Las Vegas approves $2 million deal for 2028 BLAST events

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority board approved the sponsorship agreement with BLAST ApS at its regular meeting on Nov. 10. The authority confirmed the approval on Nov. 12.

The agreement covers a Counter-Strike Major and a second BLAST esports competition at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The Counter-Strike event is planned for the weekend between Thanksgiving and the National Finals Rodeo, a period the LVCVA has identified as needing more visitors. The second tournament is scheduled for the summer, though its date and format have not been announced.

The two tournaments are expected to generate about 130,000 hotel room nights. LVCVA documents cite the most recent Counter-Strike Major held in the United States, in Austin, Texas, as an example of potential demand. That event sold more than 45,000 tickets, with 80% of ticket holders traveling from outside Texas.

The $2 million sponsorship will come from the LVCVA’s fiscal 2028 budget. In exchange, the authority will receive host-city designation and marketing rights for both tournaments. Those rights include digital, broadcast and destination-marketing content aimed at international audiences. The agreement also includes hospitality and ticket allocations, although the documents do not state their amounts.

BLAST ApS owns rights to esports competitions and operates leagues and live events. The company has received public-sector support for other tournaments, including a planned $1.25 million Counter-Strike 2 competition in Mongolia organized with the Mongolian Esports Association. Hong Kong also granted government-backed M Mark status to BLAST Premier Rivals 2026 in October.

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Reviewed and fact-checked by Alex Panasenko on November 13.