For the first time in its history, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City is partnering up with Esports Entertainment Group (EEG) to organize and host a sanctioned eSports skill-based betting event.
The event, which is scheduled for January 22 and 23, should be just the first step in opening up a whole new market for the casino.
This event comes as the first of its kind, following the legalization of eSports wagering in New Jersey earlier this year, which was made possible when Gov. Phil Murphy signed Bill A637 into law.
The tournament will be the launching event for LANDuel and the first of many eSports events that the casino is expected to host in the future, along with permanent installations that have also been announced.
“We are extremely excited to partner with one of the top global hotel and casino venues to kickstart the world of regulated peer-to-peer wagering in eSports,” said Grant Johnson, CEO of EEG. “This partnership and event are a tremendous accomplishment for our brand and create a wide variety of opportunities for our groups to explore more innovative eSports events.”
The tournament will be played out in Madden ’22 and will offer an initial prize pool of $9,000 for the winners. However, since the event is fully sanctioned by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE), both the fans and the players themselves will have the opportunity to bet on themselves to win the tournament or particular matches.
A total of 256 players will be allowed to enter the tournament and compete by creating a LANDuel account at the start of the event and then placing bets as the tournament goes on. All matches will be played in person, and players will also have the option of simply playing for the prize pool without placing any bets.
“We are extremely proud to offer a one-of-a-kind eSports wagering experience in partnership with EEG,” said Joe Lupo, President of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City. “We are confident that this innovative and highly-regulated partnership will prove to be a success, contributing to our market-leading gaming offerings.”
This is the first time in New Jersey history that an eSports wagering event is being hosted, but we expect it to be only the first of many, as numerous eSports fans are interested in participating in such tournaments.
On the sidelines of the event itself, fans and players will have the opportunity to play side-matches on PCs that will be provided by the casino. All players who decide to participate will also have an opportunity to bet on these side-matches, which means they will have a chance to use their skills and battle it out with other Madden ’22 players with some real cash on the line.
eSports are deemed games of skill and, with sports betting of all sorts now fully legal in New Jersey, it comes as no surprise that the NJDGE sanctioned this event to go forward. EEG is one of the pioneers of the eSports industry.
