eSports
Esports Exposure Exploding During COVID-19 Outbreak
Esports was already a booming business coming into 2020. Last year, Esports topped $1 billion in revenue for the first time. That was a 26.7% increase from 2018.
A sure sign of the growth in the popularity of Esports is shown by the fact that its highest-grossing revenue stream in 2019 was in the area of sponsorship. According to a published report, there was nearly $457 million generated in sponsor money by Esports last year.
Esports leagues and tournaments are drawing huge audience numbers. Estimates were that almost 454 million took in an Esport event last year. Those are the kinds of numbers that encourage major corporate sponsorship of the events.
COVID-19 Impact
The outbreak of the coronavirus has led to another spike in popularity among Esports. In North America, the NHL, NBA and MLB halted their seasons. The NCAA men’s basketball tournament was canceled. Golf and tennis also stopped playing. The launch of NFL and NCAA football seasons in the fall remain uncertain.
Around the globe, almost of the world soccer shut down. The European Champions League and the English Premier League took a hiatus. Euro 2020 and the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics were postponed.
With all of the major sporting leagues forced to shut down due to the COVID-19 virus and the accompanying bans on large gatherings, there’s little in the way of sports to entertain the masses. Sports fans were left desperate for an outlet. Sports networks sought out programming. Sportsbooks looking for other forms of betting turned their attention to writing more wagers around Esports events.
Esports are stepping up and proving capable of filling the void. While not completely bereft from feeling the impact of COVID-19 – the large tournament events held in halls filled with spectators watching video game team competitions such as Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Call of Duty and Dota 2 are currently not permitted.
The Overwatch League is playing its entire 2020 season online. Play! Pokémon canceled its North American International Championship and World Championship.
However, the ability of Esports to adapt and be played by players under quarantine is giving them a leg up on actual sports.
Industry estimates are that the demand for Esports has increased by 300% since the outbreak of the coronavirus.
Big League Sports Entering The Fray
Virtual sports are also a big part of the Esports explosion. Competition in soccer, basketball, tennis, horse and greyhound racing are among the many virtual sports on offer.
There are events built around tournaments in such popular sports-themed video games as Madden NFL, NBA 2K20, FIFA, and NHL 20.
The major sports leagues already recognized the potential for virtual spots as a revenue growth stream. Both the NBA and NHL began holding tryouts to pick players to form virtual versions of their actual teams that would eventually compete in simulated leagues.
During the COVID-19 outbreak, the big leagues are looking to get in on the Esports explosion and keep their sports going at the same time.
NASCAR has been holding the eNASCAR Pro Invitational iRacing Series, where actual NASCAR drivers compete in races as their virtual selves. The simulations are carried live by Fox Sports and are proving to be a big hit with racing fans.
NascarPro Invitational iRacing Series (Photo by: YouTube.com screenshot).
The Nielsen ratings for the first event of the iRacing Series came in at an average of 638,000 households and 903,000 viewers, making it the most-watched Esports event of all-time.
By comparison, live NASCAR racing during the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series averaged 2.1 million viewers per race. NASCAR’s iRacing ratings are almost on par with the 2019 numbers for viewers of their second-tier racing competition, the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Those races averaged 725,000 homes and 948,000 viewers.
Formula One is also contesting virtual Grand Prix races, with its drivers racing as their virtual selves. Australian SuperCars competition is doing likewise.
Other sports also are holding Esports competitions to give their fans a regular fix during the coronavirus quarantine. The NFL organized a Madden tournament featuring eight current NFL players. The NBA put together an NBA 2K20 tournament with 16 current players in action.
The most ambitious of these virtual sports simulations is currently being undertaken by Major League Baseball. An MLB The Show competition is pitting 30 of today’s MLB players, each representing their own team.
They are playing a 29-game regular season, facing each other player once. The top eight players will qualify for postseason play, which will lead to a virtual World Series champion being crowned.
Other sports have opted to take their Esports competitions in an entirely different direction. With the Australian National Rugby League season on hold, instead of their slated match, members of the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Wests Tigers competed in a game of Fortnite that was live-streamed on both team’s Facebook pages.
Esports Future Bright
During the 2004-05 lockout that wiped out the entire NHL season, poker utilized that opportunity to fill the broadcasting void left by no hockey and became a television staple.
COVID-19 has created a similar opportunity for Esports to grow exponentially and gain a foothold with a mainstream sports audience that might not have given it a second thought otherwise.
Esports was growing rapidly regardless. As one of the few sports still currently playing, its already bright future is blossoming with significantly more glow.
Compliance Updates
Stake joins ESIC as official anti-corruption partner
Reading Time: < 1 minute
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.
Central Europe
Oddin.gg Wins the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Central Europe for the Second Year in a Row
Reading Time: 2 minutes
For the second consecutive year, Czech-based esports technology company Oddin.gg has taken the top spot in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Central Europe, underscoring the company’s sustained momentum and highlighting the global demand for an innovative and high-performing esports betting infrastructure.
The Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Central Europe program recognizes the region’s fastest-growing technology companies across sectors including fintech, software, communications, environmental tech, hardware, healthcare, media and entertainment. Rankings are based on percentage revenue growth.
