YouGov: betting’s significance
Esports and betting are both two quickly rising trends within the broader sports ecosystem. So, naturally, there is heightened excitement around the opportunity for these two forces to combine. But, do consumers share the same enthusiasm for the future of esports betting?
Currently, formalised betting on esports (via typical online betting platforms) is a very niche activity. According to recent YouGov data*, in the US, only two per cent of adults aged over 18 have bet on esports in the past year; in the UK the rate is even lower at one per cent.
By comparison, esports fans as a whole represent eight per cent of the US adult population and six per cent in the UK meaning a minority of an already small but undoubtedly growing audience are actively engaged in esports betting. Further, bettors on esports are more likely to be on the upper end of the typical esports fan age scale (e.g. ages 30-44 vs. the younger and arguably more desirable 18-29 age group).
Of note, not all esports bettors would consider themselves esports ‘fans’ particularly over the past 12 months as esports and virtual sport events have filled the temporary void left behind by cancelled traditional sport events. Hence, from a pure penetration standpoint, betting is not an activity the majority of the esports audience finds integral to their overall fan experience.
And yet, the promise of opportunity and growth for betting in esports is undeniable. Both are growing at incredible speeds and being more widely accepted and supported with regulation and infrastructure in key markets and regions.
Further, the online platforms most esports events are broadcasted on are ideal for engaging viewers alongside match viewing. In fact, they already do so frequently via chat features, and Twitch has even experimented with a ‘Predictions’ feature allowing viewers to wager Channel Points to bet on in-stream (though not
In a role specially created for her at YouGov, Nicole is designing the future of the company’s analytics in the esports and gaming sectors, building on what are already some of the industry’s deepest and most sophisticated research tools.
Nicole Pike, Global Sector Head of Esports and Gaming, YouGov
necessarily esports-specific) outcomes.
But this also points to what I believe is the crux of how big esports betting will get, and how quickly. Gamers and especially esports fans who are more engaged with their favourite titles and the competitive scenes around them have been wagering in their own, unique virtual ways for years.
Year after year as I’ve conducted research on this trend, gaming-specific wagering opportunities like loot boxes and skins betting are consistently preferred to formalised, sports- like betting on esports. Fans find value in staying within the existing ecosystem, and many express outright rejection of turning to outside sources for gambling opportunities.
However, publishers are slowing beginning to
Gaming-specific wagering opportunities like loot boxes and skins betting are consistently preferred to formalised, sports-like betting on esports. Fans find value in staying within the existing ecosystem, and many express outright rejection of turning to outside sources for gambling opportunities.
change the tides and likely gamer and fan opinion with them by better enabling esports gambling via more open data sharing for in- game activities and outcomes. As with much in esports, here publishers also hold a significant amount of power both in fuelling the data that creates the odds for continuous in-game outcome and props better, and in signalling to fans that esports betting via traditional gambling platforms is indeed acceptable within the gaming community.
*Source: YouGov survey conducted in February 2021, among US and UK general population consumers 18+ and monthly gamblers 18+.
NEWSWIRE / INTERACTIVE / MARKET DATA P111
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146
