Nevada’s Esports Technical Advisory Committee Adds Ubisoft Executive

The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) selected a senior executive from a video game company to join its new Esports Technical Advisory Committee (ETAC). Che Chou, Ubisoft Entertainment’s senior director of Esports, was approved Thursday to join the committee as its eighth member, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Esports Takes Center Stage

Chou is a 25-year veteran of the videogame industry with over a decade of esports expertise. Chou has held high-ranking esports positions at Microsoft Corp. as well as Blizzard Entertainment Inc. He has been behind a number of Ubisoft initiatives and manages esports strategy and development for current and upcoming Ubisoft games, such as Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege.

The ETAC includes esports industry participants as well as publishers and broadcasters. It will provide advice to the NGCB regarding facilitating esports betting and competition integrity.

In announcing the latest appointment, the NGCB said in a statement, “Mr. Chou is passionate about the intersection of esports and gaming, and has a deep understanding of esports strategies, ecosystems and community building.”

The committee includes Paul Hamilton, CEO at Atlanta Esports Ventures, who serves as its chair. Also participating Brett Abarbanel, director of research at UNLV’s International Gaming Institute, and Seth Schorr, CEO of Fifth Street Gaming. Activision Blizzard Esports head Brandon Snow, Penn National Gaming VP of Development Lovell Walker, Allied Esports CEO Jud Hannigan and Twitch Properties director Christian Bishop round out the group.

Committee Set To Begin

On Tuesday, the committee will hold its initial hearing. It will continue to meet quarterly throughout the year. The members appointed will continue in their current positions until November 2024.

Current regulation in Nevada authorizes esports betting on a per-event basis. For each competition to be approved and vetted, organizers will need to submit an application at the NGCB. Details on approval criteria and other requirements will likely be established by the new committee.

After the amendment to a proposal for an Esports Regulatory Commission, based upon the Nevada Athletic Commission, the ETAC was established.