Latest News
Arlington to construct Esports Stadium
Reading Time: 2 minutes
The home of the making is a risky bet on the fast-growing world of competitive video games.
Arlington, a city in Texas, is going to construct a $10-million, state-of-the-art stadium exclusively for eSports. This should be the first of its kind initiative where tax money is used to develop an e-Sports venue. The council of the city, home of Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers, seems to be betting big on the growth of eSports.
The stadium will offer facilities to follow Overwatch or Fortnite matches on live-streaming apps and to witness contestants in tricked-out easy chairs compete on big screens.
The global revenue from sports – through sponsorships, merchandise and tickets, game-publisher fees, media rights and advertising – is projected to touch $906 million this year. That has prompted the city rulers to take the plunge.
Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams said: “The revenue is growing so quickly, and the sport is growing so quickly, that we want to be there at the table and starting that revenue generation as soon as possible.”
The venue, slated to open later this year, will accommodate 2,000 fans. It will also include shops, team training areas, a broadcast studio and a VIP room. The city said its investment will be repaid with event proceeds, arena-naming rights and lease payments on the building.
Economists have repeatedly warned cities about the folly of supporting sports venues.
“Every dollar that Arlington spends on this esports arena is a dollar it can’t devote to education or roads or public safety,” said Michael Farren, an economist at George Mason University’s Mercatus Center in Arlington, Virginia.
For the investment to pay off, fans will need to come from outside Arlington, said Andrew Zimbalist, an economics professor at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. If most attendees already live in the area, it simply “reshuffles” spending from other entertainment venues, such as movie theatres or bowling alleys.
“It perplexes me that this is something that’s happening at all,” Zimbalist said.
Gamemaker Activision Blizzard Inc. has opened arenas in Taipei and Burbank, California. Allied Esports, a joint venture of Chinese gaming companies, has venues in Santa Ana, California, and Las Vegas and an internet cafe in Beijing with gaming stations and space for 200 spectators. The University of California-Irvine opened an arena in 2016.
Arlington voters have twice approved stadium funding for Major League Baseball’s Rangers. In 1991, they OK’d the sale of $135 million in bonds to build what’s now called Globe Life Park. And in 2016, they approved as much as $500 million for a $1 billion ballpark, yet to be built, with a retractable roof.
The city’s pride, however, is AT&T Stadium, also known as Jerry World after the Cowboys’s billionaire owner. In 2004, voters passed new sales, hotel and car-rental taxes to put $325 million towards the $1.2 billion, 80,000-seat stadium.
Source: bloomberg.com
Source: Latest News on European Gaming Media Network
Latest News
SKS365 keeps investing in people: GROW People Management Program took the next level
11 experienced people managers from the SKS365 group’s 4 locations gathered last week in Belgrade for the new GROW People Management Program. From 15 th to 19 th of April, through trainings, discussions, and social connections, people had the opportunity to further grow individually and as a team, while enjoying Belgrade’s city center and rivers.
Created in 2023 with the purpose of building foundation people management skills across the organization, GROW initiative evolved this year by including a new, advanced program for experienced people managers to further consolidate their skills and prepare for future opportunities.
Building and fostering connections, sharing experiences, and enjoying team building experiences – all these activities have been part of the GROWpmp agenda for the 11 people managers coming from Commercial, Product and Development, Finance, and Sportsbook departments of the group’s 4 locations – Malta, Italy, Austria, Serbia.
GROWpmp included a variety of topics that people managers in SKS365 recognized as the key areas for management development. Topics such as influence through communication, team effectiveness, DEI, through to presentation skills and business topics like understanding finance and management reporting, were delivered with the support of external professionals and internal experts, while designed and organized by the SKS365 People & Culture team.
The post SKS365 keeps investing in people: GROW People Management Program took the next level appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Latest News
North Star Network acquires Um Dois Esportes
North Star Network are delighted to announce the acquisition of umdoisesportes.com.br, which becomes the latest addition to NSN’s global sports media portfolio.
