eSports around the world are developing at a breakneck pace. No sports discipline can match it in this matter. Back in 2016, most companies were not even interested in this field. In 2022, no company will do without eSports. In 2022, betting on Dota 2, LoL, and CSGO betting took the lead. The variability today is as good as in classic sports.
Why will eSports betting grow strongly over the next 10 years?
- eSports are attracting more viewers than ever before, and the recent “League of Legends” World Championship Finals surpassed the Super Bowl in viewership numbers.
- Money is pouring into the industry, with more than $500 million raised since September.
- Students are just beginning to take off; the field will provide recruiting, coaching, and sponsorship opportunities.
- The growing importance of gamers’ health and wellness is driving demand for nutritional supplements, fitness, and mental health support in a highly untapped market.
- The event industry will present opportunities for gaming tourism, technology and media partnerships, and trade shows.
- The eSports betting industry is exploding.
- Equipment sales are skyrocketing, and we see opportunities in the lucrative resale market, rental services, and gaming equipment.
- Brand partnerships account for 60%, and opportunities for personalized in-game content and collaboration are also plentiful.
- There are several ways to enter the gamer merchandise market as demand for themed merchandise grows.
- Independent streamers provide new broadcast opportunities and unique ways for brands to connect with 2.15+ million viewers daily.
- We talk about ways to monetize viewers, leverage the AR experience, and the non-binary gaming future.
The history of eSports betting
An important and watershed year for the industry was 2016. Serious betting companies were not yet interested in events back then. In those years, skin betting (CS:GO or Dota 2) was very popular. You played some video games with your friends, got an item for your achievements added to your inventory, and placed a bet with them on the site. That’s what the field of eSports betting looked like just six years ago.
That all changed in 2016. In 2016, Valve decided to fight this way of using skins. The company was being sued and accused of developing an illegal gambling business. Valve immediately banned the use of skins. This event can be considered a turning point for the eSports betting industry. After that, serious bookmakers became interested in eSports.
Why do serious betting companies come to eSports?
Here it’s obvious. eSports have become very popular around the world in recent years, and they’re also more accessible than regular sports. The fan does not need to buy subscriptions to special services or connect to cable TV. All events can be watched for free on YouTube, Twitch, and similar platforms.
The amount of prize money in the tournaments has been significantly increased. The prize pool for the first The International in 2011 was $1.6 million, $20 million in 2016, and over $40 million in 2021. This is the trend for most disciplines. Already, a tournament with $1 million in prize money is commonplace.
Crazy growth in the popularity of eSports betting in 2022
In 2020, humanity will face COVID-19. Quite a number of tournaments have been canceled or rescheduled. Some championships have refused to finish the season. eSports were also affected by this situation: tournaments that were supposed to be held in stadiums with fans were canceled.
But the field did not suffer the same losses as classic sports. All the eSports tournaments began to take place online and gathered many spectators there. The betting business during the COVID-19 pandemic began to be active in this market.
The advantages of betting on eSports
The main advantages are their variability and spectacularity. Viewers don’t have time to get bored because there is always some action going on in video games. In CS: GO, one round takes less than 2 minutes.
Most bookmakers give players the opportunity to bet on a particular round. In a few minutes, users bet money and take their winnings. This is a significant advantage. Lines are no different from sports; there are all the classic options for betting: wins, odds, and totals. But eSports has its own interesting options for predictions.
There are many more options because each game has special features. It is possible to bet on the results of entire tournaments or on “play” (when the match is already on). That is, variability is not inferior to traditional sports.
The future of eSports betting
eSports have proven to be a viable option. Most bookmakers have begun to actively work on the betting line. You can bet on more disciplines now than a year ago. The variability will continue to grow. Expect bookmakers to introduce the possibility of betting on the individual performances of players.
Most developers of modern video games devote a lot of time to the multiplayer component. Every year, quite a few games have been released that try to make their way into the eSports sphere.
Finding something new and original in classic sports betting is difficult. New sports can’t become popular in a short period of time. And video games have done it many times before Call of Duty, Rocket League, Apex Legends, and many others.
It can be argued that for the next 10 years, eSports will be waiting for rapid development.