“Technology will always outpace legislation”
(Exclusive interview).- Adam Sellke introduced Focus Gaming News to the ultimate eSports trends.
Whilst Las Vegas is considering adding legal eSports in its casinos, expert in the field, Adam Sellke, shared his company’s vision. The CEO of Evolve Labs perceives every day the online gambling market and the new interests of the Millenials generation as to betting, which helps him to assess the current industry.
Evolve Labs understands the new generations and offers the right platform to play video games with an innovative perspective, has any casino brand reached out to you to revamp its gambling offerings?
There’s been some very preliminary outreach from a handful of brands. We are interested in participating in this transformation to be sure. eSports represent a completely new way of engaging consumers both as direct players and as proxy participants (for things like Fantasy and side-betting). In the direct mode, the consumer is in control. We feel this is the key to attracting Millennials: Give them control, convenience, transparency. We have a vision for this mode that I think casinos will find a little unsettling but very exciting at the same time.
Since e-Sports arrived to stay and authorities can’t ignore it or control it, what is the best way to operate them in terms of social responsibility?
Service integrity is key. No shadowy holding companies. Clear rules. No hidden fees. No gotchas.
Also player integrity. Things like player codes of conduct (and the means to enforce them), age verification (these services are not meant for children) and maybe, if necessary, going as far as requiring identity verification as a way of certifying accounts.
The bottom line is any competitive space where people’s money is on the line —no matter how little or how much— needs to be high integrity, mutually high integrity, between player and service.
Do you think Las Vegas is a referent for the rest of gambling markets? The promotion of e-Sports in the renowned casino hub would boost the sector in other markets?
Las Vegas definitely sets the standard for conventional gaming, but it’s not as cutting edge as it could be. I think a place like Seoul or Macau —the epicenter of where eSports really started—have a real opportunity to innovate and take the lead in this space and show Las Vegas a thing or two! Nimble forward leaning startups in open, progressive markets can out maneuver the standard bearers.
What could be the biggest challenge for a modern way to offer technological services under current Las Vegas’ laws?
The laws are habitually playing catch up. Technology will always outpace legislation… But lawmakers need to be savvier about the role technology plays and do a better job of anticipating the impacts technology can have. This probably requires changes at the top of both the private sector and government to proactively address the issues they are (or soon will be) facing. There’s consumer protection, which should be the government’s first priority, but there’s also a lot of laws and policies that only serve to create barriers to entry and protect profits of the large industry incumbents.
The laws are habitually playing catch up. Technology will always outpace legislation… But lawmakers need to be savvier about the role technology plays and do a better job of anticipating the impacts technology can have. This probably requires changes at the top of both the private sector and government to proactively address the issues they are (or soon will be) facing.
What is the common opinion amongst the relevant sports companies about e-Sports? When it comes to fight for a regulation in the gambling market, is it possible to reach out for their support?
I would hope there’s an opportunity to find common ground and more forward with an agenda that open things up and work to bring gaming fully into the 21st century. There’s been an amazing amount of energy and investment in optimizing the current business models of the past 100 years. But the industry is starting to see diminishing returns on the effort. It’s time to look for another angle. The sooner all sides of this issue realize the party is over, and that it won’t help to tear each other down or to try to ride each other out, the sooner we can get to what’s next for gaming.
Is there any other proposal to renovate casinos in order to attract millennials besides the e-Sports addition?
I wouldn’t want to get into any specific proposals, but I think skill-based competition is the answer. That said, casinos also need to cater to players aren’t who aren’t expert or elite players. For Millennials to embrace these experiences casinos need to be more “fair,” more experiential, and more socially connected than they used to be… and the need to extend beyond the casino floors and doors and into remote devices, especially VR. In many cases, the business isn’t about gambling (in a strict sense) anymore. The future is about games of skill and open competition.
