In 1972, a couple of students from Stanford University organized the first ever video game competition. They played Spacewar!, which was hugely popular at the time. The winner did not win a cash prize but an annual subscription to Rolling Stones Magazine.
Esports was born. We’ve only known the real breakthrough since 2000, but since then it has gone fast to more than 25 million viewers per month in 2021. Esports has become big business with a lot of money involved. Indian gamblers no longer only place bets on sports competitions, but also on eSports competitions according to bettinginindia.online.
Betting on esports on the rise
Gambling on esports is no longer a niche. While sites like Dafabet or Parimatch mainly focus on sports match information, gamblers have found their way into esports tournaments. Major sports betting providers will therefore include bets on esports in their offer. Betting on esports tournaments is done in the same way as betting on physical sports competitions.
Both in FIFA and in the real football world cup you bet on countries, number of goals, number of yellow cards, when the first goal is scored. The success of football esports competitions is so great that every major club in Europe also has its own esports division to qualify for the big tournaments.
Greater connection with the players
Why do so many people prefer to watch gamers instead of real athletes? In the first place because of the connection. Esports players are closer to their audience than footballers. Viewers have the feeling that if you practice hard enough, you can become a good esportsman. With physical sports it is completely different. But few have enough talent to become a second Cristiano Ronaldo. This means that the results of the matches are less predictable than those of real sports competitions and are therefore often more exciting.
Esports are very accessible
The success of esports is also due to the many channels on which the competitions are broadcast. You can follow esports tournaments live on streaming service Twitch, on Facebook or YouTube, but also on BBC or ESPN. The range of eSports is huge. Every year new eSport games come online. Meanwhile, there are already more than a thousand esports tournaments that you can bet on.
Other popular eSports games
1. Dota 2
The full name of the game is actually Defense of the Ancients 2, but nobody pronounces it that way. Dota 2 is Valve’s largest eSports title and the largest in terms of prize money. No less than $38 million was spent in prizes last year, in 158 tournaments.
2. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
- A shooter game, one from 2012! Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is the last main part of the well-known series and available for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The Xbox One also runs it thanks to backwards compatibility.
With nearly $20 million in prize money in just under 900 tournaments and some 4,700 professional players, this is an immensely popular eSports game. Global Offensive is also proof that the shooter genre is still one of the most popular in the world.
3.League of Legends
League of Legends has become very popular among gamers. Even if you don’t like it yourself, you can’t ignore its popularity. Riot Games released the game in 2009, more than a decade ago, and the team hasn’t been sitting still, because League of Legends is bigger than ever.
Revenue exceeds $1 billion for the first time
Revenues from the esports sector are expected to exceed $1 billion for the first time this year. Research firm Newzoo predicts global revenues will reach $1.8 billion by 2022. Almost 70% comes from sponsors and advertisements. The largest market is by far Asia, followed by North America and Europe. Latin America is the fastest growing market.