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A Portrait of the Typical Esports Bettor, by LOOT.BET

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Who exactly is the typical esports bettor? Do they also bet on traditional sports or gamble at online casinos? What kind of work do they do and what interests do they have? How much and how often do they bet? To succeed in the esports betting industry, it’s crucial to understand esports bettors, so specialist esports bookmaker LOOT.BET has put together a portrait of the typical esports bettor, based on extensive research. 

Esports bettors are young, career driven, and single

Like the esports audience in general, esports bettors tend to be young. The vast majority, some 78% of LOOT.BET’s users, are aged 18-25, while 16% are 26-30, just 5% are 31-40, and a mere 1% are 41 or older. Curiously, bettors from Western countries tend to be a little older, at an average age of 24, than the CIS where the average is just 21.

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In terms of occupation, the typical esports bettor from the West tends to be a novice specialist or a junior manager, while the average esports bettor in the CIS region is a university student. In both cases, they are unmarried and have no children.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the vast majority of esports bettors are male – making up some 95% in 2018. However, it is possible that things are starting to change, with females growing from 5% in 2018 to 6% in 2019.

Esports bettors have little interest in traditional gambling

According to LOOT.BET’s research, 64% of esports punters bet exclusively on esports, and 67% are open to betting on more than one esports discipline. However, only 24% of esports bettors occasionally wagered on major sporting events, and just 12% bet on traditional sports systematically.

Also, esports bettors, being younger, are far less likely to gamble at online casinos than traditional sports punters – who tend to be significantly older. Illustrating this, as little as 3% of esports bettors regularly try their luck at online casinos, and only 20% even enjoy an occasional gamble. The vast majority, some 77%, say they are not interested in such kind of gambling at all.

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Esports bettors are clued up, engaged, and passionate

Esports bettors are very clued up, with almost all of them following industry news. 54% use dedicated news sites and forums, 42% prefer social media, but just 4% don’t feel the urge to keep abreast of esports events and updates.

In terms of lifestyle and interests, typical esports punters are very engaged with non-esports video games, regularly follow various streams, and love cosplay. They are also very switched on to video and music content, tend to follow sports (especially football), and are often techno-geeks with a passion for travel and social media.

Discussing the findings, Paul Brel, Head of Communications at Livestream, LOOT.BET’s operating company, explained:

“The difference between esports bettors and traditional bookmakers’ clients is huge, and the matter is not just – and not even so much – in the age gap which in itself implies certain distinctions.

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“Esports fans breathe cutting-edge technologies; they are very mobile, yet so involved with the community; they are more likely to rely on their knowledge and skills rather than on luck; for them, esports is not just a hobby but a lifestyle – which you wouldn’t say about a regular classic sports bettor. We believe that only those operators who understand this and try to find an approach to this specific audience, which is very new to the betting industry, have a chance to succeed in the esports betting market.”

Esports bettors love live and love mobile

In terms of esports betting trends, LOOT.BET is seeing the rapid growth of live betting and the continued migration from desktop to mobile devices. To give a sense of the shift, over the course of 2019 the share of live bets jumped from 52% to 75%, while mobile traffic rocketed from 50% to nearly 70%.

Esports bettors are spending more money, more often

Another clear trend is esports punters betting more money, and betting more frequently. In 2019 the average number of bets per user, per month, across all disciplines increased by 11%. The title seeing the biggest increase, at 15%, was Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, while the other games from the “big three”, League of Legends and Dota 2, registered increases of 10% and 6% respectively. Bet size over the year increased even more dramatically – 20% across all disciplines, breaking down to 24% for League of Legends, 22% for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and 15% for Dota 2.

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“We associate the simultaneous rise in the frequency and size of bets with several factors. Firstly, esports betting is becoming a key hobby, on which one is ready to spend significant money, for more and more people. Secondly, the esports audience’s trust in betting is increasing, and so is their willingness to risk larger sums.

“And naturally, the rise is determined by the extension of the noteworthy matches pool and development of betting lines – which refers to the whole esports betting industry. There is a bold assumption that in 10-20 years, esports will catch-up with classic sports by volumes of bets, and, considering the foregoing as well as the fast esports audience expansion, we treat this forecast as an eligible one”, commented Paul Brel.

The research is based on LOOT.BET’s internal statistics and an email poll of customers.

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Abios Welcomes Rasmus Schmidt Christensen as New Head of Odds Operations

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Abios, a global leader in esports data and odds provision, has appointed Rasmus Schmidt Christensen, formerly of Danish operator Danske Spil, as the company’s new Head of Odds Operations.

