The options for live bets vary based on the type of eSports title, with some choices suiting nearly every discipline. Those who have played their favorite game or watched streams before are familiar with the available bets and winning strategies.
Atlaslive, the dynamic iGaming Platform, explores highly-viewed games and the best providers on the market to have content that will truly engage experienced bettors and will attract new ones through a broad selection of live eSports markets. Today, operators are looking for more opportunities to attract new bettors and keep regular users engaged longer. Customization to the market and key needs, as well as an abundant offering on the innovative Sportsbook Platform, are especially important.
This article is the second part, continuing from a previous piece on eSports, where Atlaslive shares insights and real statistics in eSports betting, top games among players and viewers, the popularity of mobile eSports today, and describes the biggest markets with the highest revenue.
The eSports market: top 5 games attracting millions of players and viewers
League of Legends: a free-to-play MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) game, sustains itself through microtransactions, where players use an in-game currency called Riot Points to unlock champions, skins for champions and wards, summoner icons, and multi-game boosts. The game’s central mission is to breach the opposing team’s defenses and destroy their nexus, a crucial stronghold deep within the enemy base. Players assume the role of a summoner, orchestrating the actions of a uniquely skilled champion to outmaneuver opponents and seize control of the enemy nexus.
In recent years, the eSports scene has exploded, drawing in millions of viewers captivated by the world’s top gamers battling in high-stakes showdowns. The 2023 League of Legends World Championship shattered viewership records, peaking at 6.4 million, making it the most-watched eSports event in history.
Dota 2: is a captivating multiplayer real-time strategy (RTS) game, typically played in a 5v5 format. In 2023, the game, widely popular in eSports, featured a total prize pool surpassing $30.7 million.
Fortnite: by 2024, it’s hard to picture online gaming without Fortnite. This cross-platform game has turned into a cultural icon and helped boost video game live streaming. Fortnite offers six different game modes, but Fortnite Battle Royale is by far the most popular. In March 2023, Epic Games, the company behind Fortnite, announced that the game had reached half a billion accounts, showing how Fortnite aims to be more than just a game, it’s becoming a virtual world.
Thanks to its fun and addictive gameplay, Fortnite has been streamed for over 60 million hours by 2024. With its huge fan base, Fortnite eSports players can earn quite a bit from the large prize pools. Attracting players and viewers of all ages, Fortnite has over 624 million watch hours in 2024. Valorant comes in second as the most-streamed game on Twitch, with around 1.5 million streamers in 2024.
Counter-Strike: Having 16,441 pro players, Counter-Strike is considered the biggest eSports game in terms of competitor numbers.
Call of Duty: Known for its legendary competitive scene lasting over a decade, Call of Duty might not be the most popular eSports game, but it ranks among the top 10 in total earnings. First launched in 2003, this first-person shooter (FPS) franchise, published by Activision, has become a major player in the gaming world. By April 2021, the Call of Duty series had sold over 400 million units, making it one of the top-selling and highest-grossing video game franchises globally.
Atlaslive Sportsbook Platform allows for simple and smooth betting on the most popular eSports games in the world. In such a way operators have an opportunity to customize betting markets, easily access and monitor all betting activities in live mode, and experience full flexibility and adaptability inside of the system. Special templates, as an instrument for customization, help to provide necessary settings where the rest adjustments will go automatically.
There is a full freedom in creating a template according to your requirements just by several clicks. Choose eSport discipline, country, or tournament and get all the information you need at a glance with all odds, bets, and other additional settings.
How large is the mobile esports community today?
As smartphones become more affordable and powerful, gaming on Android and iOS has really taken off. This surge has also boosted the growth of mobile eSports, where tournaments now offer millions in prize money and attract massive audiences. The past few years, in particular, have shown that mobile eSports is an industry worth watching.
The eSports market is growing faster than ever, and mobile eSports is quickly becoming a big part of it. In this newer area, gamers face off in tournaments playing popular mobile games like PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty Mobile, and Clash Royale. Back in 2022, the revenue for mobile eSports was around $1.2 billion, and it’s expected to shoot up to over $5.4 billion by 2030.
