Twenty Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians Enters Canadian eSports Market

The Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians, a California-based tribe, has teamed up with the Canadian League of Gamers to create a North American professional eSports League.

The Canadian League of Gamers also known as the Northern Arena was founded in 2015, and is the largest professional eSports League in Canada. The strategic partnership between the Canadian League of Gamers and the Twenty Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians will form the Southern Arena. It is hoped that the new Southern Arena will build on the success already achieved by the Northern Arena.

The Northern Arena's events for 2016 are expected to attract a whopping four million eSports fans via streaming video and a further 10,000 fans onsite. The Southern Arena's two events which are scheduled for this fall and next spring are expected to attract over half a million viewers online and a further 5,000 fans onsite.

Greg Spievak, co-founder of the Canadian League of Gamers said, "eSports is exploding with interest and becoming one of the fastest growing sports in the world." He went on to say that he eSports market in 2016 is estimated to generate $1.3 billion in gross revenues, which is close to the $1.5 billion the NFL generates. According to an article in Fortune Magazine in October 2015, eSports revenues are set to surpass the $1.9 billion mark in 2018. eSports Betting is huge and the trend looks set to continue.

The Southern Arena eSports league will be the first of its kind and the goal is to bring professional and non-professional gamers together in an official league that will offer a structured, professionally managed, and credible platform to promote eSports in North American and throughout the world.

Darrell Mike, Tribal Chairman for the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians said, "Building Southern Arena as a world class professional eSports League is the first of its kind for the 486 Indian gaming operations in the US. Being on the cutting edge of the eSports movement will benefit not only the Tribe and its members, but more importantly build on the Coachella Valley brand as the capital of entertainment and hospitality in the United States."

The Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians are descendants of the Chemehuevi Indians who inhabited the desert area. They have been a federally recognized Tribe since 1891. The tribe owns and operates Spotlight 29 Casino, in the Coachella Valley. The casino provides over 1,600 slots, table games, and world class entertainment.

Greg Spievak and Carl-Edwin Michel founded the Canadian League of Gamers in 2015. They connect video game competitions and support the eSports market in Canada. They also host finals and qualifying events across the country each year, as well as hosting the largest eSports event in Canada. According to Michel the visionary behind Northern and Southern Arena, he is enthusiastic to oversee Southern Arena events and thrilled about the partnership between the Canadian League of Gamers and Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians.

Francis A. Wong, resident of Indian Wells, CA, will act as senior advisor to the Northern and Southern arenas.