Having once been viewed as a fleeting pastime, esports now stands up against many more traditional sports, across a variety of spheres.
From the elite, competitive level progressing to a stage where participants are being touted for Olympic participation, through to a whole generation of young players coming through, hoping to make their name in the world of sports – esports participation has reached an all-time high.
As a consequence, the global footprint and awareness of esports has seen the sport reach new audiences and markets, with the sports betting industry very much embracing the revolution.
The similarities between the advent of online betting and esports have long been visible and statistics have shown that both industries are booming in conjunction.
Esports betting is now commonplace with all online UK and Irish casino providers and esports betting alone is forecast to generate almost $3 billion in revenue in the coming years.
With more players than ever before now engaging in esports betting activities, it has become a staple for sportsbooks and punters, and the esports betting trend has hit new heights in 2025.
Variety in The Market
Unlike many more traditional sports, esports offers a broad tapestry of game offerings, each carrying their own betting opportunities.
From sport based games such as FIFA, through to combat battles such as DOTA or Call of Duty, there is more variety in terms of attracting interest from new audiences and in turn, punters.
Successful bookmakers have been quick to ascertain the key market offerings, across all of the big esports productions and consequently, gamblers are able to find ways to bet on specific in-game outcomes, which meet their interests and needs.
In-Play and Live Betting
The 24/7 global nature of esports lends itself to the online sports betting sphere, with esports matches and competitions taking place all over the world.
With punters able to tune into the action, thousands of miles from where they are situated and not only live stream the event but place bets on it, the opportunities out there in the world of esports betting are unrivalled.
Furthermore, the lack of physicality involved in esports enables the professional players to recover quicker and there are more fixtures on the international esports calendar – again, giving punters more chance to get involved in the action.
Live betting and streaming has become a huge part of the esports industry too, with odds and markets developing as competitions and fixtures pan out – drawing direct parallels with many other sports such as football and basketball betting markets.
Record Breaking Numbers
In the space of 10 years, the growth in esports betting has been exponential and year on year, more and more revenue is being generated.
Over 70 million people worldwide placed bets on an esports market in 2024, with $2.5 billion staked on esports alone in the year just passed.
The aforementioned financial growth forecast within the esports world has coincided with the increase in coverage rights generated by esports.
With Activision Blizzard’s rights deal for the Call of Duty league worth over $50 million and Riot Games’ deals reportedly reaching the $40 million mark, more money than ever before has been injected into the sport.
Betting and watching esports has become the norm for punters across the globe and with more options and markets than ever before, the esports betting world continues to boom.
