It was recently revealed that GRID, an industry-leading esports data platform, has partnered with the US Integrity organisation. At the heart of this partnership is a mission to develop a framework that’ll bring US Integrity into esports, promoting the creation of solutions that’ll ‘ensure the integrity of the match, the source, and the bet’ in any esports game.
It’s part of a nationwide goal to expand esports betting practices across the United States. As the US sports betting markets open up across the country, esports betting markets are following in kind – or by association. There are millions of new bettors getting involved with the highly exciting esports betting scene, and with this partnership, GRID hopes that a more regulated and better-governed ecosystem can come to exist.
Build It And They Will Come
One of the things that has held back the esports betting industry is the lack of regulation in some areas. For the most part, esports simply isn’t understood by traditional lawmakers and some betting site operators, so they just avoid getting involved with it. Now that a more general understanding is being spread, more operators are getting on board – but it still needs more legitimacy. There are plenty of concerns regarding the risks of match-fixing and throwing in esports, which makes betting a touchy subject.
But with that being said, as the US sports betting markets open up, more people are being susceptible to these esports betting practices. They’re playing the games, they’re watching the tournaments, and now, they’re throwing down a few wagers against their favourite teams or competitors.
Speaking on the partnership, Moritz Maurer, the CEO at GRID, said:
‘GRID and US Integrity share a vision for a data-driven integrity approach in esports. Combining our expertise we aim to ensure the integrity of the match, the source, and the bet in any esports title and introduce more scalable frameworks for the industry as a whole.’
This sentiment was mirrored in a statement handed down by Scott Said, the COO at US Integrity:
‘GRID is committed to constructing a fair esports environment with official data at its core. Via their successful partnerships with rights holders, and cutting-edge technology, we see GRID as a natural industry leader and an excellent collaborator in the endeavor to establish new integrity frameworks in esports.’
GRID has long been working hard to provide reliable, well-sourced data to all comers in the esports industry. Since being founded in 2018, GRID has achieved great things, coming to partner with the likes of Riot, PGL, Krafton, and ESL. It’s a top-tier brand in the esports space that wants to make things better – hence the partnership with US Integrity.
US Integrity is essentially a monitoring and governance organisation that works to prevent match-fixing, fraud, and illegal gambling practices across sports betting. It has always been focused on traditional sports like UFC, golf, baseball, and soccer, but now it’s making a move into esports betting, and that’s nothing but a good thing.
