Casinos and racetracks in New Jersey are now accepting eSports betting! Wagers on competitive video game tournaments are being booked as another way to expand the state’s sports betting industry. The Division of Gaming Enforcement approved gambling on the $1 billion video game tournament market last week. Gambling companies hope it will be a significant new source of revenue from young people who are not enamored of traditional casino games but spend hours on end playing and watching video games.

eSports, short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, individually or as teams. Although organized competitions have long been a part of video game culture, these were largely between amateurs until the late 2000s, when participation by professional gamers and spectatorship in these events through live streaming saw a large surge in popularity.

A very common method for connection is the Internet. Game servers are often separated by region, but high quality connections allow players to set up real-time connections across the world. Downsides to online connections include increased difficulty detecting cheating compared to physical events, and greater network latency, which can negatively impact players’ performance, especially at high levels of competition. Many competitions take place online, especially for smaller tournaments and exhibition games.

The Borgata Casino began accepting eSports betting on Thursday for the League of Legends championship held Sunday in Paris. Philadelphia broadcaster Howard Eskin bet $100 on G2 Esports to win the title. You can read more about eSports betting at New Jersey News 12.