Why cyber sports betting is so popular
In terms of growth and popularity, cybersport is probably the undisputed leader among all disciplines in the history of sports. But paradoxically, back in 2016, betting companies were not taking cybersport disciplines seriously. However, in 2020, it has become a mauvais ton for bookmakers not to have a ‘cybersport’ section on their betting list.
The first cybersports betting appeared in 2016. Moreover, CS:GO or Dota 2 fans were not betting money on their idols, but different game skins on special websites. But Valve, after a series of accusations of indulging in illegal gambling, categorically banned the use of game skins as bets and began to monitor the sites and crack down on such activities.
By that time, cyber sports had slowly begun to attract the attention of betting companies. They were attracted primarily by the large viewing audience and the accessibility of the sport to fans. While fans of traditional sports had to connect to cable TV and subscribe to special online services to follow events, fans of eSports watch most of the events in their field for free on YouTube or Twitch.And in games such as CS:GO or Dota 2 the opportunity to become a spectator of major tournaments is built into the functionality of the game itself.
Bookmakers have also taken note of the rapidly increasing financial component of eSports. For example, in Dota 2 the prize pool of the first The International, held in 2011, was $ 1.6 million, now it has reached the $ 40 million mark in such tournaments.
The milestone was the “coronavirus” of 2020, when, due to the pandemic, almost all major sporting events were either cancelled or postponed to a later date. And cybersport in this case was in the most advantageous situation. After all, unlike traditional sports, competitions can be held online and can draw a huge number of spectators: a million or more.
Seeing such a picture, betting companies realised that cyber sports was a gold mine for them.
The popularity of eSports betting is also due to the fact that often the winner is determined in a very short period of time. In CS:GO, for example, you can bet on the result of a particular round, find out within just two minutes (the duration of the round in this game), and if you are lucky, pick up the winnings.
Furthermore, in cyber sports you can bet with as many lines as in classic sports, and often even more.
Nowadays a lot of betting companies have made betting on eSports as one of their main activities, and some have even made it their core business. All the more so because the field is very promising, as multiplayer games come out frequently, the developers of each of them strive to ensure that their brainchild will eventually move into the category of cyber sports.
