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Making Money From Video Games – Understanding Esports Betting And How To Win Big
2020 has been a turbulent sort of year, with almost every event in the worlds of sport and entertainment seeing either delays or outright cancellations. And with still no end on the horizon, plenty of companies and organizations are bracing themselves for more losses and disruptions heading into the opening months of 2021.
However, one community that has gone almost the complete opposite way is in the video game industry, and more specifically the competitive spheres of gaming (known as ‘Esports’ professionally).
The world of Esports has blurred the lines between entertainment and elite-level sports, and the numbers behind its growth are absolutely staggering. The video game industry is now worth more than the music and film scenes combined, and the Esports sector is set to hit the $1 billion mark by the opening of 2021.
With so much money running around the scene, here’s a brief overview of understanding wagering on Esports, and how you can get ahead of the curve and win big.
A Blossoming Scene
This explosion in popularity has led to plenty of gamers fulfilling their dreams of turning their passions into cash and making money from playing their favourite titles. Lucrative salaries and huge prize pools are the way the pro players make their fortunes, but there are of course other ways people can make their money without having to invest hundreds of hours into honing their skills.
The first thing about understanding ways to make money off of Esports, is understanding that ‘Esports’ is an umbrella term used to describe any title with a competitive scene. Just like how an individual cannot claim to be a master of wagering on a whole variety of sports, people who do well from Esports betting are the ones who know all the ins and outs of just one or two chosen titles.
Think of the term: ‘quality over quantity’.
The world of Esports is made by its events and competitions, with the more high profile and bigger tournaments naturally offering the best collection of odds and markets. Obviously, understanding which events are top-level and when they are happening is crucial to this; most Esports titles have a competitive scene that splits its tournaments into a tier ladder system of ranking. S-Tier and events are usually reserved for the premium events out there, whilst you’ll be hard-pressed to find many competitive markets for those tournaments down in the B and C-Tiers.
More and more platforms such as Liquidpedia and HLTV are being launched that help would-be fans keep track of the competitive calendars of each and every title, and give them a complete overview of each tournament’s ranking, prize pool, fixtures, standings, and results.
Variants Of Wagering
Much like real-world sports betting, there are a whole host of ways in which a player can begin wagering on their favorite video games and their competitive scenes. Because the competition is so fierce, sites such as Unikrn.com have to offer the most complete collection of markets that appeal to every user that find themselves landing on them.
Users are able to back their favorite teams, orgs or players in both match and season outrights, as well as following the action through dynamic live in-play odds.
The emergence of online live streaming on platforms such as Twitch TV have been instrumental in the growth of Esports’ appeal and popularity to both fans and would-be partners, and following the action right as it happens on such a platform allows for a better understanding of the latest odds as they shift, as well as offering a thrilling viewing experience.
Whilst traditional real-world sports find themselves battling greedy corporations and consistently hidden behind paywalls, Esports is readily accessible for anyone to follow.
On top of the traditional forms of wagering, which most are already familiar with, Esports has helped breathe new life into the betting world with more and more exotic markets that are specific to their respective titles. Betting on the number of rounds won, frags picked up, bombs planted or amount of maps played can all help to provide a unique spread betting element to a user’s experience, and certainly presents a potentially lucrative opportunity for fans of a game who are experienced and knowledgeable enough to know the ins and outs.
Again, understanding a game is one thing, however getting ahead of the curve and beating the markets requires a substantial amount of know-how on how the difference between picking a winner and those value bets that really stretch your winnings with value bets. Understanding the games’ metas, competitions and the subtle nuances of professional plays is the best way of ensuring you really clean up with your bets.
Of course, with anything in the wagering world, it’s always important to remember your limits, ensure everything you do is strictly for fun, and always check that any sites you bet with have all the structures in place to help support you.
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International Game Technology PLC announced that its new Powerbucks Blackjack game is now available to online players in multiple jurisdictions in Canada. The theme links to IGT’s Powerbucks omnichannel wide-area progressive (WAP) jackpot prize pool, Canada’s largest jackpot connecting land-based, online and mobile games.
“IGT is excited to build on its omnichannel jackpot leadership in Canada and the success of our Powerbucks portfolio by delivering a new evolution of one of the most popular casino card games. Designed to deliver the ultimate gaming experience, IGT’s Powerbucks Blackjack offers players the opportunity to win life-changing jackpots and provides operators with another compelling content option to help drive strong performance results,” said David Flinn, IGT SVP Canada, EMEA, and LATAM Gaming Sales.