The rise of mobile esports: a look at china’s growing influence
By 2025, China is expected to become one of the biggest markets for mobile eSports, bringing in almost 360 million U.S. dollars in revenue. It’s also predicted that China will have the largest number of mobile eSports viewers, with around 173.8 million people tuning in. Globally, mobile eSports viewership is forecasted to reach nearly 550 million by then. Right now, estimates show there are about 418 million mobile eSports viewers worldwide.
PUBG Mobile
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) is a multiplayer battle royale game that first came out in December 2017. Like other popular battle royale games such as Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone, PUBG drops up to 100 players into a fight for survival, where the last player or team standing wins. The mobile version, PUBG Mobile, launched globally in March 2018 and quickly became a hit.
In the game, players can buy in-game currency to get crates that unlock weapon customizations and character upgrades. Thanks to its popularity, player spending on PUBG Mobile reaches millions of dollars each month. With such a huge following, PUBG Mobile also became a major eSports game, with top players competing in tournaments every year. The biggest tournament is the PUBG Mobile Pro League, held every year across five regions.
Reports betting: the biggest market with the highest revenue
ESports betting is one of the key markets available today, which is on the rise, becoming more common on mainstream gambling platforms. There are many betting options beyond traditional match-winner bets, and live betting with real-time matches has made the experience more engaging today. Partnerships between betting operators and eSports teams in combination with the use of blockchain and cryptocurrencies, are making the future of this market even brighter.
Key drivers of growth include the expanding global audience, especially among younger people, and the professionalization of eSports with structured leagues and tournaments. The increasing availability of eSports betting through mobile platforms and live streaming is also attracting new bettors. With these factors in play, the eSports betting market is expected to see significant growth through 2027.
ESports betting continues to grow swiftly, and the graph shows how the top five different countries are contributing to the revenue forecast through 2029. It is interesting that the United States is currently the largest market, generating $0.55 billion in revenue in 2023, with an expected jump to $1.14 billion by 2029. This represents a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 12.7%, significantly outpacing other regions. In comparison, China, the second-largest market, is expected to grow more modestly from $0.14 billion in 2023 to $0.21 billion by 2029, with a 7% CAGR.
So why does the USA lead? The reason behind the U.S.'s dominance is its already well-established gambling culture, along with the increasing acceptance of eSports as a betting option. Considering the total U.S. sports betting revenue in 2023, which was $7.62 billion, we can count and see that eSports betting makes up around 7.2% of that figure, which is a promising share for a relatively new segment.
This is still a relatively small portion, but it shows that eSports is carving out a solid niche, especially among younger audiences who are familiar with the gaming world. The rapid adoption of new technologies like mobile platforms and the incorporation of live betting features also help boost this market.
The United States comes out on top with a big audience in eSports betting, with 11.4 million people involved in 2023. This figure is expected to climb to over 19 million by 2029, greatly exceeding countries like the United Kingdom, Germany, and France. The U.S. is ahead of other countries in eSports betting because of its advanced technology and quick shift to mobile and online betting platforms.
Live betting is very popular here, and tech-savvy audiences are highly engaged. Plus, the U.S. eSports industry receives huge investments in tournaments, sponsorships, and partnerships with entertainment companies, which helps the market grow even more.
One more reason is that the regulations for eSports betting in the U.S. are generally more open and flexible compared to many European countries. European nations often have stricter gambling laws, which include eSports betting, making it harder and slower for new technologies and approaches to be introduced.
Atlaslive’s iGaming Platform continuously analyzes market trends and player preferences to deliver a strong product lineup that caters to modern operators, helping them attract and retain their target audience. With its innovative and dynamic Sportsbook Platform, Atlaslive covers a wide range of sports events, including eSports, providing operators with the tools they need to stay competitive.
By offering customizable features, 99,9 % uptime, fast integration, a 24/7 support team, and real-time engagement options, Atlaslive makes it easier for operators to enter the growing eSports betting market and meet the evolving demands of both casual and professional bettors alike.
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Source: Atlaslive
