eSports
Esports player engagement: Latency Vs Delay
How does latency impact the success of the esports market? Is the industry paying this issue enough attention?
Regardless of whether it’s esports or traditional sports betting, latency is a critical issue that must always be considered in your market offering. The current levels of latency and delay in esports means that punters are at a significant disadvantage when they place bets – to the point that it detracts from the overall experience. Improving latency and delay is essential to achieving parity with the broader sports betting sector, and the future growth of esports betting more broadly.
The most important differentiator between esports and traditional sports is not latency but delay. Latency only refers to the common and often unavoidable situation where the video stream is lagging behind the real time gameplay. Delay, however, is an intentional feature in esports, used as a tool to increase the Tournament Organiser’s control over the broadcast content.
Purposely inputting delay is an industry standard these days and has a direct impact on player engagement. TO’s are constantly trying to find the right balance for delay, as they need to manage competitive and betting integrity against risk, while maintaining broadcast quality.
Although the issue of latency is being handled well in industry, the issue of delay is not. Many industry stakeholders are not attempting to overcome this challenge at all. It’s not just a matter of a few seconds, but many video streams can have up to 10 minutes delay!
The scale of this issue is completely different to any latency related issues. The impact it’s having on player engagement is game changing and I believe it’s an aspect that needs a lot more attention from our sector.
How important is the tier of tournament as a factor when influencing the impact of latency or delay in betting markets?
In esports, latency levels are heavily influenced by the tier of tournament or match. The lower tier esports leagues with more niche gaming titles typically will not have an official data supplier. There is no mass data feed for everyone to access. For matches like these, the punters, operators, players and spectators are all receiving their information from one place; the online stream, meaning no unfair edge when comparing data speed to stream speed. In situations like this, nobody has an advantage, so issues of delay and latency are far less problematic.
The biggest risks to gaming integrity are usually observed in the highest tiers of esports. Top level games that are being broadcast all over the globe and have official data feeds are where the issues of latency and delay have the biggest impact.
The delay between video feed and odds feed is most disparate with MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) games such as League of Legends or DOTA 2.
MOBA games usually consist of continuous gameplay for 40 – 50 minutes with no pauses or rounds. Even with delays of up to 5 minutes, a lot can happen that will change the dynamic of the game and moreover, change the final result. This puts the operator at a greatly increased risk, making it unfair for punters using the stream content to make bets from irrelevant odds.
Games such as Counter-Strike and Valorant are ‘rounds based’ games, meaning their gameplay is a lot more fragmented. So, with a 5-minute delay, the viewer will only be 1 or 2 rounds behind at most which is typically not enough of a window to impact the final result of an entire match. Added to this the fact that punters are only allowed to bet on one round at a time, the opportunity to benefit from the time delay is notably minimised.
What can the key stakeholders in the top tier of esports do to decrease delay in the streams whilst still upholding the highest standards to sports integrity?
In esports there will always be an element of delay to ensure broadcast quality and the integrity of competition – particularly to prevent stream sniping and cheating during games. With this in mind there are two different approaches to this: decreasing delay or aligning data with this delay.
For broadcast and integrity reasons you can only reduce the delay to a certain level, but that still doesn’t get to the heart of the problem. Punters are still behind not by seconds, but by several minutes. And it’s the top tier esports events, particularly ones with exclusive data feeds, that have the biggest disparity of information between operator and punter. Which in turn stifles the live betting potential of the biggest events of the year.
The more equitable solution for the industry would be to align the delay of the data feed with that of the stream. It sounds very simple right?
Applying this change in a way that parallels the sports betting ecosystem not only creates a fairer environment for the end user, the punter, but unlocks so many more opportunities for live engagement.
Official rights holders should think carefully and partner with companies that will create a fair ecosystem and who give betting operators the best ability to not only maximise revenues but who can deliver the best customer betting experience. This status quo has gone on for too long with suppliers of non esports specific betting products holding rights packages for some (not all) tournaments and throttling betting turnover and user experience.
Even with no perceived delay, operators using suppliers with quality products will still be able to price markets efficiently, while giving the punters a better overall experience.
How does latency impact sports integrity and how can it be improved going forward?
The answer to this question is a double-edged sword: Latency and Delay.
For esports and its general viewing experience, latency plays a key role. Most data providers are already utilising advanced technology to optimise every part of the streaming process and keep latency levels to a minimum. I don’t believe there to be too much of an issue there.
