HOW COVID-19 HAS CHANGED ESPORTS BETTING FOREVER: ANALYSIS BY LOOT.BET

Published

7 days ago

15/04/2020

With entire industries collapsing before our eyes due to the ongoing global COVID-19 crisis, the digital space is holding up relatively well. However, even online businesses can expect to see some very real consequences sooner or later. Unfortunately, this will include the esports and esports betting industries. But, how exactly will the pandemic crisis hit the still maturing esports betting industry? Though we live in very unpredictable times, the LOOT.BET team has analysed the data available, and considered where things may go from here.

Audience

Despite all the disruption wrought by COVID-19, the esports industry has definitely lucked out in the fact that it can at least function, almost fully, in an online space that is unsusceptible to viruses (well, of the physical kind at least!). Of course, the part of the industry that can’t function is live events, and to this end esports operators have already lost a ton of money in terms of ticket and merchandise sales. Given this, we expect esports companies that rely on live events to suffer most from the pandemic, and some bankruptcies are likely.

However, esports in general won’t lose the ability to attract and engage fans, and will continue to see rapid audience growth. Illustrating this, key tournaments including ESL One Los Angeles and ESL Pro League 11 have migrated online and avoided cancellation. And, even if the COVID-19 situation worsens, we expect to see more major events shift online, but continue to operate.

One thing we can say with absolute certainty, is that the lockdowns being enforced in countries around the world, are actually boosting the growth of the esports audience. As people are stuck in lockdown, working remotely, or self-isolating, many are looking for new alternatives to their usual offline activities and entertainment. While existing esports fans are also finding they have a lot more time to indulge in their interest. Given this, we expect to see a large number of existing casual esports fans transform into fully-fledged esports enthusiasts.

Supporting these assertions are recent reports from Twitch showing a 20% increase in stream viewers over the first couple of weeks of the lockdowns. Of course, we should remain rational here, and not assume that everyone stuck at home will become an esports fan. Those who have never been interested in esports, or even video games in general, are more likely to spend their time watching Netflix or reading books. But, it is clear that the coronavirus-induced lockdowns will definitely stimulate the interest for esports among those casual viewers who, while already aware of esports, are yet to join what we would call the ‘active audience’.

So, what does this all mean for esports betting? Firstly, it means extra growth, with new spending by those who are stuck at home and bored. Secondly, it means a partial migration of active and professional bettors from traditional sports to esports, as they look for alternatives due to the global sports shutdown. Thirdly, it means increased activity from those already following and betting on esports.

Activity

We can already backup our observations with hard figures. Just over the first couple of weeks of the lockdowns, the volume of bets placed at LOOT.BET has surged by an impressive 20% (and now, it’s growing by 20% every week), site traffic has grown by 30%, and registrations have rocketed by 50%. And, it should be added, these growth rates are in addition to the already accounted for organic growth, driven by ongoing marketing campaigns, and major events like ESL One Los Angeles, ESL Pro League 11, and LOOT.BET/CS Season 6.

It’s curious that self-isolation has affected not just our users’ activities, but their habits as well. For instance, as more people follow esports streams, the share of live bets is also growing at an accelerated pace. In 2019, live bets already accounted for a whopping 75%, but by March that had reached 83%. Besides this, more users are turning to previously less popular markets, such as the first Roshan kill in Dota 2 and winner of a pistol round in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. It seems obvious this is down to the sudden growth of esports online, and the extra time people have to explore new markets thanks to lockdowns.

And, of course, being so hungry for classic sports, many sports fans and bettors have discovered an outlet in esports and virtual sports. Reflecting this, after extending our offers for FIFA 20 this March, we immediately saw a huge increase in terms of this discipline. In fact, despite being one of the less popular games at LOOT.BET prior to the coronavirus crisis, today FIFA 20 is generating greater bet volumes than Overwatch, Call of Duty and StarCraft 2 combined. In response to this, we’re also planning to develop our lines on NBA 2K, which was another previously unpopular discipline.