With a background in betting analytics, Schmidt Christensen is a seasoned industry veteran with a wealth of experience in esports and sports betting, spending nearly eight years improving the esports vertical at Danske Spil. Beginning his industry journey as a sports trader at the Danish betting operator, Schmidt Christensen gradually assumed more responsibility over the esports segment, ultimately taking charge of the vertical as an Esports Product Specialist.

The role allowed him to work closely with product, marketing and customer-focused teams, creating a comprehensive esports strategy for the operator. He used customer feedback to ensure the product met customer demands and ensured Danske Spil offered innovative product features early on, including player propositions.

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As Head of Odds Operations, a newly created role at Abios, Schmidt Christensen will strengthen the Abios team by providing expertise in esports from Denmark, which has long been the home of Counter-Strike. Combining his knowledge of what esports fans want and product development, he will act as a bridge between trading and Abios’ automated odds setting, creating the ultimate end product for end users.

Anton Janér, Managing Director of Abios, said: “Esports is a fast-growing segment within online sports betting. For sportsbooks to stay competitive in the area, working with people who truly understand esports is paramount.

“At Abios, we’ve historically been in the fortunate position to attract people with strong esports expertise. Rasmus is no different, having spent significant time at Danske Spil improving their esports vertical. We’re thrilled to have him on board and look forward to seeing him taking our offering to the next level.”

Rasmus Schmidt Christensen, Head of Odds Operations, said: “Having worked in esports for years, I’m thrilled to join the Abios team. As they’re building new and exciting products on top of best-in-class data and modelling, Abios is at a very exciting growth stage. I’m happy to be part of the next step in that journey.”

The post Abios Welcomes Rasmus Schmidt Christensen as New Head of Odds Operations appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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eSports

Pepsi To Energize Esports World Cup In New Partnership

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The Esports World Cup Foundation (“EWCF”) is pleased to announce it has joined forces with Pepsi for a strategic partnership which will see both parties collaborate to level up experiences for fans at the inaugural Esports World Cup (“EWC”) this summer in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. As a strategic founding partner committing to a multi-year deal, Pepsi will further build on its commitment to helping unite the realms of sports, entertainment, and esports.

Centered around co-creating unmissable moments, Pepsi and the EWCF will work together to provide fans with exciting activations to elevate the esports landscape in Saudi Arabia and cement the Esports World Cup as a truly memorable event. Fans can expect interactive and immersive experiences such as the Rockstar Bar, where they can get energized with a selection of drinks and spend time in between matches in the karaoke box. In addition, Pepsi is the naming partner of the Falcons venue, called “Falcons HQ by Pepsi”.

“We are proud to partner with such an iconic brand in Pepsi to energize fans for a memorable summer at the Esports World Cup,” said Pepsi Representative “Fans are truly what bring esports events to life, and it’s great to work alongside Pepsi who shares in our vision and commitment to elevating their experiences. ”

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Beginning July 3, the Esports World Cup will transform Riyadh into the epicenter of esports fandom and gaming culture. Located in Boulevard City, fans can watch their favorite athletes and clubs compete across 22 game championships for a share of more than $60 million in life-changing prize money — the largest prize pool in esports history. Across eight weeks, the Esports World Cup will also feature festival activities that include numerous gaming activations, community tournaments, pop culture celebrations, international experiences, and more.

The post Pepsi To Energize Esports World Cup In New Partnership appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Gen.G Announces Partnership with LG U+

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Global esports organisation Gen.G Esports has announced a partnership with LG U+. The partnership comes on the heels of the two companies’ first collaboration to celebrate the 2023 LoL World Championship. The two companies will work closely together to strengthen fandom and innovate the customer experience. As part of the partnership, Gen.G Esports’ League of Legends pro team will feature the LG U+’s logo on their jerseys during the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) Summer season.

“We’re thrilled to be able to renew our partnership with LG U+ in such an innovative way. By leveraging all the data we’ve collected across our pro players and the thousands of students at the Gen.G Global Academy, we’re able to offer an even superior customer experience through our YOUR.GG data analytics platform to the millions of gamers that are customers of LG U+,” Arnold Hur, CEO of Gen.G Esports, said.

Through this partnership, the two companies will provide LG U+’s Uth members with a variety of members-only benefits, including a monthly subscription to Gen.G Crew and YOUR.GG player reports, to enrich their gaming experience.

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Fans will be able to interact directly with the League of Legends players who have led the teams to victory through the Gen.G Crew b.stage platform, as well as receive purchase tickets to fan zones at domestic fan meets and matches. Champion play analyses and player reports based on comparative data will also be provided through YOUR.GG, League of Legends data analytics service.

The post Gen.G Announces Partnership with LG U+ appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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