How Sports betting is Moving into eSports

Times are Changing

There is something strange in the air these days, a shift, a change that has become increasingly obvious all over the world. There are huge, sweeping social change movements occuring. Among them is the release of tight and stringent regulations that have been clamped down on sports betting for a long time.

It was only recently that sports betting has become more accepted by the general public. Once a taboo affair, sports betting was held on a tight leash. These restrictions allowed Las Vegas to hold a monopoly over gambling. It is only just now that America has lifted the ban on sports betting. As a result, the pastime is quickly moving into pre-existing marketplaces, such as eSports.

Good Game

History has shown us that anything that can be done competitively, people are likely to bet on. Well eSports is no longer a whisper that people talk about in the underground. This now multi-billion dollar industry attracts millions of spectators from all over the world to watch their favorite professional players assert their dominance as the best in their game.

What has surprised many however, is the quick move many sports bettors are making into the eSports scene. Clearly the gamblers sense opportunity, watching this marketplace grow to epic proportions right in front of them.

Big Business

The interesting thing about sports betting moving into eSports, is that it is not happening underground anymore. Huge players are moving into the mix. Players like MGM and Wynn Resorts are making moves hoping to cash in big on this trend. Blizzard even landed a multi-million dollar deal with Disney for their growing Overwatch League, a competitive gaming platform set up for the popular team objective first-person shooter.

Even more impressive, Amazon has moved into the space as well. Amazon is arguably the most powerful company in the world right now. Their popular gaming streaming network Twitch, has also been doing very well, cashing in big on the new trend.

The eSports market is expected to reach $900 million by the end of 2018. Some projections predict that this will grow into 1.5 billion by 2020. Other big platforms like Facebook and Twitter could jump into the market too, which could cause a meteoric growth. Even the NBA is looking to cash in on the eSports market. With so many big players, it is only a matter of time until this scene explodes.

Big World, Little Games

There is so much cash flowing into the video game market right now that nearly anyone can cash in. Even little games like those from TouchArcade are growing in popularity. The reason for this, is that gaming is seeping into other demographics and age groups. There are now games being made for everyone, even seniors. People who once would have never dreamed of touching a video game are now spending hours on phone or social media games. This generation bridge is only going to add to the explosiveness of the gaming industry.