Commenting on the win, CEO and Co-Founder Vlastimil Venclík shared: “Being recognized by the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 for the second year in a row is an honor. It reflects not only our growth, but the trust our partners place in us and the hard work of our team. Esports is evolving quickly, and we’re committed to delivering reliable, high-performing infrastructure that helps operators succeed, now and in the years ahead.”
Founded in 2018, Oddin.gg is dedicated to elevating the excitement of digital esports competitions and equipping sportsbook operators with reliable solutions that maximize engagement, betting activity and profitability.
Vlastimil Venclik credits the company’s growth to its industry expertise, its focus on the betting vertical, and its forward-thinking, customer-first product strategy.
“Our team blends former professional players with data scientists and engineers. That mix gives us the deep esports knowledge and technical capability needed to solve real challenges for operators and deliver measurable results, while also reducing their exposure to risk.”
Oddin.gg stands apart by offering a unified, end-to-end ecosystem for esports betting, allowing operators to work with a single vendor for odds feeds, risk management, widgets, BetBuilder, iFrame and 24/7 eSimulators while also producing and managing everything in-house. This integrated approach is a core pillar of Realms Group, where Oddin.gg leads the effort to shape how audiences experience live digital entertainment.
“We’re expanding in two major directions. First, by building faster, smarter, more interactive products that deepen engagement for fans and bettors. Second, by growing geographically, supported by recent certifications in Brazil as well as earlier approvals in the United States and Canada. This makes us one of the most secure and trusted providers in the market,” Venclik said.
The post Oddin.gg Wins the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Central Europe for the Second Year in a Row appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Adrian Jones
Personar Partners with StarLadder as Official Technology Partner for Budapest Major 2025
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Personar, an award-winning provider of AI sports technology, announced its partnership with StarLadder as the official technology partner for the Budapest Counter-Strike 2 Major 2025. This collaboration marks Personar’s entry into esports. It will bring advanced real-time communications and interactive fan features directly into the live broadcast across all stages of the tournament, making one of Counter-Strike 2’s most distinctive elements – team communications – accessible to a global audience.
As part of the partnership, the tournament will carry the title Presented by PERSONAR, with branding integrated throughout the arena, live streams and digital broadcasts. The event will bring thousands into the stadium and reach millions of viewers worldwide.
TrackSwift, Personar’s award-winning platform for real-time sports decision intelligence, will power several key broadcast innovations throughout the tournament:
• Live In-Match Voice Communications: The broadcast will feature live transcriptions of every key communication moment.
• Voice Communication Replays: Dedicated replay segments that provide fans with a deeper understanding of the tactical decisions and split-second calls that define championship-level Counter-Strike 2 play.
• Fan Engagement Features: Personar TrackSwift will enable fans to support their favourite teams and players throughout the broadcast with real-time information.
“The Budapest Major represents one of the most significant events in competitive gaming, and we’re thrilled to bring our TrackSwift technology to enhance the fan experience. Team communications are at the heart of Counter-Strike 2’s excitement, and our technology removes barriers, giving fans unprecedented insight into the strategic brilliance of the world’s best teams. This is a bold moment for Personar. Esports is global, fast-paced, and redefining how audiences experience competition. TrackSwift now brings the precision, analytics, and broadcast intelligence of professional sports communication to competitive gaming,” said Adrian Jones, CEO of Personar.
“Partnering with Personar allows us to bring fans closer to the teams than ever before. TrackSwift adds a new level of clarity and insight to live Counter-Strike 2, and we’re excited to showcase this innovation at the Budapest Major as part of our ongoing commitment to pushing the boundaries of the esports experience,” said Tina Balan, COO of StarLadder.
TrackSwift’s real-time processing capabilities let fans experience the intensity and strategy of competitive Counter-Strike 2 without missing crucial context of live team communication.
The StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 will take place from 24 Nov to 14 Dec in Budapest, Hungary, featuring a USD 1,250,000 prize pool and 32 of the world’s best Counter-Strike 2 teams competing for esports’ highest honours.
The post Personar Partners with StarLadder as Official Technology Partner for Budapest Major 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
-
Asia6 days agoPRONET GAMING BECOMES FIRST B2B OPERATOR TO ESTABLISH SCBPO ACCREDITED OPERATION IN THE PHILIPPINES VIA CLAYMORE SOLUTIONS
-
Latest News7 days agoNot Just Games. Experiences: Interview with Gabor, CPO at DreamPlay
-
Asia6 days agoPhilippines Cracking Down on Influencers Promoting Illegal Online Gambling Sites
-
Eskil Raknes Casino & Betting Expert at Kongebonus6 days agoKongebonus Awards 2025 now open for voting
-
Asia6 days ago2025 Esports Innovation and Communication Seminar Held in Mudanjiang, China
-
Balkans5 days agoCT Gaming Shortlisted in Three Categories at BEGE Awards 2025
-
Booming Games5 days agoHo-Ho-Hold onto Your Wins! Booming Games Takes Festive Fun to the Next Level with Santa in Vegas!
-
2025 Global Regulatory Awards5 days agoVixio Announces Winners for the 2025 Global Regulatory Awards



