How Lockdown Affected Esports Betting Industry How Lockdown Affected Esports Betting Industry
Image source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/hands-car-technology-display-5303957/ The current COVID-19 pandemic situation happening on our planet is unfortunately still the main talk of the town. It caused many... How Lockdown Affected Esports Betting Industry

Image source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/hands-car-technology-display-5303957/

The current COVID-19 pandemic situation happening on our planet is unfortunately still the main talk of the town. It caused many tragic situations, lockdowns, economic fluctuations and who knows what else. Many industries were negatively affected by the current crisis, however, there are those that managed to profit from it.

One of those industries was online entertainment, and especially Esports. Since real sports events were delayed, cancelled or postponed, this was a great alternative for some. While for others it was already the number one online entertainment choice. But, in what way did the current Coronavirus situation affect Esports betting? Feel free to take a look.

What are eSports and eSports Betting?

Esports are a fairly new “sport” that emerged with the appearance of online video games. The phenomenon of Esports became quite popular during the last decade, even if the game development market is much older than that. If you ever heard about LoL or League of Legends, Counter-Strike, WoW, or Fortnite then you know what it is all about.

The immense popularity of these games, millions of players around the globe, tournaments and competitions – all of it led to the rise of Esports betting. Once upon a time, it was probably hard to find Esports as a betting market at any sportsbook, but nowadays it is quite common. And if you are not familiar with it, you should know that Esport events might be one of the top spectated competitions currently.

In regards to the betting industry, the number of views doesn’t mean that they are all bettors. This is due to the fact that the majority of the Esports tournaments audience is minor. In addition, not many people are accustomed to betting on such events, and that might be another reason why it is not an incredibly popular market to bet on. However, for those who enjoy online gambling, there are various slot sites that offer various range of slot games with exciting features and bonuses.

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Esports Betting at Its Prime

Compared to the earlier Esports betting numbers, 2020 numbers caused by the lockdown were significantly higher. For example, the rise in the numbers recorded from 2015 to 2020 is incomprehensible, as it grew from 24 million to incredible 1.81 billion U.S. dollars. It all started with the COVID-19 crisis and lockdowns. It took only a few months for it to go from completely barely present to immensely popular in the betting world.

When other sports events started getting cancelled, so did the corresponding sports betting markets. Sportsbooks all around the world were struck badly, and all they could offer were sports bets on events from counties that didn’t have lockdowns or strict measures. But the popular Esports were definitely the light at the end of the tunnel.

A great number of bettors, especially the regular ones, turned to gamble on Esports. The thrill was there, the bets were there and all they needed was to win. Those wagerers who were hooked needed to figure out the video games and understand bets. And evidently, they did, since the rise in betting numbers don’t lie.

Is it For Good?

No one can claim with certainty how long will this gamers hype last. Once the normal sports betting markets start operating as usual it is no doubt that the numbers will drop. But, that doesn’t mean that the Esports bettor community base won’t continue to grow at a certain pace. Some operators who want to keep this market active even offer cash bonuses and promotions to their users.

Welcome offers, free spins for slots or exclusive offers for some events are not uncommon in the gambling world and you can find them at this exclusive list of no deposit welcome bonuses. Their purpose is to attract new customers and keep them active and interested in certain betting markets. Let’s keep in mind the fact that there is a great possibility that the underaged spectators counted in the beforementioned statistics can turn to betting when they turn 18. or go to college.

This might motivate punters to stick to Esports, but for how long?

Conclusion

The effect COVID-19 and lockdowns had on the gambling industry as well as the Esport betting industry are quite apparent. The industry boomed and was in the spotlight for quite some time. But will it continue to grow at that pace? Is it possible that this was the peak of this betting market? These are some of the questions we will have answers to in the future.

Author’s Bio

Leslie Alexander Leslie is Content Lead at Gamblizard who is an experienced technology writer with a strong casino industry writing background. Along with managing her team, Leslie can be found developing different types of content and also coordinating our freelance content writers. She can turn any kind of topic into an interesting feature, packed with facts and style her audience adores.

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Jon Dingle Editor

A film journalist, writer and a filmmaker in business for over 20 years. I am passionate about movies, television series, music and online games.