Sports Illustrated: “The NBA and MLB are trying—but largely failing—to capture the attention of sport-deprived fans through esports tournaments featuring professional basketball and baseball players competing as themselves in NBA2K or MLB: The Show. Meanwhile, esports leagues with real, professional gamers like the Call of Duty League (CDL) and Overwatch League (OWL) are quickly becoming more of a preferred option for people to watch and wager on while the nation is sheltering in place.”

“Gambling on esports continues to skyrocket while gambling on more traditional professional sports has plummeted after the NBA, MLB, and NHL regular seasons were all postponed and March Madness was canceled due to COVID-19. Sportsbooks are feeling the pain of not having sports in action. In fact, Nevada sportsbooks had a 96% loss in revenue for the month of March compared to both February 2020 and March 2019.”

“The Nevada Gaming Board just allowed sportsbooks to start offering odds on the Call of Duty League on April 17.”