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Betting in eSports is getting big.
What started out as a niche, specialist area has grown to grab the attention of traditional betting companies from William Hill to Paddy Power, Betway and Ladbrokes.
According to Newzoo data, the global eSports Audience stands at around 226 million gamers, while the number of eSports enthusiasts reached 115 million in 2015, a year-on-year growth of 27.7 per cent.
Some reports suggest that there may be one million people betting on eSports today. Others like research firm Eilers & Krejcik Gaming state that more than three million people wagered $2.3 billion worth of virtual skins on the outcome of eSports games last year.
This presents bookies with an enormous opportunity to generate additional revenues by attracting eSports fans, as well as those who place bets on traditional sports and may be interested in competitive gaming but unaware you can bet on it.
Fantasy and virtual skin betting
Competitive gaming inspired a whole host of fantasy and virtual skin betting sites over the years.
For example, Alphadraft allows fans to pick a fantasy team and compete for cash in one-day contests. Think fantasy football but for eSports and paying to bet on your dream team at the same time.
Then there are specialist eSports betting providers like Unikrn, which allows fans to bet on eSports matches to win cash and other prizes.
Elsewhere, virtual skin betting sites like the now-defunct CSGO Lotto have been mired in controversy over the past few months, after it was revealed that popular YouTubers Syndicate and TmarTn owned and promoted the website and failed to disclose this information.
Valve has since shut down several Counter-Strike: Global Offensive skin betting sites, and the Gambling Commission has published a paper outlining concerns regarding CSGO-style gambling for virtual items using real money.
This leaves the traditional bookies to step up and make a bigger impact on eSports.
Going after gamers
Established bookmakers like William Hill (Check online e-sports betting odds from William Hill here) are putting a lot of effort into convincing gamers to bet with them.
There are tons of online offers out there, such as free bets offered to new customers, and a lot of the traditional bookies are presenting odds on League of Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO), Call of Duty (CoD) and Heroes of the Storm to name a few.
Most of those established betting providers already have some sort of eSports offering, with smartphone apps, websites and in some cases physical stores available for fans to place bets. Entire conferences are now being hosted (like the betting on eSports conference) to explain to betting firms and other companies how to get involved with eSports.
Like any sports, upsets can happen. At the League of Legends World Championship semi-finals last year, Origen were priced at 20-1 by some bookies to beat SKT.
However, with SKT ending up victorious, and the large gap that still separates the Korean side with European teams like Origen, it’s worth thinking with your head as well as your heart when placing a bet.
Betting and eSports: Why traditional bookies are targeting gamers
