Esports, short for electronic sports, is a booming form of entertainment in the 20th century. With video games being an interest to billions worldwide, it’s pretty natural to see that the competitive gaming industry is snowballing. However, esports itself isn’t the only reason for the industry’s popularity, as the betting side of esports has helped the scene develop faster. If you’re keen on learning why esports betting is a massive contributor to the esports scene, read this article!
Betting Companies Are Sponsoring Esports Teams
It’s always awesome to see the caliber of esports teams increase, as watching them clash against each other becomes more entertaining as they get better. However, it may be difficult for some unknown players to make their way to the top of the scene. Despite having skills that rival top players, some players cannot make a name for themselves in the professional scene due to a lack of facilities.
To become a tier 1 team, teams will require boot camps, coaches, and maybe even psychologists. However, these things cost money, and players may need more work to collect funds for said facilities. That is where esports betting sites come in. Many notable bookmakers have started sponsoring esports teams and have helped them fund costs to improve their training.
Now, most players won’t have to worry about making enough money to get by the month, as hefty salaries are being paid to these players by betting companies. Most sponsorships also pay for player flights. This financial support ensures that esports players don’t need to think about money and can solely focus on getting better at the game.
Esports Betting Companies Are Funding Esports Tournaments
We’ve learned that betting companies have begun to fund esports teams, but what’s the point if teams don’t have anywhere to show their skill? At the end of the day, esports is a form of entertainment, and the largest share of esports entertainment comes from esports tournaments.
The hype surrounding a tournament often comes from the participating teams and, most importantly: the prize pool. And it’s pretty essential to note that you’ll need high prize pools to get the best teams in the world to participate. So where do these million-dollar tournaments get their money? To answer that question, a decent chunk of tournament prize pools are directly funded by betting companies, and many of them can be found on this site. This funding means that esports betting companies are greatly helping the esports scene develop a professional circuit.
GG.Bet, a very popular bookmaker, was the official betting partner of The International 11, which is an $18,000,000 tournament. Not only are esports betting sites collaborating with tournament organizers, but newer companies such as BetBoom have begun hosting their standalone tournaments, such as the BetBoom Universe, with a prize pool of $100,000. Though these aren’t million-dollar tournaments, contests like these support lower-tier teams and keep the scene healthy and maintained.
Esports Betting Has Made Watching Matches More Entertaining
Watching the best teams play against each other can be very enjoyable. However, when you add esports betting into the mix, you can get extra excitement due to the stake you’ve invested in a match. Watching your team play can easily give you adrenaline rushes, and you start to lean closer to your screen to watch the game unfold.
How you watch a match as a regular fan and as a bettor can have very different approaches. When a big game is coming up, regular fans simply wait for the match to start, then watch. However, if you’re planning to bet on the said match, you’ll need to consider the betting odds, the form of both teams, win conditions, and any other strategy that can affect the game. And when the game’s outcome falls in your favor, it will feel much more rewarding as the research you’ve put in was worth it.
Not only is esports betting appealing to esports fans, but many traditional sports bettors have invested in the esports betting industry. This is because more and more people are starting to bet on esports, and as a result, more visibility is given to the competitive gaming scene. Greater visibility is good as it will reel in a larger number of demographics to participate in esports.
Esports Betting Creates A Community
The last reason how betting has made esports develop faster is that esports betting can create a community in which esports fans interact. Betting on esports matches allows esports fans from around the world to get together to talk about upcoming games and which team they think will win.
Fans can discuss different things such as a team’s current form, a player substitution, and can ultimately watch the games together. Fans can also bet against their friends and have internal competitions, making the esports viewing experience much more enjoyable. Esports can easily be conversation material that will help esports fans engage with each other.
One key benefit of the community esports betting sites have created is that esports fans aren’t limited to talking to their friends only. There are many ways to connect with other esports fans on the internet, such as servers, forums, and chat rooms. The best part about it is that most of these are public, so anyone can join to connect to esports communities. Dozens of Discord servers exist for esports bettors to speak to each other, making the esports betting community very inclusive.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the impact of esports betting on the esports industry has been very substantial and impactful. Betting has allowed the esports industry to receive an increase in revenue, higher excitement when watching esports matches, and a sense of community where people can come together to discuss tournaments. Overall, betting on esports has made the industry more exciting, perfect for an entertainment industry such as esports. We can expect to see the popularity of esports betting increase exponentially in the future.