Las Vegas and Reno Casinos Betting Big on eSports to Draw Millennials

The Luxor opened an esports arena in one of its former nightclub spaces.

The 30,000 square-foot facility designed to host live video game tournaments broadcasted to thousands watching online also offers a place for tourists to play their favorite games at consoles and PCs for an hourly fee.

It is the latest attempt to get Millennials coming to Vegas casinos.

“I would love to see Vegas be somewhat of a Disneyland for esports,” said Lovell Walker, head of the esports department at MGM Resorts International. “(A place) where a customer or consumer or fan of esports for that matter looks at Las Vegas as if it is Disneyland, and there’s an expectation that something esports related is going on in our city.” 

Mark Green, vice president of global properties at Allied Esports International, told USAToday that the HyperX arena draws 700 people onto the casino floor during the slow season.

The 30,000 square foot multi-level HyperX arena includes a competition stage, 50 foot LED video wall, telescopic seating, daily gaming stations, unique food and beverage offerings, and a network tv-quality production studio. All, an unmatched experience in Las Vegas!

MGM realizes there’s a future in esports,” Green said. “They’ve wrapped their arms around it. They want to drive traffic."

- Aaron Goldstein, Gambling911.com