The Swiss esports industry has seen rapid development and a sharp increase in the number of esports players. For instance, Swisscom and PostFinance have officially entered the esports market in Switzerland. Against this backdrop, the Swiss Federal Council approved the Draft Law on Youth Protection for Film and Video Games (LYPFV) on 11 September 2020. This draft law may have a significant impact on the Swiss esports industry, as it could apply to the video game industry. Once in force, it will play a crucial role in protecting young Swiss esports players from negative consequences such as game addiction, violent and sexual content, sexual harassment, and hate speech in esports. To achieve this, it imposes certain restrictions, such as age limitations for access to video games that contain violent and sexual content. In light of these developments, this article provides a brief overview of the new youth protection law that applies to the Swiss esports industry.
Research article
Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published February, 2024pp. 8-27
Russell S. Sobel, Douglas M. Walker, Alan P. Meister
Abstract
The U.S. casino industry has been considered by some to be “recession proof.” Although consumer spending has not seemed to decline dramatically during past recessions, still, the casino industry is sensitive to macroeconomic changes. In this article we examine a variety of U.S. macroeconomic indicators to determine which are most closely related to U.S. casino revenues. We find that the best predictors of U.S. casino revenues are projected gross domestic product (GDP) and personal consumption expenditures (PCE). We use our model to forecast casino revenue growth rates for 2023 through 2027.
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Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published February, 2024pp. 28-30
The much-anticipated debut of ESPN BET lived up to the hype as sports bettors across the U.S. were willing to take a chance on the sports media giant's foray into wagering.
Research article
Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published February, 2024pp. 35-42