On May 14, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a previous federal ruling that deemed sports betting illegal in certain states. The move was seen as a monumental victory for amateur online sports sites and apps like FanDuel and Draft Kings, but the real winner might be the eSports scenes. In fact, the CEO of Draft Kings, Matt King, told The Hollywood Reporter that the company is now looking at reentering the eSports scene after previously shuttering its fantasy e-sports platform, AlphaDraft.
"E-sports is definitely an area of focus for us. If you look at Vegas, there are lots of people who bet on e-sports. To use a Wayne Gretzky analogy, ‘That’s where the puck is going.’"
Industry experts and analysts are banking on the added investment and interaction that occurs when spectators have a vested interested in how a round of Dragon Ball FighterZ or League of Legends unfolds as crucial for exponential growth. With the Overwatch League taking off and more and more sponsored teams offering guaranteed salaries, the added draw of fantasy sports betting might be the final ingredient needed to catapult eSports onto the radar of a wider mainstream audience.