Developments in esports gambling are on the rise

While the spring is usually a sports fan’s favorite time of the year, this year was different. Typically, March features the start of baseball, a college basketball tournament, and is in the middle of the NBA and NHL seasons. Not to mention there’s the Master’s Tournament, the Kentucky Derby, and top NASCAR events. In 2020, the much-anticipated XFL was brought to the fold. 

Suddenly, everything shut down. While this forced everyone to stay home, a “new” sports franchise began to take over the hearts of many people who hadn’t previously been exposed to it. While esports has been around for quite some time, the worldwide popularity of esports astronomically grew this year. Before this year, the industry had surpassed $1 billion in 2019.

Esports tournaments & betting

At this time, the best online casino could find itself asking for a wager on the world’s most played video games. While games like Overwatch, Rocket League, and Call of Duty have turned into renowned titles, sports like NASCAR, MLB, and FIFA have kept fans engaged with tournaments. The exposure for video game tournaments really erupted when Twitch began to spin the wheels on live gaming. Streams on Twitch saw usage increase during the year because many people were stuck at home. 

This has boosted the esports world. While esports are entertaining, they’re also very competitive, which makes it fun for the average better. Being able to cheer for a certain team kept gambling alive, which is why esports is now a frequent part of online gambling apps. 

The market

This year, Las Vegas allowed sportsbooks to take wagers on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. This wasn’t the first time that esports was granted temporary access to gambling. In 2019, New Jersey allowed temporary betting on the 2019 League of Legends World Championship final.

The market for some of these games is global. Whether players are looking for the best guns in Apex Legends or advice on building faster in Fortnite, there is a strong following for all competitive games. By partnering facilities and bands with mainstream audiences, adding gambling to the fold was only a matter of time. There is a strong connection with gaming. By being able to bet on teams in Rocket League or Apex Legends, it only makes the connection stronger for this industry to grow. 

It won’t be long until we see many more games given access to gambling. One of the games that makes the most sense is Rocket League. This game is soccer with cars and has an online league dedicated to it. This game would be able to follow similar types of bets to those we see in traditional sports.