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Esports legal status and governance gaps in comparative perspectives on global sports law

Identification

Clé publique

doi:10.1007/s44282-026-00532-1

Auteurs

Priti Rana · Tushita BHANDARI

Année déclarée

2026

Langue déclarée

en

Type source

article

Première détection

2026-11-09T19:04:47.786701+00:00

Dernière observation des métadonnées

2026-11-09T19:04:47.786701+00:00

Dernière vérification HTTP

Non effectuée

Institutions déclarées par la source

Jamia Millia Islamia · University of Delhi

Pays d’affiliation déclarés

IN

Résumé documentaire — langue originale

Abstract Competitive video gaming, or esports, is a billion-dollar industry that captures huge worldwide audiences and is receiving commercial sponsorship that equals that of conventional sports. Its sudden rise presents profound challenges to conventional legal structures for the field of sports law. This paper raises the question of whether esports must be legally established as 'sport' within national and international legal regimes. It critically assesses the definitional vagueness of sports jurisprudence, comparing the physicality-driven standards of mainstream sports with the cognitive-intellectual abilities that are embedded in esports. A primary emphasis is given to the contractual framework that regulates esports players, involving unfair terms, labor classification, revenue distribution, and conflict resolution. In addition, the research considers pending legal issues involving cheating, match-fixing, and doping in virtual spaces, distinguishing the disintegrated and underdeveloped enforcement regime in the absence of a consolidated anti-doping regime in the mold of WADA. Intellectual property (IP) issues, especially the monopolistic appropriation by game publishers of gameplay, broadcasting rights, and derivative content, are similarly discussed. Using comparative legal analysis, this study borrows from the United States, South Korea, the European Union, and India to highlight the call for regulatory harmonization. It advances a hybrid regulation model drawing on statutory intervention, soft law regulation, and private ordering to tackle the peculiar esports legal challenges. The article concludes by calling for international legal institutions and domestic sports authorities to build comprehensive and responsive regulatory systems to acknowledge and regulate esports in the larger sports law framework.

Identifiants

OPENALEX

W7203994337

DOI

10.1007/s44282-026-00532-1

Repères documentaires

Famille documentaire

Doctrine

Types déclarés par les sources

article

Juridictions étudiées — sources explicites

IN · KR · US

Les mentions d’entités ne constituent pas une preuve de reconnaissance juridique. La juridiction étudiée est distincte du pays d’affiliation des auteurs.

Sources

OpenAlex · Document 1 · Document 2

• DOI · https://doi.org/10.1007/s44282-026-00532-1
• OpenAlex · https://openalex.org/W7203994337

Relations bibliographiques documentées

Références et liens déclarés par les sources ; ils ne constituent pas une preuve juridique ni une qualification UGLC. Affichage limité à 20 références sortantes.

• openalex:w2038953444 · CITES
• openalex:w2339195873 · CITES
• openalex:w4250921324 · CITES

0 références entrantes au sein du corpus détecté

Statut documentaire

Publication académique détectée

Bibliothèque

Cette identité n’est pas encore intégrée à la Bibliothèque juridique.