INSIGHT ESPORTS - BAYES ESPORTS
In what ways do esports fans consume content differently from fans of 'traditional' sports?
Most notably, esports is much faster and more action-packed than traditional sports. Individual matches in esports are also much shorter. Take CS:GO, for example, where matches consist of individual rounds that only take a couple of minutes each, or League of Legends and Dota 2, where matches take longer (about 30-40 minutes), but there are no breaks or timeouts in between. Esports means non- stop action, which is a great experience for fans, but it also means it can be very tough to follow for viewers that only have limited prior experience.
Arguably though, this is a question we still need to find definitive answers to. Te differences in how esports and traditional sports are consumed at the moment are caused mostly by the differences of the games themselves (i.e. 40 minute long League of Legends match vs. three- hour long Baseball game) and the way they are presented (i.e. live streams vs. TV broadcasts).
Tere still is a lot of research that needs to be done to fully understand the way esports and sports fans in general would want to consume their sport and what we can do to satisfy those needs. Because of its digital nature, I think esports have an advantage over traditional sports when it comes to presenting the sport in new and exciting ways and will potentially dictate how any sports content will be consumed in the future.
How does this translate when it comes to betting patterns and behaviour?
What this means is that there are differences between the average esports fan, and the average “traditional” sports fan. As such, betting offers should be different and cater to the characteristics of their respective target group as well.
Tis is not yet the case.
Esports betting offerings tend to be very similar to those of “traditional” sports and, predictably, have not realised their full potential as a result. Right now, many sportsbooks try to make esports more appealing to the already existing sports bettors, who tend to be of an older demographic and have no connection to esports.
Trying to get people to be excited for something they do not know or understand can be a very difficult endeavour, so for esports betting to blossom it will have to appeal to a completely new audience. One that is much younger and that is much more used to the fast paced action of esports. Making esports betting appealing to this kind of audience also increases the risk of underage and irresponsible betting taking place.
What needs to happen is for the betting industry P116 WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS
to figure out how betting patterns and behaviours actually differ between esports and “traditional” sports fans by adjusting their offering according to the differences in characteristics of these two groups. Once we get a better understanding of how we can and should approach esports betting, we can make valuable progress in also making it more responsible.
Ben Steenhuisen Senior Software Architect, Bayes Esports
Ben Steenhuisen works as a Senior Software Architect at Bayes Esports. His first esports love was Counter-Strike 1.6 but he also picked up Dota and Dota 2 along the way. Ben has worked at multiple international esports events doing statistics for the broadcast, and when he’s not at his keyboard he’s… actually he’s always at his keyboard.
On a more positive note, because esports streams tend to be freely available, they can be embedded into betting sites, making it more approachable. Additionally, because of the fast paced nature of esports, a lot of the esports betting market revolves around smaller subgoals, such as which team kills the next Roshan in Dota 2 or Baron in League of Legends, or which player reaches the next kill-milestone first in CS:GO. Esports is perfect for these kinds of subgoals and allows sportsbooks to offer continuous bet-interaction.
What’s the optimal way of acquiring esports players?
I don’t think there is an optimal way of acquiring players. How a team wants to approach the signing of a new player depends on a lot of factors, such as the position they are in, the surrounding infrastructure, and their ambitions.
“There still is a lot of research that needs to be done to fully understand the way esports and sports fans in general would want to consume their sport and what we can do to satisfy those needs. Because of its digital nature, I think esports have an advantage over traditional sports when it comes to presenting the sport in new and exciting ways and will potentially dictate how any sports content will be consumed in the future.”
Furthermore, the player acquisition process varies greatly from title to title. Whereas, for example, in League of Legends a lot of teams also own an academy team that play lower level leagues with the sole purpose of training and developing young players and keeping dedicated subs ready to play, in Dota 2 there is much greater focus on the in-game leaderboard and player’s previous relationships and experiences, making it more difficult for newcomers to burst onto the scene.
After all, just like in “traditional” sports, teams are looking for players that fit their needs the best, from finding the right player to play a specific role (i.e. “AWPer” in CS:GO or a “weak side” player in LoL), to recruiting specific players that they believe mesh best together.
Every team in any sport will have their own approach in how this recruiting process should optimally look like and, ultimately, it is nothing we are concerned with.
Our services provide teams with comprehensive databases that they can use to find players that, statistically speaking, perform exceptionally well within their role. Whether and how teams use data for their recruiting process is entirely up to them.
What, if any, are the technical barriers that need to be overcome for esports betting to reach its potential?
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