It is only ever movies and TV series that can pop up from almost nowhere and attract millions of viewers who will spend billions of hours watching each year. The chance for a niche of video gaming to accomplish such feats is unheard of – until now. eSports gaming is on the increase, and it is attracting an exponential rise in the number of viewers. Learn more about the rise of eSports here.
What Is eSports?
eSports is a new niche in the gaming world where individuals or teams of professional gamers will compete against each other in tournaments playing specific games. The competitions receive significant interest with people watching via live streams – or by attending packed-out arenas. The interest has poured heaps of money into the industry, meaning the winning players and teams can scoop significant prize funds. eSports has also caused a debate on whether this form of video gaming should be classed as an official sport and even appear at the Olympics.
Can You Bet on eSports Games?
Another reason eSports is growing due to the pandemic is that you can even bet on live games. This means sports fans that usually like to bet on their favorite team can still do so by watching eSports. Lots of bookmakers that typically generate revenue from traditional sports betting are focused on offering odds for those aforementioned official FIFA games. Ultraplay is a company that specializes in betting technologies and predict that eSports will become a massive market in sports betting in the future – and maybe even compliment slot tournaments hosted by world brands such as PartyCasino. Therefore, the race is on to between gaming operators to become a flagbearer of these markets.
The Increase in Popularity
The statistics on eSports tell us that interest in it has grown significantly over the recent years. These figures do not look like slowing down soon:
- Since 2018, there are an extra 100 million frequent eSports viewers
- In the last seven years, over six billion more hours are spent watching eSports each year
- Annual revenue from the industry is rising at 30% on average
- Between 2017 and 2018, the prize pool for winning players doubled on average to around $44,000
Other Factors Driving Interest Further
The current situation has caused all types of sports to stop from elite football to The Grand National, and the latest sporting casualty is Wimbledon. With so many sports fans now without their biggest hobbies and passions, those fans are looking for something to fill the void.
eSports has become one of the ways to supplement the lack of sports, with more people interested in what eSports gaming has to offer and tuning into live streams for the first time. Games of FIFA have become of particular interest with official players from Premier League and European clubs battling it out. Sporting fans who may not be the most active gamers are now turning their attention to eSports – and it is bound to capture some fans for the long-term.
