Esports is set to break the billion-dollar revenue mark by the end of the 2018 and now Washington DC wants in on the act too.
The US capital is backing Esports to pull in the tourists and DC isn’t just dipping its toes into the Esports waters, Washington is ploughing its money into sponsoring a major Esports team as well as building an Esports arena.
In a recent interview with Mashable, Events DC Chair Max Brown – who is responsible for managing conventions, entertainment and sports within DC – told Mashable that a new 4,200 seat arena would be “fully tailored and wired for Esports.”
“We think it makes a lot of sense for us as a city to plant a flag and ultimately be the capital of Esports like we’re the capital of the United States,” said Brown.
The stadium news comes alongside an announcement that Events DC will be sponsoring NRG Esports going forward, who field teams in seven Esports games.
Industry commentators are suggesting that Washington is reacting after Las Vegas based business have been reaping the rewards of Esports’ growing popularity; check out more this at Casinopedia.org.
Part owner of NBA side Sacramento Kings, Andy Miller, believes that while large numbers of international tourists already flock to Washington each year the new Esports arena would provide a welcome boost for tourism.
Miller said: “What we want to do is get our brand out into the country and across the globe in various ways; with so many people interested, we are sure it will be a great thing for DC.”
The Esports arena will also be the home court of the Washington Mystics of the Women’s National Basketball Association, seeing the team move out of downtown DC; which has been seen as a downgrade for the team by critics.
The project has also been criticized for exceeding its original $55 million budget by another $10 million, but by the time the arena opens Esports may well we riding the crest of a billion-dollar wave, which is sure to silence the critics.
