The Garden State hosted an exciting eSports betting trial which took place over the weekend. The event lasted for two days and all eSports fans and enthusiasts were given a great opportunity to place wagers on the twenty-four teams which compete in the League of Legends World Championship Finals.
The LOL World Championship is held every year by Riot Games. This annual event brings together professional League of Legends teams from all over the globe. The event is actually the culmination of every League of Legends professional seasons in which teams compete for the Summoner’s Cup and of course, a great money prize. Back in 2018, the event was watched by almost 100 million people which broke 2017’s record.
In addition to great games played, the last year’s event was also praised for amazing ceremonial performances and it received global attention to stunning emotional and dramatic series. What is even more, the last year’s event also saw a donation of $2 million which was raised through the LOL Worlds Championship skin.
The LOL World Championship Gaining Tremendous Popularity
As the popularity of eSports grows, the League of Legends World Championship is gaining massive success. In fact, as of 2018, the championship is among the most-watched, most prestigious eSports tournaments that make League of Legends the most popular game. Due to the game’s rather tremendous success and rise in popularity, the entire eSports scene has become more prominent and reputable. What is even more, the eSports industry may become an Olympics event that surely speaks of its reputation.
When it comes to the biggest eSports event, League of Legends World Championship, it rotates across different states and areas every year including Southeast Asia, North America, Europe, and East Asia. The ninth season’s World Championship was held between the 2nd of October and the 10th of November in Berlin, Madrid, and Paris. Twenty-four LOL teams participated in the event based on their placement within regional leagues and based on their international play.
The Finals of the event was played on the 10th of November between G2 Esports and FunPlus Phoenix as AccorHotels Arena. The ultimate winner was FunPlus Phoenix which defeated its opponent by 3-0. The third-placed is SK Telecom T1 followed by Invictus Gaming, DAMWON Gaming, Griffin, Splyce, Fnatic, J Team, Royal Never Give Up, Team Liquid and Cloud9.
NJ’s Sportsbook Accepting Wagers on the LOL WC Finals
After the state’s sportsbooks were granted the opportunity to accept wagers on the twenty-four teams which were competing at the LOL World Championship 2019, eSports fans rushed to place their wagers. According to one report released by the EGR North American news outlet, this two-day betting trial conducted by the state’s sportsbooks came complete with caveats that encompass an important provision that barred the state’s sportsbooks from accepting eSports-related wagers that go over $1,000.
Even though the state of New Jersey became home to fully legalized and regulated online sportsbetting market back in June of last year, the industry’s rules prevent regulated and licensed sportsbooks and operators from accepting wagers from customers on sports events which include participants who are under the age of eighteen. While this rule was designed to prevent wagering on high school sports events, it also rules out real-money betting on eSports events as participants in such events are most under the age of eighteen.
Despite this prohibition remaining active, the NJDGE or New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement decided to run an experiment for two days which involved the League of Legends World Championship Finals. This has proven to be the right move to make considering the revenues generated.