Bringing a player-favorite card game to a new level, IGT’s Powerbucks Blackjack offers a state-of-the-art user interface with vibrant animations, language localization, and a sleek design for an engaging experience.
Launched in 2016, IGT Powerbucks slots is the world’s first omnichannel WAP game that links the jackpot prize pool between gaming machines found in land-based casinos with digital-based games in Canada. Since their debut, Powerbucks slots have paid over 50 jackpots of 1 million dollars or more across the country.
- Bruce Caughill, Managing Director, Canada, Rush Street Interactive
- Peter Czegledy, Partner, Aird & Berlis LLP
- Neil Erlick, Chief Corporate Development Officer, Nuvei
- Charmaine Hogan, Head of Regulatory Affairs, Playtech
- Dale Hooper, General Manager Canada, FanDuel
- Chuck Keeling, EVP, SH Engagement, Community and Social Responsibility, Great Canadian Entertainment
- David Lucchese, Executive Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Everi
- Adrianne McGrath, Vice President, Business Development, Konami Gaming
- Terry McInally, Chief Compliance Officer & Chief Information Officer, Gateway Casinos
- Niaz Nejad, Managing Director, Americas – Gaming, Light & Wonder
- Bob Parente, SVP Chief Revenue Officer, Gaming, Light & Wonder
- Derek Ramm, Global Head, Advisory Services, Kinectify
- Lindsay Slader, SVP Compliance, GeoComply
- Richard Taylor, President, MGE Entertainment – Fallsview
- Scott Vanderwel, Chief Executive Officer Canada, PointsBet Canada
As expected at the end of the first quarter, Loto-Québec had an excellent second-quarter performance. Therefore, halfway through fiscal 2024–25, the corporation is in an excellent position with better results over the same period last year and still in line with its forecasts. It is thus on its way to reaching its net income target for the current year.
For the second quarter, which ran from June 25 to September 30, 2024, Loto-Québec posted total revenues of $814.2M (+16.1%) and a net income of $421.6M (+18.5%). Overall, for the period from April 1 to September 30, 2024, its total revenues reached $1.504B (+6.5%) and its net income was $771.3M (+4.7%). It is worth noting that lottery winners have received nearly $720M in prizes since the current fiscal year began.
Quotes from the President and CEO
“If we’re in such a good position halfway through the fiscal year, it’s thanks to the work done across all our sectors over the last few months. We obtained excellent results despite the economic context, reinforcing our confidence that we’ll reach our net income annual target. Remember that 100% of our profits are reinvested in the community,” said Jean-François Bergeron.
“Responsible commercialization has remained a priority in everything we offer. We’ve created an enhanced program—Wise Play—to consolidate our actions in this field. We proudly launched it in mid-September, along with a campaign raising people’s awareness of the importance of setting limits. Among other things, through this program, we can present a unified message so that a game remains a game.”
Cumulative Results by Sector
For the period from April 1 to September 30, 2024
• Lottery product sector revenues amounted to $474.2M.
• Casino and gaming hall sector revenues were $608.9M. This sector is once again on the way to a record year.
• Gaming establishment sector revenues totalled $432.5M.
Quarterly Highlights and Social Contributions
For the period from June 25 to September 30, 2024, the lottery crowned 28 new millionaires, bringing the total of new millionaires since the beginning of the fiscal year to 50.
On September 10, Lotto Max became more generous than ever. Its maximum jackpot increased from $70M to $80M—no Canadian lottery had ever awarded such an amount. A few days later, the record $80M jackpot was won in the September 17 draw, and one of the two winning selections had been purchased in Québec. An Outaouais resident took home half the jackpot with a play he bought online.
The Loto-Québec responsible gambling website had a makeover as part of the launch of the enhanced Wise Play program. It presents content such as information to help players better understand the notions of chance and odds, valuable tips to manage their gambling, and ways of getting help if needed. The website can be reached at wiseplay.ca.
The Collection Loto-Québec is proudly celebrating its 45 years this fall. To mark the occasion, some thirty of its works were showcased at the end of September in the Voir bleu exhibition, which was entirely curated in-house and shown in the Collection’s new exhibition space at the corporation’s head office.
Loto-Québec was honoured to be a presenting partner at the celebrations surrounding the 150th anniversary of Parc Jean-Drapeau, home to the Casino de Montréal for over 30 years. The iconic park hosts several major events, some of which are part of the Rendez-vous Loto-Québec.
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