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Prof. Mehmet Tosun, Ph.D.

Nevada is one of the foremost centers for leisure and hospitality in the world. Entertainment brings a lot of resources to our state. As a popular form of entertainment, gaming contributes significantly to the Silver State. According to a , gaming industry contributed more than 380,000 jobs and $90.7 billion to Nevada’s economy. It also accounted for about 35% of state’s general fund revenue.  

In the Ozmen Center for Entrepreneurship, we are in the business of building the momentum for innovation-based growth. One of our main goals is to highlight the growth sectors and guide the creators of the economy towards change.

We think that entrepreneurial spirit means looking for new and also exploring the new possibilities in those areas that are already known. As entertainment industry moves from more traditional forms such as movies to more tech based ones such as mobile gaming and e-sports, we expect more and more entrepreneurial activity in this area as well. The numbers associated with mobile games are astounding. There are more than and .

A recent interesting trend is that more and more mobile games have moved to a skill-based model. Skill-based games are relatively simple games with an innovative business model, where players are allowed to monetize their skills. This is done through tournaments or battles that include a small entry fee. Note that these are different than the more traditional gambling products. In mobile games, outcomes are not really driven by luck. Skill level matters.

Will skill-based games continue its growth trajectory within the broader mobile games? What are some of the challenges associated with these games? What are some of the opportunities for Nevada in this market? What are the economic impacts and costs?

With this short introduction on skill-based gaming, I would like to invite others to address these questions and discuss this interesting topic in our blog platform.