I recall a time when e-sports were almost laughed at by those unfamiliar with the world of online gaming despite its rapid growth. All of us here know how games like FIFA and Call of Duty helped fuel the industry’s rise — I’m also assuming that many of us watched (and continue to watch) major competitions in the space!
From Formula One (be sure to check out Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake’s E-sports team) to Call of Duty and FIFA, e-sports comprise a vast array of sports and games, ensuring there is a constant supply of online competition even when ‘traditional’ sports seasons come to an end. Viewers are subsequently rewarded with a steady stream of engaging content to tune into.
Just like with cryptocurrency, the rapid advancement of technology in the gaming industry has led to the creation of more immersive and interactive games that have captured the attention of millions of people worldwide. These games allow players to compete with each other in real-time, making the development of e-sports competitions a natural next step.
In addition to technology, the growth of e-sports has been driven by the increasing number of professional players, teams, and organisations that have emerged in recent years. These players and organisations have created a more structured and professionalised e-sports industry, which has attracted more attention from traditional sports media outlets and investors.
The rise of e-sports has also been supported by the growth of the gaming industry as a whole. Video games have become more accessible and affordable, with a wider range of devices that support gaming, including PCs, consoles, and mobile devices. As a result, people have become more interested in gaming, which has helped to fuel the growth of e-sports. This has been further catalysed by the global pandemic.
We also shouldn’t ignore the fact that personalities in the gaming space have also contributed to the industry’s growth, with many content producers taking their skills and passions into the competitive world. Many of their audience will come with them during this process, further adding to the e-sports community.
So where does this leave us today?
Well, despite the valuation of the e-sports industry reaching over $2billion last year alone (and forecast to reach over $5billion before 2030), it is all the more surprising that some people continue to not fully understand the appeal of betting on e-sports events in the same manner they do for ‘traditional’ sports.
Just like with sports matches on television, viewers are able to tune in directly and watch competitions unfold. The natural next step, of course, has been the ability for viewers to place live bets on matches and competitions to further enhance their entertainment value.
At Stake, we have always listened to player interests first in order to continue evolving our products, making sure they are simply the best available. We therefore continue to recognise growing player interest in e-sports and offer hundreds of betting options on this front in precisely the same way we do for other sporting events. This, of course, remains exclusive to regions that allow sportsbook betting.
Here is a cool stat for the day — Last year, we saw a 236% increase in e-sports bets on Stake in comparison to 2021! By far and away the largest game driving bets was CS:GO, followed by League of Legends, a clear sign that these games are still not going anywhere!
It would not surprise me if we continue seeing numbers like this as e-sports continues growing its userbase.
Crypto is still central to this product offering, of course — there is no difference between placing a bet on an e-sport event versus a football match for instance!
The growth of e-sports has been fuelled by the rapid advancement of technology in much the same way as we have seen with crypto. The continued growth of the industry will be supported by further technological improvements as well as increased investment over time.
As e-sports continues to evolve, it is likely that it will become even more mainstream and be further recognised as a ‘legitimate’ form of competition alongside ‘traditional’ sports.
The e-sports community will inevitably continue to grow and I can assure our fans that so too will our product offerings on this front.
