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54 www.canadianlawyermag.com SPECIAL REPORT ESPORTS nificant increase in revenues associated with the industry, with 2019 nearing $1.1 billion, up nearly 27 per cent compared to 2018, and projections of $1.8 billion by 2022. While the actual numbers might vary depending on how people are breaking down the statistics, everyone seems to agree that the industry outstrips most others no matter how you measure it. The rules of the game What has not always been clear to many of the commercial participants, though, is how one can monetize the high levels of participa- tion outside of the actual sale of games. their children at higher rates than before, and they are more likely to spend money on esports-related products. Segev says he's already seeing the market reaction to esports, but it's still early days, and for a lot of the smaller companies, it can be a challenge to figure out how to monetize, but "it can't be ignored." The participation rate worldwide, both in terms of the players and the viewers, is massive. There are tens of millions of peo- ple involved even on a per-event basis, and based on the latest statistics, viewership and participation continue to increase with no slowdown in sight. There's also been a sig- "It's a complex industry because its gen- esis comes from a number of other indus- tries, including gaming, software, hardware, media, event production, broadcasting and traditional sports — all of these areas come together in esports," Czegledy says. The industry spans many areas of the law — criminal, corporate/commercial, IP, competition, advertising and marketing, labour and employment and privacy — and the parties involved typically include event organizers, media companies, video game producers, social media platforms, advertis- ers, sponsors and gamers. Some of the legal issues that arise in esports cross over into other, more established areas of the law — such as entertainment or sports — but the industry is a different beast. Abramovitch calls it a new frontier — specifically, "a bit of a Wild West." The biggest challenge across the board is the lack of cohesive regulations for the industry.