New Jersey has invested $200,000 to build an e-sports center in Atlantic City-a move that hopes the city will become the next multi-billion-dollar competitive video game industry national center.

The State Economic Development Agency signed an agreement with Stockton University on Tuesday to create an e-sports innovation center on the university’s Atlantic City campus. Associated Press Report.

The e-sports industry is not just about young people playing video games with each other. There is a great demand for software development, video streaming technology, data analysis and technical work.

New zooA research company tracking the industry estimates that global revenue in the e-sports world will grow by 14.5% this year, generating 1.08 billion U.S. dollars.

“When I saw the numbers, I was shocked,” Brian Sabina says, The chief economic growth officer of the authority. “This is the fastest growing college sport in the United States. Nearly 500 million people watch e-sports events.”

The industry has not been significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic like sports.

NBA gross box office USD 8.5 million in 2020, Due to the pandemic, it has dropped by 10%. NFL total revenue USD 12 billion in 2020, Lower than the $16 billion in 2019.

The idea of ??the center is to identify technology development opportunities across the industry and to deal with coding challenges such as hackathons.

EDA said it will provide staff support for the center, including leaders in the e-sports industry.

The center itself will work with private sector companies and other colleges and universities to keep its courses in sync with the skills most needed.

Authorities said companies such as G3 Sports, Amazon’s twitch streaming service, eSports Entertainment Group and Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment have invested or will invest in the state.

E-sports can also join the gambling industry in Atlantic City. Although state gaming enforcement agencies must review and approve individual events, competitive betting has been approved to place bets in New Jersey.

Philadelphia will have its own $50 million stadium In South Philadelphia.The project was originally scheduled to open in 2021, but Construction stopped last fall Due to the epidemic.

According to reports, the city’s e-sports team Philadelphia Fusion has moved to South Korea to participate in the 2021 game. Sports observer.

Philadelphia will also be the site of the first e-sports center “The Block” as the company’s new global headquarters, including broadcasting and content creation studios

Nerd Street Gamers broke ground on its 40,000 square foot national esports infrastructure company, “The block,“In April 2021. The center is located at Broad St. 401 and will also provide students with one hour of free game time after school every day.