The Rise of eSports Betting in 2024: Why?

Right now the eSports betting market is valued at around $11 billion. The growth is expected to hit $118 billion in 2028. There is no slowing it down, as some pundits claim that the interest in eSports has just really begun.

While there are many fans of online gambling sites like IceCasino, we are seeing a meteoric rise in eSports betting. Why is this happening? The rise of e-sports betting can be attributed to several factors, which are explored below.

Mainstream Gaming

eSports is now more popular than ever thanks to mobile gaming. Decades ago, only people who had the money to buy gaming consoles had the luxury of playing games. Today, anyone with a mobile device can play games.

Although mobile versions of games are different, they still are a driving force to the popularity of a game. Some of the biggest titles are: 

• PUBG;
• Mobile Legends; 
• League of Legends;
• Call of Duty;
• Arena of Valor;
• Clash Royale.

Because these games are easily accessible, it is also easier to appreciate them. You can play these titles on PC, and mobile, and some of them also have versions for consoles. In addition, most of these games are fighting titles. 

The best thing about most of these games is that they are free. The players do not have to invest in purchasing copies of the titles. In this regard, the games have a wider reach in audience than the paid ones.

Without games being mainstream, eSports betting would not grow because people could not relate to it. It is the accessibility of these titles that helped catapult them to popularity. When there is enough market in a competitive sport, there will always be room for gambling.

Demographic Appeal & Influencers

eSports is appealing not only to adults but also young adults. Almost every phone has a game in it, which means that games are for everyone. Then, you have big influencers who have millions of followers. These influencers make the games more interesting.

Here are some stats about the demographics of electronic sports:

• Most fans are between 18 to 34 years old.
• Asia has the greatest number of fans worldwide.
• There are over 640 million people interested in eSports.
• Most of these fans use the mobile platform for gaming.

These fans of eSports have strong loyalty, not only to the players but also to the gaming product. In addition, many influencers in the gaming industry produce streaming content. 

Some of the biggest are:

• Kai Cenat – has a following of 8.85 million.
• Elias97 – a German streamer who has two million followers.
• Ironmouse – has 2.16 followers 

These streamers can get as much as 60,000 viewers per stream. Some of them even peak at around 189,000 views per stream, and as you know, the streams are happening live. With such massive influence, it is no wonder why electronic sports became popular, and with it, betting on them. 

Technology and Diversity

Finally, eSports has gotten a huge foothold in gambling because of technological advances and the diversity of bets. Since gamers have mobile devices, they can also easily access betting sites. On the other hand, the e-Sports betting site operators can also stream the games. 

As far as betting diversity goes, bettors have a lot of betting markets they can choose. Here are some examples: 

• Bet on who wins.
• Bet on who scores first.
• Bet on player performance.
• Bet on specific moves.
• Bet based on map wins or overall wins.

Since there are many ways to bet, bettors will certainly find one that they think they can handle or guess properly. They can watch the games in real time, even on the betting app, and monitor the game’s progress.

The diversity of betting options also includes the capacity to bet although the games have already begun. In the past, one could only bet on a game before it has started. Today, esports betting operators made it possible for players to put wagers after the game has started.

The advancement in technology is also a contributor, considering that esports betting operators do not have to create their own systems. Today, most betting sites are merely aggregators of real-gaming operators. The bettors also do not have to go to kiosks to place bets. In addition, they can place bets while in bed, and they can do this even if they are in different time zones.

Overall, eSports is seeing a boom because of the rapid growth of the gaming industry. Be it YouTube or Twitch, there are tons of gamers who market and popularize games, and they are the ones that stoke the craze for eSports.

Combined with the accessibility of the games and the events, fans have a way to watch the tournaments in real time no matter where they are. Add to that the availability of betting sites, and now you see why eSports is growing exponentially.