eSports

How do sportsbooks and bettors benefit from esports?

Published

4 years ago

September 1, 2021

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Betting on esports events has numerous advantages when compared to sports betting. First of all, it’s because of its “always present” nature.

Unlike sporting events, held at a particular time of the year, esports events are available for bettors and fans 24/7/365.

Additionally, it is pretty easy to bet on esports events because there is a wide variety of live esports matches on various gaming and streaming platforms, including sportsbooks. Traditional sporting events: football, basketball or ice hockey are seasonal and follow a rigid schedule, unlike their console counterparts (efootball, ebaskteball, eice hockey). The esports betting world is the complete opposite, it’s all about 24/7 tournaments, a plethora of match formats that are constantly updated, a broad range of markets, and gripping competitions.

However, sports will always drive the esports industry. Even though the Covid-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the schedule of sporting events, they still attract millions of fans to tune in to traditional broadcast television instead of streaming platforms and services. Sports still get more views than esports, but it might only be a matter of time because the esports industry appears to be entering an impressive development stage.

Esports is expanding the betting industry

Thanks to regular broadcasts of esports events that boosted the gaming, esports and betting industries began to enjoy phenomenal demand. Even the international tournaments like the 2020 UEFA European Football Championship have increased the need for esports betting. According to the ESportsBattle tournaments’ organizer, their efootball matches became more sought-after by sportsbooks’ customers during the EURO 2020. The quantity of ESportsBattle efootball matches streamed by one of the leading betting operators has increased x3 from December 2020 to June 2021.

In July 2021, when IEM Cologne 2021 took place, ESportsBattle CS:GO matches chalked up far more views; the numbers have risen dramatically: from 120K in June to almost 200K in July. Furthermore, the number of views increased by 73% from the beginning of 2021. One betting operator stated a nearly 40% uptake in the number of active bettors of EsportsBattles’ CS:GO events (from June to July).

Bettors of ESportsBattle CS:GO tournaments are provided with the following markets to place bets on: match winner (2-way or 3-way), match handicap, total maps, correct map score, map winner (2-way and 3-way), total rounds.

How to bet on esports?

The betting landscape contains lots of companies and brands covering numerous events, including various formats and modes. Let’s say you have only 15 minutes and want to place a bet on the whole match. It is possible with esports because you will be able to watch the game, check the result, and get a quick bet calculation within this time slot.

Sportsbooks offer fast esports content to meet the above mentioned bettors’ needs. Once you have chosen the operator the next step is to select the markets to bet on. We’ll name the most common of them.

Betting Outrights

These are outright bets you usually make before an event begins. One of the most traditional bets in this category is which player or team will be the outright champion of a tournament.

Match Winner

As the name implies, all you have to do is choose which team or player you believe will win. The odds in this market may be fixed, indicating that they are set by an odds compiler some time before the match starts, or they may depend on how many bets are placed on one of the outcomes.

Handicap Betting

Handicap betting is similar to match-winner betting because you are choosing between only two outcomes. However, in this case, the sportsbook tries to remove one of the player’s or teams’ advantages by giving them a head start.

Totals

If you were to bet on this market, you would bet on how many of something (e.g., maps in CS:GO) will be played out in a match. For CS:GO, you can bet on the number of maps played in a match, or the number of rounds played in a map. The thing is that your bet is entirely focused on how long a match will last.

To sum up: if you are new to esports betting, the best way to be good at it is to try it. And the most incredible thing about esports betting is that anyone can do it since the bet types are pretty simple, and you only need to choose your sportsbook.

Berlin Gaming Industry

Tom Achsel Joins FACTORY-C to Spearhead “Home of Indies” Communications

Published

4 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Wladimir P.

tom-achsel-joins-factory-c-to-spearhead-“home-of-indies”-communications

FACTORY-C, the Berlin-based communications powerhouse specializing in gaming and esports, has announced the appointment of Tom Achsel as Event Communications Manager. Achsel will join the “Home of Indies” team alongside project initiator Christiane Gehrke, focusing on the platform’s global expansion and upcoming presence at Gamescom 2026.

With over a decade of experience in the tech and gaming sectors, Achsel brings a massive professional network and deep operational expertise to the agency.

A Veteran of the Berlin Gaming Scene

Tom Achsel is a well-known figure in the German development community. His career highlights include:

Games Academy: Served as Head of Marketing & Events at one of Europe’s oldest game development institutions.
Games Ground Berlin: Co-founded and led communications for the Berlin Gaming Festival, curating impactful B2B programs and speaker lineups.
IGDA Berlin: Serves as Vice-Chairman, strengthening ties between local developers and the global gaming ecosystem.

Christiane Gehrke, Senior Event Communication & Sales Manager at Factory-C

“Tom knows the indie scene from multiple perspectives and has a sharp understanding of the needs of indie developers,” said Christiane Gehrke, Senior Event Communication & Sales Manager at FACTORY-C. “He brings everything needed to support the continued development of Home of Indies.”

Scaling the “Home of Indies” Platform

Since its debut in 2022, Home of Indies has grown into a central pillar of the Gamescom Indie Area. The platform provides a shared booth for independent developers, lowering the barrier to entry for international studios.

2025 Growth: The booth expanded to 440 square meters, featuring over 50 games from a dozen countries.
New Features: The project recently added a dedicated Spotlight Stage, streaming booths, and professional networking areas via MeetToMatch.

