The 21st century has been the age of both esports and iGaming. Esports emerged from the gloom of not being taken seriously and moved into the mainstream. Similarly, iGaming has transformed from being a minor sector of the gambling industry to one of its most lucrative areas.
Both owe a lot of their success to the continued creep of the digital world into every aspect of our daily lives. The popularity of mobile devices for both gaming and watching streaming entertainment has also contributed.
Esports and iGaming have also had a mutual impact on one another. That’s not surprising in the video game sphere, where studios, consoles, developers and everyone in between have always built off the successes of one another. In this article we’ll provide a quick overview of both esports and iGaming, then take a deeper look into the role of esports in the evolution of iGaming.
The esports industry
If you’re reading this, the odds are good that you already know a little something about esports. For anyone who’s accidentally stumbled onto this site, we’ll provide a very brief explanation of what esports are and what games are played.
Esports typically involve competitive multiplayer video games, though there a small number of solo games. Esports are played by professionals in a highly organized team system. The major esports organizations have a stable of teams to compete in all of the major games, as well as back up players, coaches and trainers — just like any other professional sports organization.
Most top esports games combine fast-paced gameplay with skill, strategy and communication. Currently, the leading esports games are Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Warzone, Dota 2, League of Legends, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) and Rocket League.
The iGaming industry
The iGaming industry is the digital side of the gambling industry. It covers everything from online casinos and sportsbooks to sweepstakes casinos, lotteries, bingo, keno, Slingo, scratchcard games and instant win games.
iGaming has been growing steadily over the last 30 years. A major contributor to this constant growth is the gradual legalization of online gambling in countries and regions around the world. In the United States, for example, each state has the ability to set their own online gambling laws. The situation is similar in Canada. This leads to countries gradually legalizing online gambling fully.
While some concerns have been raised about iGaming, in general it is accepted. Taxes imposed on the profits of iGaming companies are helping to revitalize local economies and countries are introducing regulations to promote responsible gambling and keep players safe.
Esports-themed games
The leading esports games are among the most popular competitive video games. This means that even among non-players these games are familiar. These games have become so popular that many of them have jumped to other forms of media, including TV shows, movies and spin off games.
Given the popularity of esports games among gamer and more general audiences, they make great inspiration for online casino games. With slot games in particular, players who are new to iGaming and scrolling through the thousands of options are likely to recognize esports titles and are more likely to play them.
Most online casinos offer bonuses to attract new bettors and to keep returning customers happy. One of the most popular of these is wager-free play. This lets players try games for free before making a financial commitment. Some of those games include these esports-inspired slots.
There are many online casino games inspired by particular esports games. The Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare slot by Cryptologic is incredibly popular and directly based on the beloved FPS. Battle Shop by CyberSlot is more loosely based on Dota 2. Instead of referring directly to the game, the icons in the slot are reminiscent of the weapons and armor in Dota 2. Similarly, CounterPunch Pro is based on CS:GO but does not directly reference the game.
In the future evolution of iGaming, it would be exciting to see esports-themed live dealer games. Live dealer games are currently moving from solely occupying the table game space to games inspired by familiar board game and game shows. Live dealer games inspired by esports games or the entire esports experience would be a logical — and exciting — step for the industry.
Esports betting
Online sports betting has helped the betting industry to explode in popularity across the United States and throughout the rest of the world it has increased access to top tier sportsbooks. Betting has always been a part of sports fandom and the introduction of online sportsbooks has made it possible for anyone to access odds on any market.
Once esports became recognized as a real competitive sport by a wider audience, bookmakers realized that it would be an ideal betting market to add to their slates. Not every sportsbook offers odds on esports, but it has been steadily growing in popularity as a betting sport and appearing on an increasing number of sportsbooks.
Most online sportsbooks that have odds on esports will limit their odds to the major international tournaments. This is similar to how many smaller, independent sports are treated. Some of the top esports events to bet on online include the Esports World Cup, the International Dota 2 Championships and the major Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournaments.
The Esports World Cup is one of the more interesting developments for both esports and iGaming. Major international tournaments are one of the main ways that new fans are introduced to sports and to betting on them. The 2024 Esports World Cup just kicked off this month with Call of Duty: Warzone. The event will continue through August.
Conclusions
Esports has inspired and shaped the iGaming industry in subtle ways. It has inspired some games and encouraged the development of an esports betting market. Both esports and iGaming have benefited from the constant presence of mobile devices in our daily lives, and both have a bright future in the coming years.