Betting

Even prior to the first case of COVID-19 being reported, some betting industry professionals were predicting that within 10-20 years, esports would catch up with all classic sports in terms of bet volume. However long the pandemic lasts, it now seems certain esports betting will catch up with traditional sports betting even sooner.

Indeed, over the past few years, esports has become one of the major disciplines for many classic sportsbooks – often eclipsing popular sports like basketball and baseball. But, in the current situation, esports and virtual sports are pretty much the only things both punters and bookmakers can bet on. The reality is that today, when even big betting operators are suspending activities and land-based casinos are completely shut, esports is acting as a critical lifebuoy for the gambling industry.

In this situation, the already intense war for esports bettors is sure to escalate even further. But, despite the massive resource advantage classic bookmakers had before the pandemic crisis, specialist platforms like LOOT.BET are still a long way ahead of the generic bookies. It is precisely because specialist esports betting sites are more in tune with the esports audience, better understand fans’ expectations and wants, and tend to respond more quickly to requests, that they are not suffering operating losses despite the serious COVID-19 crisis.

Of course, after the pandemic is over classic sports, and our lives in general, will quickly return to normal. The unforeseen dynamics that have boosted esports betting will fade out, some of those new esports viewers will never become enthusiasts, and many sports punters will return to their traditional sports. But, the dramatic surge of interest in esports betting will have given a considerable impetus to the industry in the short term, and will have a very real lasting effect in terms of accelerating what was already phenomenal longer term growth.

Want to find out more about esports betting trends? Check out ‘A Portrait of the Typical Esports Bettor’ here.

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AYO.NEWS team

eSports

AFFLELOU & AMD SUPPORT RIOT GAMES’ EUROPEAN MASTERS

Published

12 hours ago

21/04/2020

Oliver Cook

Image credit: Afflelou

Riot Games has announced partnerships with Afflelou and AMD for the League of Legends European Masters Spring 2020.

French brand Afflelou has been confirmed as the competition’s optical products and hearing aids partner, while AMD will be graphic card and CPU partner.

Commenting on the news President of AFFLELOU Group, Didier Pascual, said:

“We are very proud to partner with European Masters, the championship which reveals the future eSport talents. Thanks to this partnership, Afflelou meets values such as innovation and performance. This is our second partnership on eSport, which demonstrates we are confident for its future. Moreover, as health vision experts, we’d like to insist on prevention for players but also for the fan community.”

While Head of Partnerships & Business Development EMEA at Riot Games, Alban Dechelotte, added:

“We are delighted of Affelou’s confidence and of its communication for the young, innovated and European fans. We are just at the beginning of partnerships between esports and non-endemic brands, and we are proud to welcome Afflelou as pioneer partner of the European Masters.”

It’s not the first foray into esports for the AFFLELOU Group. At the end of 2019 the company entered a two year partnership with French esports organisation Team Vitality, becoming its official supplier and running a campaign to raise awareness of good eye health in video gaming.

AYO.NEWS says:

Considering how important eyesight is to gamers, its actually quite strange that we don’t see more eyewear and optical brands get involved in the space. But then again, if this partnership is a success, maybe more will follow Afflelou’s lead.

AYO.NEWS says features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited.

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020.

eSports

FACEBOOK IMPROVES GAMING OFFERING WITH NEW STREAMING & SOCIAL PLAY APP

Published

16 hours ago

21/04/2020

Oliver Cook

Facebook has launched a new mobile app for its streaming service, Facebook Gaming.

The new app, which brings together Facebook’s gaming-related services, including streaming, social features and games, is currently available on Android and Facebook, with the company saying it is working on an iOS version.

The release of the app was originally scheduled for June, but has been brought forward due to the increased demand for home entertainment during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. According to the social media giant, over 700 million of its 2.5 billion users are now playing games through the platform each month.

