Industry News
Examining the Relationship Between eSports and Online Gambling
The adoption of most sports within online gambling systems means travelling paths long since forged. Owing to the relatability of existing frameworks, creating new entries for the arrival of a traditional sport is usually a simple pursuit. ESports games buck this trend, with their digital nature creating the potential for unprecedented involvement and unique interconnectivity.
While these aspects of eSports are often fundamentally misunderstood or underestimated, a closer examination reveals how deep these relationships could run and how beneficial for the greater betting industry they could be. From bringing in newcomers to adopting new approaches in viewing, there is a lot of mapped and untapped potential in eSports for the iGaming world to cover.
Raw Numbers
One of the most immediately visible ways in which eSports aids the online betting industry comes from the vast inbuilt audience. According to an article at venturebeat.com, around 2.4 billion people played video games in 2019 alone. At the top of this spectrum are titles likes League of Legends and CS: GO, two popular eSports titles which boast around 115 million and 24 million monthly players respectively.
The Ease of Integration
These numbers are important not just for how they illustrate engagement potential, but also in how eSports engagement relates to digital forms of viewing and gambling. For traditional sports like football or tennis, there is a strong reliance on more established methods of viewing. Most often, punters are relegated to watch only a limited selection of physical sports matches on television or digitally, if they have access.
Esports is very different in this regard, allowing practically every game and tournament, even in minor leagues, to be viewed worldwide over the internet, usually for free. Such a level of integration and mass adoption is not something that can be matched by traditional means, giving eSports a comparative leg-up on physical sports.
Many sports bettors find enormous appeal through cheering through each step of the game and, given the better access which eSports games offer, this provides enthusiasts not just with a way to enjoy their sport of choice but with several opportunities to engage with different brands. Both for eSports fans newly introduced to betting via online infrastructure and established bettors looking for something new, these digital choices are opening doors.
Such advantages don’t only apply to live games either, as the ability to watch replays is another area aided significantly by the digital nature of eSports. For an example of this, readers could look at the Overwatch League Replay Viewer available at playoverwatch.com. This program gives punters the ability to download completed matches and watch them at every possible angle, as they wish. With additions like slow motion, overlays, and other tools, serious gamblers who wish to more closely examine players and teams’ performance are gifted a rare opportunity.
The final advantage for online betting which bears mentioning is the ease of fitting eSports games legally within existing gambling websites and systems. As Legalbetting.com explores, legal online sports betting has been a widely accepted component of the industry for years. In the United States, for example, this kicked off in 2018 and, since this point, considerable work has gone into ensuring all aspects are safe for both the bettors and the bookies.
Rather than requiring expensive and difficult to implement new laws, eSports have slotted into already developed sports betting services. Given just how important and strict the rules around legal online betting are, eSports games have begun their mainstream gambling life with advantages that many other sports took years to find.
As a spectator sport, eSports have accomplished astonishing success in the last two decades. From tournaments held in basements to finding showings on major international channels like ESPN, the world is now taking notice. As an industry with such a strong emphasis on sports and the digital both, online betting services are in a unique position to leverage eSports’ explosive growth. With both online casinos and eSports still far from reaching a plateau of popularity, this relationship is going to be one to watch.
Carlo Santarelli
Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc. Names Carlo Santarelli Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Investor Relations

Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc. announced that Carlo Santarelli has been appointed Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Investor Relations, a new position at the Company. Mr. Santarelli will begin his new position on August 18, 2025 and will report to GLPI President and Chief Operating Officer, Brandon Moore.
Mr. Santarelli brings over 25 years of Wall Street experience in Equity Research and Investment Banking to his new role and joins the Company from Deutsche Bank where he was Managing Director of Gaming & Lodging Equity Research. Prior to Deutsche Bank, Mr. Santarelli held similar positions at Bear Stearns, JP Morgan and Wells Fargo. He consistently ranked highly in Institutional Investor and other sell-side analyst research polls as a thought leader in the space, providing unique perspectives on industry events and trends with his data-driven approach and stock picking talent. Carlo Santarelli graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Economics in 2000.
Peter Carlino, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of GLPI, said: “We’ve known and respected Carlo’s research work on the gaming, lodging and gaming REIT sectors for many years. Carlo brings to GLPI an in-depth knowledge of the industry and its participants, having experienced GLPI’s original formation of the gaming triple-net-REIT structure from a research analyst and capital markets perspective. We value his deep network of contacts among institutional investors, sell-side analysts and a wide range of gaming industry operators and we look forward to the value of his contributions.”
In his new role, Mr. Santarelli will work with Mr. Carlino and GLPI’s senior management to develop and evaluate growth opportunities and strategic relationships, and will oversee investor relations interactions.
The post Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc. Names Carlo Santarelli Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Investor Relations appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
Industry News
VIP Play Announces Departure of Chief Financial Officer

VIP Play, a technology-driven leader in interactive consumer engagement, announced that Jim Mackey, the Company’s Chief Financial Officer, will step down from his role, effective August 8, 2025.
The Company has initiated a transition process and is in the process of identifying a successor. Mackey will assist in an orderly transition over the coming weeks.
“We thank Jim for his contributions to the Company, particularly during a transformative period for our business. We remain focused on executing our strategic priorities, including financial visibility, operating efficiency, and delivering value to our stakeholders,” said Les Ottolenghi, CEO of VIP Play.
The post VIP Play Announces Departure of Chief Financial Officer appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
DotCom Ventures
IBN Initiates Coverage of SEGG Media Corporation

SEGG Media Corporation, a leading technology company transforming the global intersection of sports, entertainment, and gaming, has selected IBN, a multifaceted financial news and publishing company serving private and public entities, to spearhead its corporate communications efforts.
SEGG Media aims to deliver immersive, real-time experiences through next-generation technology that redefines how audiences interact with their favorite content and communities. Following a full-scale corporate transformation and rebrand, the company now operates across three high-growth verticals: Sports.com, Entertainment, and Lottery.com.
Sports.com serves as a global hub for sports content with a focus on soccer, sim racing, motorsports, and athlete-led media, with the upcoming Sports.com Super App poised to evolve fan engagement by integrating streaming, e-commerce, fantasy gaming, and sports news. The Entertainment division builds on AI-powered live events and direct-to-fan platforms, while Lottery.com delivers compliant, ethical gaming solutions including iGaming and charitable lottery access to global audiences.
With a $100 million financing facility and strategic acquisitions underway, including proposed deals with GXR World and DotCom Ventures, SEGG Media is executing a multi-vertical expansion strategy designed to unify fragmented fan experiences across live content, gaming, and digital commerce.
As part of the client-partner relationship, IBN will leverage its investor-focused distribution network, which includes over 5000 key syndication outlets, various newsletters, social media channels, and wire services via InvestorWire, along with blogs and other outreach tools, to generate greater awareness for SEGG Media.
The post IBN Initiates Coverage of SEGG Media Corporation appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
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