Both the online casino and eSports industries have seen incredible growth over the past decade or so. When it comes to the relationship between these sectors, online casinos have been impacted by the popularity of eSports in several ways.
Development of eSports and online casinos
Online casinos emerged in the 1990s but have seen significant growth over the past 10 years. Factors that have influenced this growth include technological developments, legalization within additional jurisdictions and, more recently, the pandemic and resulting lockdowns.
Customers can now access all kinds of action, including crypto betting, and can play at the highest payout online casino in Australia. As a result of this rapid expansion, recent estimates by Custom Market Insights put the value of the online gambling industry at around $145bn by 2030, up from close to $60bn in 2021.
Meanwhile, eSports have been around since 1972 and grew in popularity during the 1990s and 2000s, as gameplay developed and several tournaments were held. Again, the pandemic contributed to this growth as people looked for home-based leisure activities. One key development in the eSports industry has been the emergence of professional players and leagues. This has led to increased viewership, including live streaming, and publicity. According to Statista, the global eSports industry is expected to increase in value from $1.38bn in 2022 to $1.87bn in 2025, with over 640 million viewers.
So, how has the rise of eSports impacted the world of online gambling? The two main areas are the additional betting opportunities and the focus on a younger demographic.
Additional betting options
Alongside offering a selection of online slots and table games, many casinos feature a sportsbook that allows users to bet on action from competitions and leagues across the world. The growth of eSports has led to interest in betting on Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends and other competitive leagues and tournaments. In fact, eSports betting has become big business, with estimates into the billions of dollars. Online casinos have responded to this interest by adding the main eSports events to their sportsbooks, giving users the chance to win money and bringing in additional gambling revenue.
Attracting a younger demographic
In general, eSports attract a younger demographic than traditional sports betting. So, by adding eSports to their sportsbooks, online casinos have the opportunity to appeal to a younger customer base. While they may visit the site to bet on eSports action, users might be tempted to stick around to play casino games. Casinos can capitalize on this by offering a selection of TV, sports and film-themed slots, competitive events such as poker tournaments, and mobile-based games. Of course, related to the interest among younger customers is the need for online casinos to ensure they have robust measures in place to prevent underage gambling.
What does the future hold for online casinos and eSports?
One likely development is sponsorship of eSports by online casinos. Indeed, betting firms and online casinos have long sponsored traditional sports, which has been viewed as controversial. With the rise of eSports as a professional venture has come interest from the corporate world in getting involved via lucrative sponsorship deals. With the connection between eSports and online casinos already established, it seems likely that sponsorship deals and other tie-ups will follow.