The new product is clearly part of Facebook’s effort to improve its appeal to gamers and draw them away from competing streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube.

Over the past few months Facebook has had some success tempting top streaming talent away from Twitch, signing popular names including Hearthstone streamer Jeremy ‘Disguised Toast’ Wang and Gonzalo ‘ZeRo’ Barrios, the Chilean former pro Super Smash Bros. player.

AYO.NEWS says:

Its interesting to note that, despite investing a huge amount of money in its gaming offering, Facebook has decided to launch it without ad support, instead planning to take a cut off of the donations viewers send to their favourite streamers. While we’re sure an ad-free environment will be appreciated by users, will the commission based system prove sustainable for streamers, and palatable for fans? Time will tell…

AYO.NEWS says features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited.

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020.

eSports

NEVADA APPROVES WAGERING ON ESL ONE RIO CS:GO MAJOR 2020

Published

18 hours ago

21/04/2020

Oliver Cook

The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) has approved wagering on yet another esports event, the ESL One Rio CS:GO Major 2020.

Wagering has been approved for head-to-head, match winners, and overall winner, for the event which is scheduled to take place from 9-22 November in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

Bookies will, however, need to wait until official rules for the tournament have been published by the event organiser or sanctioning body, before taking wagers, and live betting will not be permitted.

In a clear sign it is warming to esports, over the last few weeks the NGCB has cleared wagering on a number of events, including the Call of Duty League, League of Legends Championship Series (LCS), League of Legends European Championship (LEC), Overwatch League, the eNASCAR Pro Invitational Series, and ESL One Los Angeles Dota 2.

AYO.NEWS says:

With bookies in Nevada desperate to expand their offering to customers during the COVID-19 crisis, but virtually all traditional sports cancelled, esports is offering a real lifeline for businesses, so its great to see the NGCB is acting quickly while maintaining strict integrity standards.

AYO.NEWS says features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited.

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020.

eSports

PUBG CORP LAUNCHES NEW ONLINE SERIES AS ALL LIVE EVENTS CANCELLED

Published

2 days ago

20/04/2020

Oliver Cook

Image credit: PUBG Corp

All live esports events for PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS (PUBG) have been cancelled for the year, and will be replaced by a regional online series.

PUBG Corp. made the decision to cancel the PUBG Global Series, and replace it with a new regional online series, in response to the ongoing COVID-19 (coronavirus) crisis.

The PUBG Continental Series (PCS) will consist of events in May, June and August, across four regions (Asia, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and North America), and feature a total prize fund of USD $2.4 million.

The first event, in May, will take the form of a charity showdown, with each region’s winner nominating a charity which PUBG Corp. will donate $100K to.

In an attempt to provide much needed revenue to competitors, and more entertainment for fans, June and August will also see the return of the “Pick’Em Challenge” and in-game items.

According to PUBG Corp., the 21 teams that had previously qualified for the now cancelled Berlin roadshow tournament will receive $20K each as compensation. The teams that had qualified were Gen.G, FaZe Clan, 4AM, OGN ENTUS, Natus Vincere, Team Liquid, Exalt Gaming, WTSG, ENCE, Northern Lights Team, Global Esports Xsset, Team Curson, Golden Cat, Buriram United Esports, Cerberus Esports, ArkAngel Predator, VRLU GHIBLI, GRIFFIN, Element Mystic, Team Quadro, and SunSister.

AYO.NEWS says:

While it will of course be disappointing for those teams that had qualified for Berlin, the $20K compensation each is a nice touch from PUBG Corp, and we’re sure the fan community and teams will make the best of the situation and embrace the new online Continental Series.

AYO.NEWS says features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited.

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020.

eSports

E-COMMERCE PLATFORM LAZADA TEAMS UP WITH EVOS ESPORTS IN INDONESIA

Published

2 days ago

20/04/2020

Oliver Cook

Image credit: EVOS Esports

Southeast Asian esports organisation EVOS Esports has teamed up with e-commerce platform Lazada Indonesia – the local branch of Lazada Group.

