Can the gambling industry push esports forward?

Esports has continued to transform and move forward as an industry. Much of the changes have been associated with more esports tournaments and more professional gamers getting involved. It’s estimated that 223 million people will watch esports in 2020. But if the industry wants to move into the mainstream, it needs to attract people other than hardcore gamers. 

This is where the gambling industry can help. Gambling industry insiders have seen the links between gambling and esports rise rapidly over the past few years, mainly because bookmakers have taken a bigger interest in offering betting on tournaments and leagues. 

If this continues, and other parts of the gambling industry such as the casino industry can get involved, this could pave the way for esports to finally become a mainstream activity. 

Betting on esports

There has been a huge rise in the number of people betting on esports. Gone are the days when betting was limited to the very biggest competitions such as the Fortnite World Cup. Now betting fans can bet on almost anything.

It is not just this that has improved esports betting. The service as a whole has taken a big step forward. Gamblers can now bet in multiple different ways on a game. For example, viewers can bet on individual maps within a game like Dota 2 or Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

There is also the option to bet in-play, a new phenomenon for sports betting enthusiasts, and one that is only going to grow further in the future. In-play betting means bettors can sit down and watch a tournament and place bets while it is happening. If an esports newbie is not too sure who is going to win, they can watch the first one or two maps and see how the game goes before deciding where to put their money. 

It is a sign that bookmakers are seeing a lot of esports customers when they make changes to their service like this. They would not invest in creating new markets, live streaming, and in-play betting if they did not think it was worth it to them. The way they judge that is by how many people are betting on esports. 

The casino industry and esports

The growth of esports doesn’t all have to be about the betting industry. There is another side of gambling that can help the sport grow. Many of the bookmakers that accept bets on esports will also offer a casino service to their players, where they offer the best online casino games to bettors. 

These companies are always looking for ways in which they can convert their players onto other things. They look for ways to try and get sports gamblers playing slot games and casino players placing a wager on an upcoming sport. 

This usually involves sport-related slot games being made, and it is apparent that the market doesn’t have one based on esports just yet. Bettors can find more at Megapari. This is something that could be created to push the industry forward further. It could be a game based on playing esports in general, or it could be a particular team or player that gets involved to license something. Whatever it is, this would certainly help. 

The reason this game would be created by companies is to try and move esports gamblers across into the casino section of websites. However, it would also be good as an advertisement for esports. People who play the game may not even know that betting on esports is available until they look into it after playing the game. Then when people have discovered betting and started to participate, they are then potential new fans, which the world of esports needs to win around and get on board. 

What does the future look like?

The simple answer here is very strong. The esports industry continues to move forward and with the betting industry behind it, that move should keep going. However, should the wider gambling industry also get behind esports, we may see that move accelerate and take the sport to a new level.

It may take time, but the hope is that one day in the future we will see the esports industry turn into a mainstream platform. To do this it needs to attract more than just gamers, and the start of this process can use gambling as an aid. 

Bookmakers are keen to continue improving and growing their esports service, and this is only going to be good for both parties. The more outsiders, who have no interest in gaming themselves that come into the esports industry, the quicker the rise will be to becoming mainstream. 

The work has started, now we just need to see it finished off.