Many different esports titles have quickly risen to be amongst the most popular form of online entertainment, drawing in millions of viewers for the big events and rivalling even the biggest traditional sporting events too. The past few years have also seen the steady rise of esports betting, with a huge number of bookmakers jumping onboard with the rising success, just look at them here at esportsbetting.site – but why is esports betting growing so quickly, and what has enabled it to become so successful in such a short amount of time?
Ease of viewership – Developing an interest comes from watching, and this is where esports has certainly been able to separate itself – with the biggest platforms like Twitch being free to access and sharing the biggest events in esports around the world, it has allowed the viewer base to continue to grow without any restrictions like paywalls. More traditional options are tied to big broadcasting deals that keep them tied behind paid services and regional restrictions, similarly with the recordings of the games too, but this change for livestreaming and free access to VOD’s is certainly setting esports apart.
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Huge diversity in games – Whilst the three big esports titles are tied up behind two genres of first-person shooter and MOBA, the wider esports market as a whole covers a wide range in diversity of titles. The latest to grow in popularity has been within sporting titles like FIFA and the NBA, providing some familiarity for the viewers of non-virtual games and helping to grow the audience in the casual space. This diversity in gaming ensures there’s something for all niches, and where traditional sporting has the constraints of what’s physically possible, virtual games have been able to blend multiple interests into one title and has been able to create new genres entirely.
Greater acceptance of the sport – The biggest hurdle to overcome has always been within getting esports accepted by a wider audience and not just an enthusiastic niche – this past year has certainly helped there as many casual viewers were given the opportunity to check different esports out throughout the pandemic, but big organisations also legitimising esports as it had been suggested esports could be used as a pre-cursor at the Olympics certainly help too. With the big leagues in traditional sporting also setting up their own virtual leagues and supporting teams too, it has helped change attitudes to the world of esports.
Given changing attitudes toward gaming as a whole and growing interest in many aspects of gaming, esports shows no signs of slowing, and the betting market will only continue to grow alongside it – it seems the future of sporting is firmly rooting itself in an online setting, and esports is already ahead of the curve there.
