The gambling industry will be pleased to hear that the video on demand service Hulu will launch original esports programming after entering a partnership with the Electronic Sports League.

Living on a tiny rock in a cold and wet part of Europe it was devastating to learn that The Handmaid’s Tale would be on Hulu because the subscription video on demand (VOD) service only serves American based customers. Drat and double drat.

Hulu’s adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s novel about a dystopian future that relegates women to nothing more than pieces of property used for breeding purposes was much needed.

Hulu was motoring along (47 million users and 700 million hours streamed), but it wasn’t breathing the same air at Netflix (104 million, and 10 billion hours per month watched). They are hoping the foray into the world of esports may increase those numbers.