With the continuous growth of eSports, Atlaslive expands its offerings with the main betting opportunities in the category, providing users with a diverse and engaging experience to enjoy world championships, standout tournaments, and other related activities. They combine dynamic technology and the necessary expertise for the complex world of electronic sports.
Live betting options vary according to the type of eSports title, with choices that cater to almost all disciplines. Those who have already played their favorite game or watched live broadcasts are familiar with the available bets and winning strategies.
Atlaslive, a dynamic iGaming platform, explores games with large audiences and the best providers in the market to offer content that truly engages experienced bettors and attracts new users through a wide selection of live eSports markets. Today, operators are looking for more opportunities to attract new bettors and keep regular users engaged for longer. Customization for the market and specific needs, as well as an abundant offering on an innovative sportsbook platform, are especially important.
This article is the second part of a series on eSports, where Atlaslive shares real insights and statistics about eSports betting, the most popular games among players and viewers, the rise of mobile eSports nowadays, and describes the largest markets with the highest revenues.
The eSports market: The top 5 games attracting millions of players and viewers
League of Legends
, a free multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game, is sustained through microtransactions, where players use an in-game currency called Riot Points to unlock champions, skins, and other items. The main mission of the game is to destroy the enemy Nexus, a critical point within the opposing base. Players take on the role of summoners, controlling champions with unique abilities to overcome opponents.
In recent years, the eSports scene has exploded, attracting millions of fascinated viewers with high-level competitions. The 2023 League of Legends World Championship broke viewership records, reaching a peak of 6.4 million viewers, becoming the most-watched eSports event in history.
Dota 2: is an exciting real-time strategy (RTS) multiplayer game, usually played in a 5v5 format. In 2023, the game, widely popular in eSports, had a total prize pool that exceeded US$ 30.7 million.
Fortnite: In 2024, it's hard to imagine online games without Fortnite. This cross-platform game has become a cultural icon and helped boost the live streaming of video games. Fortnite offers six different game modes, but Fortnite Battle Royale is by far the most popular. In March 2023, Epic Games, the company behind Fortnite, announced that the game had reached half a billion accounts, showing how Fortnite aims to be more than just a game, it's becoming a virtual world.
Thanks to its fun and addictive gameplay, Fortnite was streamed for over 60 million hours by 2024. With its huge fan base, eSports players of Fortnite can earn quite a bit from large prizes. Attracting players and viewers of all ages, Fortnite has more than 624 million hours of viewing in 2024. Valorant comes in second as the most streamed game on Twitch, with about 1.5 million streamers in 2024.
Counter-Strike: with 16,441 professional players, is considered the largest eSports game in terms of competitors.
Call of Duty: known for its legendary competitive scene for over a decade, may not be the most popular game, but it ranks among the top 10 in terms of total earnings. Since its launch in 2003, the franchise has become a major name in the gaming world, with over 400 million units sold by 2021.
The Atlaslive Sportsbook Platform enables simple and efficient betting on the world's most popular eSports games, providing operators with the flexibility and tools needed to meet the demands of casual and professional bettors.
What is the state of the mobile eSports community today?
With smartphones becoming increasingly affordable and powerful, mobile games have grown exponentially, also boosting mobile eSports. In 2022, the sector's revenue was about US$ 1.2 billion, with a forecast to surpass US$ 5.4 billion by 2030.
The rise of mobile eSports: a look at the growing influence of China
By 2025, China is expected to become one of the largest mobile eSports markets, generating nearly US$ 360 million in revenues and attracting about 173.8 million viewers. Globally, the audience is estimated to reach 550 million.
PUBG Mobile
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) is a multiplayer battle royale game that was launched in December 2017. Like other popular battle royale games, such as Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone, PUBG places up to 100 players in a fight for survival, where the last player or team standing wins. The mobile version, PUBG Mobile, was released globally in March 2018 and quickly became a hit.
In the game, players can purchase in-game currency to obtain crates that unlock weapon customizations and character upgrades. Thanks to its popularity, player spending on PUBG Mobile reaches millions of dollars each month. With so many followers, PUBG Mobile has also become a major eSports game, with top players competing in tournaments every year. The biggest tournament is the PUB Mobile Pro League, held annually in five regions.
eSports betting: the largest market with the highest revenue
eSports betting is one of the main markets available today, which is on the rise, becoming more common on major betting platforms. There are many betting options beyond traditional match-winner bets, and live betting with real-time matches has made the experience more engaging today. Partnerships between betting operators and eSports teams, combined with the use of blockchain and cryptocurrencies, are making the future of this market even brighter.
The main drivers of growth include the expansion of the global audience, especially among the younger demographics, and the professionalization of eSports with structured leagues and tournaments. The growing availability of eSports betting through mobile platforms and live streaming is also attracting new bettors. With these factors in play, the eSports betting market is expected to see significant growth by 2027.
eSports betting continues to grow rapidly, and the chart shows how the top five different countries are contributing to the revenue forecast until 2029. It's interesting that the United States is currently the largest market, generating US$ 0.55 billion in revenue in 2023, with an expected jump to US$ 1.14 billion by 2029. This represents a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 12.7%, significantly outpacing other regions. In comparison, China, the second largest market, is expected to grow more modestly from US$ 0.14 billion in 2023 to US$ 0.21 billion by 2029, with a CAGR of 7%.
So, why does the US lead? The reason behind the US dominance is its already well-established gaming culture, along with the growing acceptance of eSports as a betting option. Considering the total sports betting revenue in the US in 2023, which was US$ 7.62 billion, we can count and see that eSports betting represents about 7.2% of that amount, which is a promising slice for a relatively new segment.
This is still a relatively small share, but it shows that eSports are carving out a solid niche, especially among younger audiences who are familiar with the world of gaming. The rapid adoption of new technologies, such as mobile platforms, and the incorporation of live betting features also help drive this market.
The United States leads with a large audience in eSports betting, with 11.4 million people involved in 2023. This number is expected to rise to over 19 million by 2029, far surpassing countries like the United Kingdom, Germany, and France. The US is ahead of other countries in eSports betting because of its advanced technology and quick shift to mobile and online betting platforms.
Live betting is very popular here, and the tech-savvy audience is highly engaged. Additionally, the eSports industry in the US receives large investments in tournaments, sponsorships, and partnerships with entertainment companies, which helps the market grow even more.
Another reason is that regulations for eSports betting in the US are generally more open and flexible compared to many European countries. European countries generally have stricter gambling laws, which include eSports betting, making it more difficult and slower for new technologies and approaches to be introduced.
The iGaming platform of Atlaslive continuously analyzes market trends and player preferences to provide a strong product line that meets the needs of modern operators, helping them attract and retain their target audience. With its innovative and dynamic sports betting platform, Atlaslive covers a wide range of sports events, including eSports, providing operators with the tools they need to remain competitive.
By offering customizable features, 99.9% uptime, quick integration, a 24/7 support team, and real-time engagement options, Atlaslive makes it easier for operators to enter the growing eSports betting market and meet the increasing demands of casual and professional bettors.
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Source: Atlaslive
