The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the sports betting industry to a standstill. At the beginning of this month, several states were planning to launch their sports betting offerings while existing markets were publishing their exciting revenue figures. However, now that most major sporting events have been canceled, operators have no choice but to look for alternatives.

Counter-Strike could be a good option

As the betting industry is nearing collapse, the state of Nevada has decided to take a different approach to help their patrons. The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) has now decided to allow eSport game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO) to be added to its sports betting roster. The game is being conducted online currently in the ESL Pro League Season 11: North America.

The state will allow its bookmakers to offer three types of bets- winner of matches, head to head matches and overall season champion. All bets will be regulated by the NGCB. The event started on March 16 and is scheduled to end on April 3. The ESL Pro League features 24 teams divided into four groups. The event has already witnessed two groups concluding the round-robin part while two others have started last Thursday. William Hill, which is the largest betting provider in the state, has already started promoting its ESL Pro League wagers to capitalize on the event.

eSports gaining popularity

eSports are quickly gaining popularity in the betting industry because of the lack of mainstream sports. It is unclear when mainstream sports will be back. However, in the meantime, esports is ready to shoulder the responsibility. The NGBC has been relatively open to this segment previously as well. It allowed wagers on the 2020 FIDE Candidates chess tournament. Before that, it allowed bets on the 2017 League Legends World Championships too.

All traditional betting venues in Nevada have been shut down because of which sports betting and even casino activities have now shifted online. Operators interested in sports betting now have to prepare a notification of terms for the Enforcement Division of the NGBC. They will be using results from a Regulation 22.060 (04) compliant source. The rules of the wagers must be public knowledge. The operators will be allowed to make their own odds.