During the Esports Summit held in Bucharest on July 20, a Romanian government official announced that a draft of the law on Esports (electronic sports) is ready to be introduced to parliament for examination during the Fall 2021 parliamentary session.

According to the official’s statement, the new Esports law would encourage young people to pursue the career of professional esports players and allow them to enjoy the same statute as conventional professional athletes.

The President of the International Esports Federation expects that the new Esports law will give Romanian esports players extra motivation to compete and seek the million-dollar prizes offered by international esports competitions.

The news comes amid a positive growing trend of the electronic gaming industry, which enjoyed a global revenue increase of 20% in 2020 and is currently valued at $180 billion.

We will update Law-Now readers on developments as soon as the draft is made publicly available.

Cristina Popescu, Senior Counsel and Head of CEE Insurance Practice Group CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP SCP
Sorin Predescu, Associate CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP SCP