Since the world of esports has risen in recent years with no signs of it slowing down, it has become a key focus for many gaming brands and sports teams to explore. Esports is on course to hit £1 billion in revenue and reach over 600 million audiences by 2020. So, the big illuminated signs that show the great potential of esports is noticed by everyone. While esports is described as a form of sports entertainment that can become more popular than traditional sports, the future might bring a mixed picture as football and esports are merging.
FIFA and PES: The beginnings
Gaming and football have never been a million miles away from each other with the hugely popular and competing FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer computer games. These games played on Xbox, PlayStation and many other platforms have a vast following community and paths are being created to lead them over to the esports world. With players crossing over from video game player to esports follower, esports player or punter, the potential is obvious.
There have been many tournaments played over the years to find the best players, but with esports, it’s got bigger and much more significant. Watching the highest quality of football gaming isn’t like watching the actual World Cup. Still, there is an impressive factor there that will appeal to many casual video game players and football fans alike.
Betting on the new gaming formats
Thinking about trying a different approach when it comes to following sports betting odds? It’s no secret that football betting is the largest betting market; it is the most popular sport in the world, after all. However, esports betting has made a grand entrance this year, with no plans of standing behind.
The concept of betting is so much more now. With the involvement of esports and Fantasy Football Leagues, there is something for everyone. Even for those that prefer more traditional concepts of online betting and gaming, here are the online bingo sites for 2020, rising in popularity, design and in-game features. Punters can now bet on esports football tournaments, as some significant sportsbooks are now including competitions such as the FIFA eWorld Cup in their betting portfolio.
Moving away from traditional sports betting, fantasy betting is attracting more players with free to play and high-stake leagues. US-based associations such as FanDuel, DraftKings or European newcomers such as Fantasy Bet are now offering extended betting possibilities to fantasy football fans.
Esports will generate more revenue than most traditional sports
As reported by global statistics, the worldwide esports industry will generate about $1.1 billion in revenue in 2020. That’s a lot of money, but compared to other sports, it’s not that significant. For example, the NFL generated almost $14 billion in revenue in 2017, and the NFL isn’t the only football league out there.
It’ll take a while for esports to be as profitable as most traditional sports, but in the future, it will happen. At the rate esports is growing, the industry will likely surpass smaller sports like rugby - maybe even hockey further down the line. Just like the streaming battle between competitors, we expect media companies like Disney and Netflix will compete for esports someday. The CEO of Netflix even said earlier this year that he’s more afraid of Fortnite than he is of Disney. So, it makes sense for all of those media companies to want to get more of the esports action.