New Esports Video Series Covers Everything From NFTs To Gambling

A recently launched video series by the firm Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr called “Lawyers With Game” delves into the world of esports, including the emerging esports betting vertical.

According to a press release, “the series includes eight 20-30-minute episodes covering a range of current topics relevant to esports and video game industry stakeholders, including investors, game developers, advertisers, and higher education institutions.” The series, available to watch for free on Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr’s YouTube channel, is hosted by Darius Gambino, a partner in the firm’s Philadelphia office and member of the firm’s Video Gaming and Esports practice.

“I love video games, and I was inspired to launch this series to explore some of the complicated legal issues we are seeing in this world on a more casual level,” said Mr. Gambino. “With so many developments impacting esports and video gaming, from NFTs to advertising, I am excited to share related insights from legal and industry experts at the forefront of this field.”

Esports and Betting and the US Market

Esports betting is already a booming industry around the globe, but the product is largely ignored in US sports betting markets.

Part of that has to do with legality, as only ten states expressly allow betting on esports, while two, Indiana and Iowa, expressly prohibit the activity. Many others have yet to weigh in positively or negatively on the topic.

Still, the potential opportunity esports betting brings, as much as $6 billion annually by some estimates, makes the product hard to ignore, even at this early stage of its US development.

First Four Episodes Available

The episodes feature members of the firm alongside expert guests to discuss the topic of the day.

The current episode list includes:

• Game On: College Sports, Video Games & The Right of Publicity
• The Intersection of NFTs and Video Games
• The Rise of Mobile Gaming and Esports Gambling
• The Social Impact of Video Games

Episode Descriptions

“Game On: College Sports, Video Games & The Right of Publicity,” with guest Michael McCann of Sportico and featuring Angela De Cespedes, Partner at Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr: Darius, Angela and Mike dive into the state of Rights of Publicity in video games and the impending release of EA Sports’ NCAA football game.

“The Intersection of NFTs and Video Games,” featuring Zachary Kizitaff and Michael Jacobson, Associates at Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr: Darius, Zach and Mike discuss non-fungible tokens (“NFTs”) and why they are important, the NBA’s Top Shot NFT platform, fractional collectible card ownership through NFTs and the NFL’s possible NFT deal.

“The Rise of Mobile Gaming and Esports Gambling,” with guest Anthony Gaud of G3 Esports and featuring Mark Simpson, Partner at Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr: Darius, Mark, and Anthony discuss their experiences advising mobile game developers, obtaining patent protection for mobile games and the future of mobile gaming.

“The Social Impact of Video Games,” with guest Ryan Johnson of Community and featuring Leah Leyendecker, Associate at Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr: Darius, Leah, and Ryan discuss Cxmmunity’s efforts to empower minority gaming communities by bringing computers into Historically Black Colleges and Universities (“HBCUs”).