The one-year partnership will see Lazada support EVOS Esport’s activities, including tournaments and other events, and is part of the company’s efforts to boost mobile gaming and esports in Indonesia.

Kicking off the partnership, last week EVOS soft launched its official store on the Lazada Indonesia platform, holding a flash sale of official merchandise.

In June, EVOS Esports will be running an open talent audition, making around 250 tickets for the Mobile Legends audition and 250 tickets for the Free Fire audition available for sale on the Lazada platform.

Discussing the partnership Co-founder and Chief Business Officer of EVOS Esports, Hartman Harris, said:

“We are thrilled on the collaboration with Lazada Indonesia. EVOS Esports is the leading esports organisation that connects esports players, influencers and fans across Southeast Asia.

“With a total following of over 65M YouTube subscribers and 50M Instagram followers and over 350M views per month, EVOS Esports has always been interested in growing the esports eco-system and we are delighted in creating immersive experiences for the esports community together with Lazada Indonesia.”

While Chief Marketing Officer at Lazada Indonesia, Monkia Rudijono, added:

“We are very excited about the collaboration with EVOS Esports. As a company that adapts the sophistication of Alibaba’s technology, Lazada is committed to continue in accelerating the progress of the technology-based creative economy and encouraging the talents of every individual, especially the younger generation, so that they can grow in one of the sectors that is growing rapidly, mobile gaming and esports.”

Founded in 2017, Jakarta-based EVOS Esports now manages 50 gaming influencers and works with more than 300 esports talents across the Southeast Asia region.

In 2019 EVOS Esports secured more than €8 million in funding in the course of several rounds. Investors included Insignia Ventures Partners, several Indonesian angel investors, and top-level management from a leading Chinese ecommerce company.

AYO.NEWS says:

With a population of nearly 270 million people and an estimated 52 million mobile gamers (according to Newzoo), the potential for gaming and esports in Indonesia is huge, so its no surprise to see Lazada keen to associate itself with the sector. From EVOS Esports’ point-of-view, with merchandising becoming increasingly important to esports organisations’ revenue generation, such a partnership makes a lot of sense.

AYO.NEWS says features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited.

eSports

NEOSURF SUPPORTS ESPORTS DOWN UNDER, WITH OCEANIC PRO LEAGUE DEAL

Published

2 days ago

20/04/2020

Oliver Cook

Image credit: OPL

Internet payment company Neosurf is now an official partner of Riot Games’ foremost League of Legends competition for the Oceanic region, the Oceanic Pro League (OPL).

As presenting partner of the OPL Final Series, Neosurf has been giving away in-game costmetics throughout the playoffs (17-18 April), and will do the same for the grand final scheduled for 24 April.

An official statement on the OPL website said:

“We’d like to extend a warm welcome to leading payment provider, Neosurf as an Official Partner of the OPL, and Presenting Partner of the OPL Finals Series! The partnership will result in some awesome new content and experiences for OPL viewers, tune in to the Playoffs this weekend for a little taste of what’s to come.”

Launched back in 2004, over the last few months Neosurf has enthusiastically embraced esports, recently partnering with Excel Esports in the UK, and K1ck eSports Club in Portugal. Staying down under, in October 2019, the company signed a multi-year deal with Australia-based EHPC – through which it became sponsor of Dire Wolves, N8 Esports, Supa-Stellar, and Team Oracle.

AYO.NEWS says:

Neosurf obviously sees esports as a central plank of its marketing strategy moving forward, and its good to see the company has a truly global outlook, supporting esports organisations spanning Europe and Oceania. Given the massive increase in popularity esports is experiencing thanks to the COVID-19 crisis, we expect companies already sponsoring esports, like Neosurf, to double down on their investments over the coming months.