Despite the growing adoption of sports betting across the nation, gamblers in most states are barred from wagering on video gaming competitions because they don’t qualify as sporting events.

That seems to be changing. The New Jersey Senate in June unanimously endorsed a bill that expands the state gaming law to allow betting on any skill-based attraction, including esports, awards competitions, and competitive eating contests.

“Esports is quickly emerging as an economic and cultural force on par with many other traditional sports, and it is important that New Jersey accommodate the many ways fans engage with their favorite teams and events,” David L. Rebuck, director of New Jersey’s Division of Gaming Enforcement, said last year, signaling Trenton’s all-out push to make New Jersey “more attractive to the innovative companies that drive this growing industry.”

Not to be outdone, Pennsylvania State Rep. Ed Neilson, a Democrat from Northeast Philadelphia, has introduced a bill to expand the definition of “sporting event” under state gaming law. The proposal would allow wagering on video competitions involving players who are 18 or older and where the outcome of the event is determined by the relative skill of the competitors.

“Now is the time to do this, because we see other states around us doing this,” Neilson said.

Esports are video game competitions, played by individuals or teams, that have become popular as live events or packaged for fast-paced broadcasts with multiple cameras toggling between the players and their chatter, the actual onscreen competition, and commentary from experts.

By Andrew Maykuth