There are several industries that became really popular in the last couple of years, but the pandemic has completely shifted the pattern of growth in the esports industry.
Esports (electronic sports) mean professional video gaming, that you can bet on, just like with any other favoured sports. It is a highly competitive sport, often including multiplayer tournaments with professional players from around the globe.
The rise in prominence and it’s positive effects were more than welcomed by bookmakers. Traditional sports and esports odds are now featured at many of the same sites, with a good portion of sportsbooks exclusively focused on them.
New reports show the size of growth in esports
Simply put, the esports vertical has enjoyed mind-blowing success. It has been growing in popularity with more than 20% on a year-to-year basis, per Newzoo Global Esports Market Report. The audience numbers are getting bigger every year, with 2020’s lockdown and sports suspension being a major boost.
The research reveals the global eports audience went up from 442 million in 2019 to 495 million by the end of 2020. Esports enthusiasts accounted for 222.9 million of this figure, up 25 million year on year. With a compound annual growth rate (2018-2023) of +11.3% , they will increase to 295.4 million. That puts the key audience on pace to almost double over a six-year period in 2023, as the 2017 audience stood at 330 million.
Did you know that the global #games live-streaming audience will pass 700 million this year? ? ?
And more growth is coming! Looking for even more high-level takeaways from our 2021 Global #Esports & Live #Streaming Market Report?
Read our new article: https://t.co/dOUWu8P6gv pic.twitter.com/NiCYUmUN5i
— Newzoo (@NewzooHQ) March 9, 2021
The top tier traditional sports still bring in the most revenue and beat esports betting numbers by a wide margin. There is no reason to believe that sportsbooks will not continue relying on them for the foreseeable future.
What to expect from esports betting industry in 2021
Regarding betting, the European eSports market accounts for 44.5% of the global eSports betting market, with €127 million in betting turnover.
In addition to the audience shift, esports betting has also become more prevalent through the sponsorship of teams and tournaments.
The critical areas of esports betting in 2021 will be partnerships, finance and closer integration with traditional sports.
ICYMI: @ESL has named bookmaker @1xBet_Eng the official global betting partner of the ESL Pro Tour CS:GO and its ESL One Summer & Winter Dota 2 events.
The deal will span the entirety of 2021 and remain in effect until IEM Katowice 2022.https://t.co/OE0yHEt4Yg pic.twitter.com/PtKmbFCmxy
— Esports Insider (@esportsinsider) March 10, 2021
What this all indicates, of course, is that esports betting is now a normal part of the industry.
About this discipline, Pavol Krasnovský, CEO, RTSmunity, explained:
“Esports as a business is a very dynamic area, and the same goes for our company.
“Our mathematicians and developers are constantly working on new ways of analyzing Esports titles, so that we can keep on increasing our offer and coverage of events and game aspects.
“The viewer base of esports and investments in this field are only a glimpse of what esports will become in five or ten years.”
Esports are extremely fun to watch, even if you don’t have a lot of experience. The fast-paced and dynamic gameplay enables things to change really fast.
Another thing that makes esports the go-to option for many punters is the bonuses. As you probably know, almost every gambling operator will offer different types of bonuses. Some of them are created for new customers, whereas others can be used by bettors who don’t have an account.
