is big – and only getting bigger – with more operators now wanting to make a play in the space. To do this, they need to be able to offer an authentic betting experience and Amelco can now provide this to its partners using PandaScore’s award-winning solutions.”
Brandon Walker, Head of Business Development at Amelco, added: “Esports betting is a huge business, and as one of the world’s most comprehensive sportsbook and platform providers, we want to ensure we offer our operator partners the very best.
“We’re excited to be partnering with PandaScore to boost our esports offering even further, and we see this partnership as a fantastic way to bring even more value to our offering. We look forward to many successful years of working together.”
eSports
BETER and GRID Bring Advanced Data Visualizations to Esports Betting
BETER, the leading provider of betting content and data, and GRID, a first-party esports live data provider, extend their partnership to bring advanced data visualizations to BETER’s esports offering, enhancing the betting experience for all enthusiasts around the globe
GRID widgets include visualizations such as The Map Winner Prediction Tracker, Series Scoreboard, LiveLog, and Comparison Widgets. The integration will also see a recently released GRID Stats Widget integrated into the BETER betting solutions, displaying various customizable statistics such as win rate, damage per round, First 5 kills, headshots, and many more.
Designed to be game title-agnostic, the GRID Widgets display real-time stats. They can be powered by any data source for any game in any genre, making them an entirely universal tool for data visualization across all esports content.
This new integration of data visualization will help bettors make more informed betting decisions and significantly increase their understanding of the game and its progress before, during, and after the game is live.
The widgets are versatile and fully customizable to match any partner’s branding and ensure the best experience can be scaled across mobile and desktop platforms.
Chuck Robinson, Chief Revenue Officer at BETER: “We are excited to expand our partnership with GRID, bringing advanced data visualizations to our esports offering. This collaboration allows us to offer our partners’ customers a more immersive and engaging betting experience, helping them interact with esports on a whole new level. By leveraging GRID’s real-time data and customizable widgets with comprehensive statistics, we’re setting a new standard in the betting landscape, ensuring that BETER continues to lead the way in innovative esports betting solutions.”
Mikael Westerling, Chief Sales Officer at GRID: “Together with BETER, we share a common vision for how the esports betting experience should be designed—immersive, authentic, interactive, and powered by official data. Data is a powerful tool for storytelling, and the GRID widgets are designed to make esports content more accessible to new fans while deepening engagement with existing audiences. By providing real-time, actionable insights directly from the game server to BETER, we deliver a next-level experience that truly resonates with the esports community.”
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