Nevada esports committee to meet Monday with former NFL executive in the mix

July 13, 2022 10:43 PM
  • Buck Wargo, CDC Gaming Reports
July 13, 2022 10:43 PM
  • Buck Wargo, CDC Gaming Reports

When the Nevada Esports Advisory Committee hosts its second-ever meeting on Monday to discuss the future regulatory framework of esports wagering in the state, it will include a new member who previously served as an NFL executive.

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The Nevada Gaming Control Board on Wednesday appointed Robby Forbes, vice president of legal at Activision Blizzard, to the advisory committee that held its first meeting in March and meets on a quarterly basis.

Forbes is responsible for legal matters relating to Activision Blizzard Esports, including Overwatch League and Call of Duty League, as well as commercial partnerships across Activision, Blizzard, and King games.

Forbes leads the leagues’ competitive integrity programs, including third-party monitoring of betting lines, player education, confidential reporting, performance-enhancing drug testing, and implementation and enforcement of company- and League-wide integrity policies, according to Gaming Control officials.

Prior to joining Activision Blizzard, Forbes served as vice president for legal and government affairs for the NFL’s Washington Commanders (formerly Washington Football Team) and Red Zebra Broadcasting from 2013 to 2017.

In that role, Forbes was the lead business attorney for the team and its related broadcasting businesses, including commercial agreements with MGM and FanDuel.

Forbes started his legal career as an associate in the litigation and sports-industry practice groups of Proskauer’s New York and Los Angeles offices from 2007 to 2012, representing various major sports leagues and teams in a variety of commercial disputes, antitrust-compliance counseling, and broadcast distribution matters.

Monday’s advisory committee meeting starts at 1 p.m. and will be streamed on the Gaming Control Board website.

The agenda items include discussions on the use of official data for wagering on esports, the integrity of official data partnerships with game publishers, and betting lines used for wagering on esports competitions.

Eric Bowers, vice president of architecture and innovation for Boyd Gaming, will make a presentation on a forthcoming betting-platform proposal for esports wagering.

The committee will also work on formulating regulatory proposals ensuring the integrity of esports competitions when wagers are placed. Those would be forwarded to the Gaming Control Board for consideration.