ESPORTS
However, a big consideration for gambling companies is the regulations, and especially in Asia, there are a lot of places that have not yet introduced regulated gambling frameworks. Locations such as Macau and Hong Kong continue to favour casinos, the Philippines have started to combine gambling and esports whereas Japan and Korea have high engagements with esports, but not so much with gambling. BETBAZAR pins Asia’s esports dominance down to a deeply-rooted gaming culture with countries like China, Japan, and South Korea pioneering the popularisation of video games. Think back to Street Fighter II on the SEGA Mega Drive which was a catalyst for the gaming community, not just in Japan where SEGA is situated, but on a global scale.
Expanding on the expansion of video games to where it is today, Max Sevostianov, chief operating officer at BETBAZAR said: “Esports is not just a form of entertainment, but rather a legitimate career path. You have professional gamers who enjoy celebrity status in many parts of Asia and this is backed up by strong support from the government and the private sector in promoting esports events. “Coupled with the region’s huge population and propensity for experimenting with new games and formats, it has created a vibrant sector that will continue to grow as technology improves.”
Another factor that has contributed to the
Esports is not just a form of entertainment, but rather a legitimate career path. You have professional gamers who enjoy celebrity status in many parts of Asia
this day with large viewerships in their esports tournaments, some people cannot move on from the classics.
Along with an increased attraction of esports in Asia, the region looks to become more saturated with operators in the future, therefore newbies will be forced to stand out from the crowd. Block at PandaScore reckons that micro betting “is going to be huge in Asia, and will be so important for those gambling companies who look to expand their presence in the region.
“We are already seeing a growth of micro betting with League of Legends – if that translates to titles such as Dota 2 and Valorant, this will be a huge opportunity for gambling operators. It’s not only an area for growth, but it’s also a product that could tie in quite nicely with the rising popularity of mobile games.”
On the other hand, BETBAZAR thinks companies should take a more user-friendly approach for bettors using advanced technologies such as AI for predictive analysis. Fine-tuning line-ups and staying on top of emerging trends, “If you’re only living in the present and generating revenue on
real sports, you’re essentially ignoring this big emerging audience,” said Sevostianov, who also states that the iGaming industry audiences are getting younger and customer preferences are shifting. The chief operating officer at BETBAZAR continued: “From a business point of view, you need to be able to provide a product that will be accepted by this new demographic, who are used to spending a lot of time on mobile and consuming different forms of media online.” Esports is different from other sports because the relationships with the audience are extremely important. Localisation is becoming a commercial necessity to align with the marketing strategy that proves effective in esports to resonate with the fan base.
Block at PandaScore assured that “it’s super important that gambling companies liaise with local esports teams and organisations, to help build their engagement with the audience in that particular market.” The emergence of new teams and tournaments means partnerships are not as long-lasting as mainstream sports such as football with multi-year deals. Therefore, “esports players engage with the vertical in a very different way. You need to be able to follow those shifting player trends and engage effectively,” highlighted Block, alluring that the sponsorship market in esports is much more open.
PandaScore and BETBAZAR have expressed their enthusiasm for companies to venture into esports in Asia using their extensive market research and attentiveness to their audience. Understanding the audience can ensure success in the long run, and according to Block, using AI technologies can enhance this, he claimed: “The more data we can gather on players, the better we understand our audience.”
Similarly, Sevostianov at BETBAZAR also promotes the importance of providing data to maintain high quality. He outlined: “But one of the things that I think we’ve excelled at is being able to analyse an operator’s existing offering and figure out how we improve it.” Overall, tapping into an emerging demographic of esports in Asia will soon open the operator’s eyes to the revenue potential that will inevitably follow its popularity.
GIO SEPTEMBER 2024 7
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