As Event Communications Manager, Achsel will lead the outreach strategy for Gamescom 2026, ensuring that the creative diversity of the global indie scene receives maximum visibility among press, influencers, and players.

The post Tom Achsel Joins FACTORY-C to Spearhead “Home of Indies” Communications appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

BlueBottle

BlueBottle Launches “League Broadcast” SaaS for Streamlined Esports Production

Published

5 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Wladimir P.

bluebottle-launches-“league-broadcast”-saas-for-streamlined-esports-production

BlueBottle, the Munich-based esports technology innovator, has officially launched League Broadcast, its professional-grade production software, via a new Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) subscription model.

Announced on January 7, 2026, this B2C release moves the platform from selective partner deployments and its long-standing beta phase into a publicly accessible tool for leagues, tournament organizers, and individual content creators worldwide.

Professional Broadcast Tools for All Tiers

League Broadcast is designed to automate and elevate the visual storytelling of competitive gaming, specifically targeting the League of Legends ecosystem. The software bypasses traditional API limitations by using low-level game data collection to provide real-time, high-fidelity visualizations.

At launch, BlueBottle has introduced a tiered pricing structure to suit different operational scales:

Tier	Status	Key Features	Target Audience
Free	Available	Core overlays, essential team/player data, basic game stats.	Grassroots creators & amateur streamers.
Basic	Available	Commercial usage rights, customizable pre-game elements, professional draft tools.	Semi-pro leagues & small event organizers.
Pro	Coming Soon	Advanced analytics, event-driven automation, premium production tools.	Professional leagues & high-scale live operations.

Supported by Creative Europe Media

The transition to a scalable SaaS model was significantly bolstered by funding from Creative Europe Media, the European Union’s flagship program for the audiovisual and creative sectors. This backing allowed BlueBottle to invest in:

Enhanced Stability: Hardening the software for 24/7 live environments.
Improved Infrastructure: Faster development cycles and dedicated customer support.
Accessibility: Lowering the barrier for European creators to produce “broadcast-quality” content that competes with high-budget international productions.

“This launch represents more than a new pricing model — it’s the moment League Broadcast becomes accessible to the wider esports community,” said Lars Eble, CTO at BlueBottle. “We were able to invest in long-term product quality… ensuring that our B2C customers receive the same level of reliability previously reserved for large partners.”

Strengthening the European Esports Ecosystem

By providing affordable, automated tools for real-time data visualization—such as dynamic gold graphs, inhibitor timers, and 3D in-world branding—BlueBottle is positioning itself as a core infrastructure provider for the digital media age. The platform allows smaller organizations to monetize their formats more effectively through professional-looking sponsor placements and deeper viewer engagement.

The post BlueBottle Launches “League Broadcast” SaaS for Streamlined Esports Production appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Akshat Rathee

Indian Esports 2026: Strategic Growth and the Asian Games Milestone

Published

2 days ago

January 6, 2026

Wladimir P.

indian-esports-2026:-strategic-growth-and-the-asian-games-milestone

The Indian esports landscape is transitioning from a period of rapid “spectacle” growth to a phase defined by lasting institutional structure. Following the implementation of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act (PROGA), 2026 is set to be the year where regulatory clarity, international competition, and domestic grassroots development converge.

The Impact of PROGA: Policy into Practice

The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act (PROGA), signed into law in August 2025, has officially moved from policy to practice. Its primary contribution to 2026 is the explicit separation of esports from money-based gaming.

Legitimacy: By categorizing esports as a legitimate competitive pursuit, PROGA has unlocked state-level adoption and cleared the way for schools and colleges to integrate gaming into their sports frameworks.
Commercial Confidence: With a clear regulatory environment, brands in sectors like FMCG, automotive, and BFSI are now viewing esports as a stable, long-term youth engagement platform rather than a risky experiment.
Athlete Pathways: PROGA facilitates the creation of standardized national registries for athletes, ensuring that competitive integrity is maintained across grassroots and professional tiers.

The Asian Games 2026: A Global Stage

The Asian Games 2026 in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan, serves as the most critical milestone for the ecosystem this year.

Medal Status: Esports will feature as a full medal event with 11 confirmed titles, including League of Legends, PUBG Mobile (Asian Games Version), and Pokémon UNITE.
Indian Prospects: India’s best historical result (quarter-finals in League of Legends at Hangzhou) has set a high bar. For 2026, the focus has shifted toward high-performance training camps and long-term athlete mentorship to secure a podium finish.
Multi-Sport Integration: Participation alongside traditional athletes reinforces the narrative that esports is a viable professional career, further encouraging government investment through schemes like Khelo India.

Market Evolution and Key Trends

The Indian gaming market is projected to reach approximately $5.02 billion in 2026, driven by a massive player base exceeding 500 million gamers.

Trend	Impact in 2026
Mobile Dominance	Over 95% of the market remains mobile-first, fueled by 5G expansion and affordable hardware.
Beyond BGMI	2026 is seeing a push to diversify the market into fighting games, sports simulations, and PC titles to avoid “one-title dependency.”
Monetization Shift	Revenue is shifting from pure advertising toward battle passes, subscription models, and in-game progression.
Tier II & III Growth	Most new user acquisition is coming from smaller cities, demanding more vernacular and localized content.