The core challenge is associated with Delay. We’ve heard from many stakeholders in the industry who say that there is a major problem with unfair betting in esports because punters are being supplied old information.
Most esports bettors prefer to watch the live match stream while betting, enhancing their in-game experience. However, when they notice that the odds on screen are not accurately reflecting the streamed gameplay, players understandably become discouraged from further engagement as the levels of credibility are impacted.
Sports integrity and fairness are important factors but not the only side effect of delay in esports. Being able to create an exciting experience for the punter is business critical. They need to be able to interact with the gameplay in as close to real time as possible. Statistics show that matches with the biggest delays also have the lowest betting volume, further demonstrating the need for improvement in this area. Latency itself is not a problem, the current industry level is under 10 seconds which is not perfect but is not problematic as most people don’t have the means or knowledge to be able to exploit that level of latency. The key to enhanced customer experience and the highest levels of sports integrity is in being able to better manage the delay, keeping the most up to date data possible displayed on the screen.
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S8UL Esports, a global name in esports and gaming content, has onboarded high-performance smartphone brand iQOO as the Title Sponsor for its Pokémon UNITE and MOBA Legends 5v5 rosters. With this strengthened alliance, iQOO deepens its commitment to supporting India’s top esports talent while S8UL further accelerates its multi-title expansion ahead of a landmark competitive season.
iQOO has supported the growth of Indian esports for several years, working closely with top teams and major tournaments. Its continued association with iQOO SOUL, one of India’s leading BGMI rosters, has contributed to the team’s strong performances, including its recent win at the Chennai Esports Global Championship 2025.
Extending this support to S8UL’s newly signed rosters, the brand will equip athletes with its powerful, gaming-optimized smartphones to enhance their training and tournament preparation. As part of the partnership, the iQOO logo will feature prominently on the front of the team jerseys, and both rosters will now compete under the names iQOO S8UL Pokémon UNITE and iQOO S8UL MOBA Legends 5v5.
“iQOO has been with S8UL for a long time, starting with our BGMI team, and their support has played an important role in our journey. Extending this partnership to our Pokémon UNITE and MOBA Legends 5v5 teams is a natural next step as we grow across more titles. Our focus at S8UL is to build strong, well-prepared rosters in every game we enter, and working with a partner like iQOO helps us give our players the tools they need to compete with confidence in India and internationally.,” said Animesh Agarwal, Co-founder and CEO of S8UL Esports.
S8UL’s Pokémon UNITE team, led by captain Manmohan Singh (AllMight) and comprising Rahul Sharad Lavhate (Kyurem), Deep Patel (Snowyy), Adnan Badshah (Badshahh), and Rudra Narayan Nayak (ReX), is widely regarded as the top roster in the South Asia region. The team has claimed three regional championships in the last three years and has consistently represented India on the international stage at the Pokémon UNITE World Championship.
The organization’s newly signed MOBA Legends 5v5 roster arrives with a wealth of experience and an impressive track record across India’s community-led tournaments. The team includes in-game leader Mohammad Saad (Apex), Abhijeet Katkar (Abhi), Mehta Jay (J), Chirag Singh (Radium), Debasish Sana (Anti) and Anush N (Fear). Apex notably competed at the MLBB Mid Season Cup 2024 at the Esports World Cup, which featured a staggering USD 3 million (approx. INR 26.7 crore) prize pool.
The enhanced partnership with iQOO comes at a time when S8UL is rapidly scaling its multi-title presence. Earlier this year, S8UL became the first and only Indian organisation selected for the prestigious Club Partner Program of the Esports World Cup 2025, placing it among the world’s elite esports organisations.
On the content front, the organization recently won the ‘Esports Content Group of the Year’ for the fourth time in a row, while Co-Founder Animesh “8Bit Thug” Agarwal earned the title of ‘Esports Personality of the Year’ at the Esports Awards 2025, underlining the organisation’s unmatched influence across both esports and creator ecosystems.
By bringing two high-potential rosters under the iQOO S8UL banner, the organisation reinforces its drive to build winning line-ups across every title it enters. The newly branded iQOO S8UL Pokémon UNITE roster will be the first to step into action, competing at the Pokémon UNITE Asia Champions League 2026 – India from November 29.
