eSports is quickly becoming one of the world’s most popular spectator sports and is quickly becoming one of the most popular sports slowly overtaking motorsports and in the future could even overtake the popularity of football! Alongside the growth in the sports, we have seen a growth in eSports betting in the UK with the rise of new platforms and the integration of eSports sections to existing sports betting sites. Here, we’re taking a closer look at the state of betting in UK eSports.
The Value Of eSports Industry In The UK
Before we dive into betting, we’re taking a look at the industry as a whole and how this has grown over the past few years. According to Ukie, the UK esports sector makes up just under 8% of the global market, with the sector being supported by £111.5 million in Gross Value Added (GVA) in 2019. The value of eSports in the UK grew on average 8.5% annually between 2016 and 2019 and is projected to see the same increases moving forward throughout 2022.
eSports Betting
Like many sports, being able to place bets on your favourite teams playing competitive video games is growing in popularity and many pre-existing bookies are beginning to integrate new sections of eSports. With the likes of Betway sponsoring eSports teams like Ninjas in Pyjamas, we can quickly see how these platforms are seeing the potential of betting in the industry. The UK Gambling Commission has handed out a series of licenses to eSports betting companies with some newer platforms that specialise solely in this entering the market to really open up the floodgates to eSports betting.
What Can You Bet On In eSports?
eSports betting is similar to the way you would bet on any team sport. There are a number of different games that are included under the eSports banner, with Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and League of Legends being two of the most popular. However, we have seen Defense of the Ancients 2 (DOTA 2) rising in popularity along with Fortnite, King of Glory, Heartstone, NBA 2K and FIFA all picking up traction in recent years.
The way that you bet on eSports is similar to the conventional sports betting – for the simplest bets you can bet on the outcome of a match, you can bet on multiple outcomes in an accumulator. If you have more knowledge of the games that you are wagering on, you may bet on who will be the first map winner on CS:GO and other similar game-specific bets.
What Payment Methods Can I Use?
There are a number of options that you can use for payment on an eSports betting site. These are similar to the usual forms of payment and tend to include:
- Visa Debit / Credit Card
- MasterCard Debit / Credit Cards
- PayPal
- Neteller
- Skrill
eSports is still a growing industry and betting on eSports is a relatively new concept for many bookies. The specific platforms that are being driven by the eSports community and are user-centric may be the best option for those who are new to eSports betting.
