In this interview with CalvinAyre.com’s Becky Liggero, Rahul Sood of Unikrn explains why eSports provides the best in-game betting opportunities.
One of the things that boggles the minds of every gambling operators is how to get the millennials to gamble. The internet is filled with articles about how lukewarm millennials are toward playing the latest slot machines or wagering in card games.
That’s why most millennials who travel to Las Vegas head straight to the night club instead of spending a dime in what they describe as “games for grandma.”
Rahul Sood of Unikrn said slot machines don’t appeal to millennials due to the fact that they value collaborative experiences, which the game fails to provide. As a result, casino operators watch their potential earnings pass-by toward Las Vegas’ nightclubs.
“The thing that you’ll notice when you come to Las Vegas is that a lot of young people who come here, they typically cut through the casino and they go straight to the night club. They don’t really spend a lot of time inside the casino,” Sood told CalvinAyre.com. “ I’ve sat young people down in front of the slot machines to observe them and ask them questions things like that without actually probing what they are thinking and it’s pretty clear to me that they don’t find slot machines either intuitive or they don’t like the concept of pay up by chance.”
In order to capture the young market, Sood believes that Las Vegas needs to invest in eSports, which has drawn legions of followers, who are mostly millennials. Investing in eSports, according to Sood, doesn’t mean that operators will just alter one room inside the casino to accommodate the game.
He suggested that Las Vegas should devote a property for eSports where it can support an “ultimate environment” for the game. What separates eSports gamblers from other gamblers is that they love the instant gratification and the recognition.
“So, I think that it’s got to be an all-encompassing experience. I think it has to be an investment by someone on the strip to say ‘it’s not just an area where we move a few slot machines and we put a bunch of PCs, it’s got to be much bigger than that.’ And I think you can really change the dynamic on not only on the property but also created as a mecca for people to come and spend time,” Sood said. “I think that if the regulators were able to approve more games quicker, you would definitely see a lot more products come out and a lot more betting opportunities. And certainly more betting markets and game. To be quite honest, there’s probably no bigger sport for in-game betting opportunities than eSports. And I think as it matures, you’ll start to see more live betting and more in-game betting opportunities.”
