Esports is moving from huddles around a computer to becoming the next big spectator sport — and resorts are betting that it’ll bring Millennials into casinos.
If, in your various time-travel hypotheticals, you wanted to eschew the Biff Tannen sports almanac route for success but still make a killing, investing in a Las Vegas nightclub around 2008 — just prior to the DJ explosion — would’ve been a blue-chip move.
Now if you’ve got a few bucks lying around and want to join the ranks of Magic Johnson, Washington Wizards and Capitals owner Ted Leonsis, and nightclub turntable mainstay Steve Aoki, the timing is pretty great for investing in a esports squad.
“If you’re asking my opinion, it’s probably the next nightclub phenomenon that is sustainable into the future,” said Robert Rippee, director of the Hospitality Lab at UNLV’s International Gaming Institute. He led the school’s first official esports lab course in the fall semester. “I think ultimately, this is the evolution of the casino.”