The esports industry has "found its footing not only in the entertainment capital of the world," L.A., but "also in North Texas," according to Dom DiFurio of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. While esports has "risen in popularity on a global scale," it has been "slower to emerge in the U.S., with select regions only recently beginning to see investment in teams." One of those regions is North Texas, where three major organizations -- Envy Gaming, Complexity Gaming and Infinite Esports & Entertainment -- have "taken root in Dallas-Fort Worth." Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban, who also owns the Mavs Gaming NBA 2K team, has called North Texas the "biggest hotbed for esports outside of California." The region is also "home to the largest stadium dedicated to esports in North America," the Esports Stadium Arlington & Expo Center. Team Envy Owner & CEO Mike Rufail, whose organization owns the OWL Dallas Fuel, "credits the region's wealthy investors with supporting nascent esports organizations as they hunted for ways to become profitable in the long term." The three organizations have "found a favorable business environment and a supportive fanbase" that has "positioned them to capitalize." Still, "high operating costs, rising player salaries and difficulty turning profit has made some in the industry skeptical that esports organizations can succeed long term" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 8/5).
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