The eSports Betting Revolution

By Hank Blaine • September 11, 2023

If you’re an old-school gambler, one who plays the ponies, bets on NFL games, and sits down at the blackjack table, you may not know that the fastest-growing segment in gambling is eSports. That’s okay if you don’t. Eventually, though, you are going to want to look into eSports as a way for you to expand your betting horizons. See below for why eSports leagues are taking over the gambling scene.

Why & How Video Games Are Taking Over the Betting Scene

2020 became a watershed moment for the eSports industry

In 2020, the NBA, MLB, and even horse racing shut down during the pandemic. The only horse track that ran races during the pandemic, at least in the early days, was Fonner Park in Nebraska.

Because regular sports were nonexistent, sportsbooks pushed eSports. Gamblers sat down with their teenage kids and asked them to explain what League of Legends was, CS:GO, and Dota 2.

2020 was a terrible year for the rest of the world. But for eSports, it was fantastic because it developed a gambling base.

Casinos are looking for new ways to drive revenue and get people into their establishments

To compete with online casinos nowadays, brick and mortar establishments must run events.

There are no better events to run in a casino than a sporting event that involves multiple teams playing for monetary prizes and which gamblers can place wagers.

All casinos run poker events. Soon, all casinos will run eSports events. During the event, eSports bettors will have the chance of placing wagers on teams in LoL, CS:GO, Overwatch, and other tournaments.

eSports are new and perfect for the new generation of sports bettors

Casinos are trying to find ways to interest younger generations. Casino gambling remains an older generation pastime. One of the reasons is because the younger generation grew up looking at their iPhones and using computers about the same time they learned how to walk.

To put it into perspective, older generations know football, baseball, and basketball because we had to play outdoors. There was nothing to keep us entertained indoors.

Younger generations are used to being entertained indoors. They are more familiar with League of Legends, Overwatch, Mario and Zelda than they are with the NFL or the NBA.

eSports crosses cultural lines

You have to be an American, or at least know Americans, to understand the rules regarding NFL football. The rules are crazy. The first crazy thing is why do we call it football when kicks rarely happen?

eSports cross-cultural lines. It takes five minutes to understand the goal in League of Legends, Dota 2, or Overwatch. Crossing cultural lines is a big deal because a third of eSports happens in China.

That’s changing with the advent of the Valorant Championship League, which is an international, roaming league. Leagues like Valorant will become more prevalent, breaking down the cultural barriers that do exist in eSports, which aren’t many.

Growing industries attract investment money

What’s interesting about eSports is that League of Legends, Dota 2, Counter-Strike, and Overwatch are old games. Valorant is the latest great eSport, and it was created in 2019.

So why are eSports so popular? Investors see potential. Leagues get created after attracting investors.

Investors, and we’re talking people like New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, invest more, which means top players get paid more, which means teams win, which means gamblers get involved.

eSports is year round

All sports leagues have a season. Even NASCAR and UEFA soccer has a season. eSports leagues also have seasons.

For example, one of the most successful LoL leagues, the South Korean LCK league, has a season. But eSports itself doesn’t have a season. So even if the LCK isn’t in season, the Valorant Championship League, or Overwatch League, or various Counter-Strike CS:GO Leagues will be.

eSports is year-round, which makes it perfect for gamblers interested in developing eSports handicapping skills.