eSports – 'It's in the Game' : The Naissance of a new Field of International Arbitration

As the Electronic Sports ("eSports") scene is becoming more and more important and championships are paying out ever larger amounts of prize money (up to USD 100 million), the eSports scene is confronted with similar problems as traditional sports: doping, match fixing, labour disputes of team members, as well as unfair conduct (aka cheating or eDoping). All these problems are adequately addressed in the traditional sport disciplines by arbitration courts of the corresponding associations and the Court of Sports Arbitration ("CAS").In eSports, however, the corresponding instances are absent or are currently only being set up, and the necessary support from the eSports community is missing. A few legal scholars pronounced the idea that eSports, to solve its looming disputes, is in need for arbitration, and given the uniqueness of the games industry, in need for specialists. These authors also called for an eSports Arbitration Court, resembling the CAS, which would have a more thorough understanding of specific games and the applicable rules so as to reach a reasonable decision