Esports

Esports, short for electronic sports, is organized competitive video gaming, in which professional players and teams compete in titles such as League of Legends, Counter-Strike and Dota 2 in leagues and tournaments for prize money. Matches are streamed online and played before live crowds, and the industry earns most of its revenue from sponsorship, media rights, game publishers' support, merchandise and ticketing. Esports has close links to finance through gaming payments, in-game purchases and betting: many licensed bookmakers offer esports markets, and regulators have dealt with match-fixing and with "skin" betting using in-game items, which can fall outside gambling rules. Crypto exchanges and token projects became major esports sponsors around 2021, and several sponsorships ended during the 2022 market downturn. Fan tokens and NFTs in gaming are other crossovers. Also see gambling license.