Born from the GRPCOM merger of the editorial teams of Gazeta Do Povo and Tribuna do Paraná in 2020, Um Dois Esportes provides in-depth sports coverage and analysis for the Brazilian state of Paraná and beyond.
North Star Network co-founder Julien Josset said: “Thank you to the team at GRPCOM for their faith in us to take the brand forward. Um Dois Esportes is an established and renowned site in Paraná State, and we’re excited about the challenge of developing this asset.”
“We’re happy to maintain the collaboration with the existing editorial team, and look forward to working with them, bringing our unique NSN approach, to take UDE forward.” NSN’s signing of Um Dois Esportes is the media house’s fourth acquisition of 2024, following the recent deals to purchase UK-based SportsMole and MrFixitsTips, as well as Chilean site AlAireLibre, which was announced in March.
The latest addition to the North Star media portfolio joins existing assets including Top Mercato, Afrik-Foot, and Vringe. The Paris-based company already oversees a significant Brazilian operation, delivering over 6 million sessions per month, from the likes of Trivela, Premier League Brasil and Lakers Brasil.
NSN will retain Curitiba-based journalists from the Um Dois Esportes legacy team to maintain the asset’s unique tone and popular coverage of the Paraná sports scene across site and social.
“We were surprised by the interest, and initially had no intention of selling Um Dois, but as the conversations evolved, we realised this was a serious group with good intentions,” said GRPCOM Director Rafael Mello. “We were very happy to see our project being valued by a large international group and going global, demonstrating the quality of the content we produced.”
“We’re also proud that North Star inherited our journalists, who are truly responsible for the success of the product we offer readers every day.”
The post North Star Network acquires Um Dois Esportes appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Latest News
BNXT League and PepperMill Casino join forces
BNXT League , the professional men’s basketball league played across the Netherlands and Belgium, and PepperMill Casino, the online casino licensed in Belgium, are pleased to announce their partnership centered around the BNXT League’s Belgian Play Offs.
PepperMill Casino will be a naming partner of the Belgian play offs. For the 24-25 season, PepperMill remains a partner of the BNXT League until the restrictions on gambling advertising take legal effect on January 1, 2025.
The partnership between BNXT League and PepperMill Casino aims to create engaging and customized content that engages and captivates fans on multiple fronts while increasing brand awareness.
“The basketball community is growing and buzzing with excitement and energy,” stated Anthony Rus, General Director of PepperMill Casino. “This partnership allows us to create memorable moments that build brand awareness and capture the hearts of fans.”
“Wim Van de Keere, general manager of the BNXT League, adds, “The playoffs are undoubtedly the sporting highlight of the season. We are delighted to still be able to tie a dynamic partner like PepperMill Casino to us despite the restrictions coming up from 2025.”
The post BNXT League and PepperMill Casino join forces appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
-
Latest News2 months ago
Fairplay Exchange signs as new sponsor of Stephen Hendry’s Cue Tips
-
Latest News2 months ago
2 PEOPLE CAUGHT OPERATING ILLEGAL ONLINE GAMING SITE
-
Latest News3 months ago
Wazdan partners with 711.nl for significant expansion in the Netherlands
-
Latest News3 months ago
Playtech Extends Partnership with BoyleSports Until 2028
-
Latest News3 months ago
OneCasino Partners with Delasport to Also Conquer Sports Betting in the Netherlands
-
Latest News2 months ago
StarGames Named Premium Partner of the International ADAC Truck Grand Prix 2024
-
Latest News2 months ago
Casino Crypto Giant Bitline Partners with Ciphertrace for Enhanced Compliance in Digital Asset Transactions
-
Latest News2 months ago
European Gaming Q1 2024 Meetup: Exploring Innovation, Marketing, and the iGaming Industry Hubs
You must be logged in to post a comment Login