Cybersport was affixed – Newspaper Kommersant No. 63 (7508) dated 04/12/2023
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Betting companies reported a 25% increase in the volume of bets in the eSports segment in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. According to the League of Rates, 95% of all eSports bets are placed on such disciplines as Dota 2 and Counter-Strike. Special attention to e-sports offices began to pay due to the lack of other free niches, experts believe. Moreover, bookmakers already hold tournaments under their own brands and create their own teams.
Major betting companies surveyed by Kommersant note an increase in the volume of bets on eSports competitions. For example, Liga Stavov reported that in the first quarter, the average amount of eSports bets increased by 25% year-on-year. The company also talks about the growth in the number of bets on eSports teams by more than 35% over the past two years. The main eSports disciplines in the CIS are Dota 2 and Counter-Strike (owned by the American publisher Valve), which account for 95% of bets.
In Liga Stavov, they talk about a “patriotic pattern”: clients support teams from the CIS, including Team Spirit, Virtus Pro and Forze.
“Thus, the fans want to express their support for our clubs,” believes Mikhail Zhuravsky, head of eSports at Liga Stavok. After the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine, some European companies refused to cooperate with Russian esports teams, including Virtus.pro, Team Spirit, Gambit Esports and Team Empire, etc. (see “Kommersant” dated March 3, 2022).
A Fonbet representative said that in 2023, the average monthly number of clients of the office as a whole increased by 16%, and turnover (all receipts to the current account) – by 44%, noting an increase in Dota 2 users (by 37%). In the top in terms of the number of bets, esports teams from the CIS, Europe and the USA have an advantage, however, the company did not name specific teams. BetBoom does not disclose the number and amount of bets, but notes that eSports is in the top 7. The company added that 99% of the bets are made live, and the most popular moment is the outcome of the match.
A significant increase in bets on e-sports is observed primarily by bookmakers, who themselves have begun to work hard with the sponsorship of such competitions, believes Boris Gubkin, editor-in-chief of the Bookmakers Rating information and analytical portal.
At the same time, e-sports remains a complementary direction for any bookmaker, so the creation of a new operator that “would accept bets exclusively on this direction would be unprofitable,” notes Mr. Gubkin. He added that the offices began to pay special attention to eSports “due to the lack of other free niches”, while some even hold tournaments under their own brand and create their own teams.
So, Fonbet this year launched a media league, within which the first esports tournament with a prize fund of 1.5 million rubles was held on March 11 and 12. The company said they are considering potential collaborations with professional teams: “The focus is mainly on Countre-Strike: Global Offensive and Dota 2, but this does not mean that we do not study other disciplines.”
In the future, the Games of the Future, which are scheduled to be held in Kazan in 2024, can contribute to the growth of eSports bets, their organization has been supervised by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko since 2021.
The competition is positioned as an international one and unites the competition at the same time in mobile sports and video games. Disciplines include Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, Mortal Kombat 11, Mobile Legends: Bang, Beat Saber.
Fonbet stated that they are “monitoring the project and other esports events.” The organizers of the project are not embarrassed by the association with bookmakers: “The interest of any sponsors will have an extremely positive impact on the development of the Games of the Future project, since additional funds raised will help make a spectacular product.”
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