After winning SBC’s Esports Operator of the Year award in 2020, the 1xBet Team is looking forward to developing its offer with new partnerships and tournaments over the next 12 months as the esports market continues to flourish.

Casino Review: How exciting is it for the company to win Esports Operator of the Year? 

1xBet Team: We are pleased with the results and intend to keep moving forward. Winning the SBC Award is the result of hard work and improvement. The results of the year showed that we offered players the best opportunities for betting on esports.

We reinforced our interest in esports both with a broad line and top partnerships with NAVI and Cascade.

1xBet intends to develop this direction of betting and retain the best esports operator’s title already in 2021.

CR: How important has esports become to 1xBet’s big picture in recent years? Has this accelerated this year?

1xBet Team: Esports has become part of the wide range of entertainment that 1xBet offers. Recognition of reputable awards proves that for us, this is not just another discipline in the line.

In 2020, many significant tournaments took place with huge prize money and millions of viewers. In the organization of some events, 1xBet was directly involved, as it was in the NAVI’s show match between the legends and the current CS: GO roster.

We see the interest of a significant part of the audience in this area, and therefore we offer users the most exciting promotions and events for betting.

CR: Is there a difference between your average esports bettor and your average football bettor? What’s the main challenge to converting esports fans into bettors, and how does 1xBet overcome it? 

1xBet Team: Any discipline has its target audience, which may have its characteristics. Esports fans are somewhat younger than football fans. This is supported by numerous studies that show the average football fan is growing in age.

Otherwise, esports fans, like football fans, also want to test their forecasting skills, support idols, or just make money on the bet.

We know the esports audience’s values, and therefore we offer them what is of interest to them. For example, contests for the recently released Xbox Series X and Sony Playstation 5. What gamer doesn’t want to win a new console?

CR: What obstacles does the esports market face right now? Are game publishers becoming more open to working with betting companies?

1xBet Team: If we talk about esports betting, now, on the contrary, it is a very favorable environment for development. Dozens of tournaments are held every day; teams enlist the support of sponsors. Today bookmakers are contributing to the development of esports.

As far as game developers are concerned, this is a partnership issue. We would love to collaborate with a developer if the opportunity presents itself.

CR: With technology being a huge driver behind the advancement of esports, how bright is the future of esports, and what developments – tech or otherwise  – are the 1xBet team most looking forward to?

1xBet Team: Cutting-edge technology doesn’t have a big impact on the development of esports. Accessibility and speed of work are what games strive for, which claim to be an esports discipline. This is a product that will run on medium systems and will be comfortable to play.

Today, Dota 2 and CS: GO are still among the most popular cyber disciplines, which will soon celebrate their 10th anniversary. We would like to see new solutions that could compete with these legendary games. The emergence of new fields would give a new impetus to the development of esports since this area is now developing quantitatively, but not always qualitatively.