The post S8UL Esports Secures iQOO as Title Sponsor for its Pokémon UNITE and MOBA Legends 5v5 Rosters appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Chess.com, MOONTON Games, and SNK join the ENC alongside Electronic Arts, Krafton, Tencent, and Ubisoft, to strengthen the foundation of the world’s first international, nation-based competition at this scale
The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) announced the addition of Chess.com, MOONTON Games and SNK for the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), a landmark tournament where the best esports players in the world will compete for the honor of representing their countries. The ENC introduces national pride to the global esports stage in a recurring format and is the first event of its kind at this scale.
Chess.com, MOONTON Games and SNK join as Official Publishers, alongside Founding Publishers and video game companies EA, Krafton, Tencent, and Ubisoft – the core partners developing the foundational structure of the ENC – bringing with them their iconic titles, global reach, and player communities to enhance the first Esports Nations Cup.
The three new publishers and all forthcoming Official Publishers will co-design qualification paths and competition formats for their respective titles — ensuring integrity, competitive relevance, and a consistent global structure.
The EWCF and its Founding Publishers continue to co-develop the ENC to establish the tournament’s foundational framework, structure, and format from inception, representing a deeper level of strategic partnership and commitment than other publishers.
“By partnering closely with publishers, we can make the Esports Nations Cup truly player-centric, and give players the opportunity to represent their country in the games that define their careers,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation. “With the seven partners announced so far as close collaborators, we can activate players worldwide and deliver a Nations Cup that feels earned for players and real for fans, and build a stage that national teams can aspire to for years to come.”
As the newest addition to the EWCF portfolio, the Esports Nations Cup builds on the momentum of the Esports World Cup — the world’s largest multi-title esports event — and extends its mission to a new layer of global competition. While the Esports World Cup unites the best clubs, the ENC unlocks a new frontier powered by national identity and regional representation.
The ENC will feature national teams from all major regions – including North America, South America, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia and Oceania – competing in both team-based and solo-player formats. A multi-layered qualification model will balance competitiveness and inclusivity: combining global rankings, regional qualifiers, and wildcard entries, including solidarity placements, to ensure a broad and representative competitive stage in every game.
The Esports Nations Cup will debut in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in November 2026, before moving to a rotating host model, bringing national esports teams to fans and cultures worldwide. Held every two years, the ENC will provide a dependable structure for players and esports organisations, encouraging long-term investment in national team programmes.
Additional information about the Esports Nations Cup will be released in the coming weeks.
The post Esports Nations Cup Confirms New Official Publishing Partners appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) is pleased to announce that Stake has joined as an Official Tier 1 Anti-Corruption Partner.
As a global entertainment and technology brand, Stake’s collaboration with ESIC underscores a shared commitment to strengthening integrity frameworks and supporting fair competition across the esports ecosystem.
ESIC’s Anti-Corruption Supporter program brings together key industry stakeholders who contribute directly to the detection, analysis, and investigation of suspicious betting activity. Through data sharing, operational cooperation, and collaborative monitoring, the program enhances ESIC’s capacity to identify and address potential issues in real time.
As part of Stake’s Anti-Corruption Partner role, Stake will contribute to ESIC’s integrity monitoring network, helping advance the Commission’s efforts to ensure transparency, accountability, and sustainability within the global esports industry. This collaboration reinforces both organisations’ commitment to safeguarding the credibility and long-term development of competitive gaming worldwide.
Stephen Hanna, CEO of ESIC, commented: “The addition of Stake to ESIC’s Anti-Corruption Supporter network reinforces the sentiment that integrity is a shared responsibility. ESIC’s Anti-Corruption Supporter program relies on the active collaboration of partners like Stake, whose operational insights contribute directly to our ability to identify and mitigate integrity threats. Together, we are building a stronger foundation of trust and accountability that supports the sustainable growth of esports worldwide.”
Jarrod Febbraio, Director of Stake, commented: “This partnership formalizes Stake’s commitment to protecting integrity and transparency across the global esports ecosystem. As the world’s leading online-first betting operator, supporting the industry is central to our strategy and our scale makes this collaboration with ESIC essential to safeguarding its integrity. Together, we’re ensuring the ecosystem remains fair, transparent, and trusted by fans and participants worldwide.”
The post Stake joins ESIC as official anti-corruption partner appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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