The eSports industry has been steadily rising for a number of years. More players are moving to the professional circuit, bigger events are being organised and crucially, more people are watching.
This is all positive news, and something that can be built upon to go even further in the future.
The start of 2020 has seen a rapid rise in eSports viewers due to the Coronavirus pandemic that is sweeping around the world.
Many sporting events have been cancelled due to the pandemic, leaving those who watch and bet on sports with very few options.
One of the options has been eSports, with a number of events taking place and players taking part from their own homes.
This has seen new fans tune in to see what is happening, and many people have been betting on eSports for the first time during this period.
Can the eSports industry capitalise on a successful start to 2020 and use that to grow in the future?
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The Saving Grace for Many Sports Fans
Whether you like to watch along, support a specific team or watch sports for betting purposes, there are many people around the world who watch sports every week. Leagues such as the Premier League in England attract millions of fans watching live and on TV each week.
There has been little to choose from for those players over the past few weeks. eSports have been taking place, and they have been a saving grace for many sports fans, offering something to watch, enjoy and bet on.
Live streams have proved to be popular, and the stature of some teams and players has grown online because of the attention they have received after taking part in recent competitions.
Usually, the smaller eSports events attract very little interest from punters, but as one of the few sports still functioning, these have been far more popular than they normally are.
Strengthened Links with Bookmakers
The fact that eSports have been there to help out bookmakers who are looking to provide a service must not go unnoticed. Betting sites have had little to offer their customers, and much of their live sports service has been focused on eSports.
This will hopefully lead to strengthened links between eSports and bookmakers.
You only need to look at this eSports betting offers list to see just how many bookmakers are actively seeking new eSports customers.
What the eSports industry needs to ensure is that this doesn’t fade away in the future. They need to keep reminding bookmakers of how valuable they are and build up a relationship that sees bookmakers actively promoting and focusing on eSports more than ever before.
The Future
If bookmakers want to show their gratitude towards the eSports industry then there are many ways in which they can help in the future.
What would be great to see is some bookmaker sponsored events. This could create new events, or bring added prize money to something that is already part of the eSports calendar.
Profits during the Coronavirus pandemic for bookmakers will have taken a hit. However, that would have been much bigger without eSports. Perhaps they could re-invest some of that money back into competitions and show their thanks.
Away from betting, the sport also needs to look at how they can keep some of the spectators that have tuned in. These all have sports they like and enjoy watching, and while it is expected they will go back to those, eSports needs to find a way of keeping them interested and watching from time to time.
Do that, and the fan base will grow, meaning the future of eSports could look as bright as it has ever done before.
