The first eSports event took place back in 1997 and since then the industry has come a long way. Gradually, the interest came from more than just gamers, and those who wanted to make it professionally, eSports gambling became something that people were interested in.
At the start, this was very low key, only on the big events and with selected bookmakers, with just the bare minimum betting markets available.
Slowly things have improved, but in 2020 the sports betting industry had no option but to really focus on eSports betting because of the Covid-19 pandemic. During this time, the sport was almost non-existent, and bookmakers relied on eSports to give their customers something to watch and bet on.
So, with that behind us, is this the year that eSports moves forward and really shines?
How Bookmakers Have Changed Their eSports Service?
There has been a big change from many betting sites with how they have expanded their eSports service in recent years. You can find more information on the Free Bets UK website about this to see what is now on offer.
We no longer see minimal betting markets and not every bookmaker involved, now almost all bookmakers take bets on eSports and offer a wide range of markets.
This has been pushed on further due to what happened in 2020. With nothing else taking place, bookmakers had the time to improve their eSports service.
What we saw because of this was an increase in markets, more events being live-streamed, and far more emphasis than ever before being put on eSports.
If you are a regular sports gambler, the eSports service matches up well, and just like with other sports you bet on, you can watch live, bet in play, choose from multiple markets, and much more.
How Bookmakers Relied on eSports in 2020
At a time when there was almost no sport, many bookmakers put eSports to the center of their service. We saw events being specifically created at home during the lockdown, and these were being used by bookmakers for betting purposes.
More betting markets were created, live streams were increased and if anyone wanted a bet during this time, eSports was the main option they had.
We also saw some new games come to the fore in terms of betting, with many of these being based around sport. This could be a sign of things to come in the future and reading gaming reviews could be worthwhile, to see what sports releases are coming as they may turn into popular eSports games.
Will We See eSports Rewarded for Their Service?
The partnership in place between the eSports industry and the betting industry is one that works both ways. Bookmakers are seeing more customers betting on eSports and increasing their revenue while non-gamers are having more interest in eSports because they are betting on the events taking place.
The next logical step for this relationship would be for bookmakers to start sponsoring eSports events on a big scale.
We see this with many other sports, almost every big football league in the world has a number of big teams who are sponsored by bookmakers.
If this comes it is likely that we will see it at the top, with bookmakers sponsoring a big event such as the upcoming Fortnite World Cup, in a bid to attract new customers to their service.
While the benefit for both sides here would be a financial one, what this would also do is give eSports something back after they supported the betting industry so well during a tough time.
These two industries are seemingly working well together so far, it is likely we will see more of it in the near future.