25 Most Successful Esports Countries by Prize Money so far in 2020

Published

5 years ago

July 15, 2020

George Miller

Reading Time: 3 minutes

– United States leads the way winning $7.2m

– Brazilian players most in form this year

– Bulgarian and Danish players win the most prize money per person on average

– Only 60% of tournaments played compared to this time last year

New Unikrn research shows players are winning MORE on average so far in 2020 than 2019 – despite pandemic

Esports players from the top 25 countries are earning more average prize money in 2020 so far than at the same point in 2019, new research shows.

Despite a number of tournaments being cancelled, professional gaming is still thriving during a global pandemic.

So much that despite playing 40% less tournaments than at this point last year, players are earning more money on average per tournament.

World-leading esports bookmakers Unikrn have revealed the finding after analysing the top 25 countries for prize money so far this year.

By the end of June last year, $67million had been won by more than 26,000 players from 2,715 tournaments across the esports circuit.

Whereas by the same time this year, only $38.8m was won by almost 11,000 players in 1,622 tournaments.

The average tournament prize pool was very similar each year – in 2019 it sat at $23,988, compared to $23,920 in 2020.

However, in the first half of 2019, players were only winning on average $2,492 compared to individuals taking home $3,652 in 2020.

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The research also found that like last year the United States leads the way at the halfway point of 2020 with players winning a massive $7.2m in prize money.

Identical to the first six months of 2019, China and Korea make up the top three.

Brazil are the biggest movers in 2020 rising from 9th to 4th in the rankings helped by Magic World Championship XXVI champion PVDDR’s $300k victory.

The highest prize money to player ratio sits with Bulgaria, maybe surprisingly. Their top 5 players including Complexity’s poiz0n are spread across CS:GO, DOTA2 and League of Legends.

The Danish also have a high turnover on prize money with 173 players averaging $9,564.

In 2019, the prize money across esports increased heavily from huge tournaments such as DOTA2’s The International setting a prize pot of $35million and the Fortnite World Cup Finals.

But with both of these tournaments cancelled and many others postponed, total prize money for 2020 is estimated to be considerably lower than 2019.

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Most Successful Countries By Prize Money Won (All Esports)

	2019 (Jan-July)					2020 (Jan-July)
	Country	Total Prize Money	Players	Average prize money		Country	Total Prize Money	Players	Average prize money
1	United States	$10,079,707.15	5902	$1,707.85	1	United States	$7,280,222.31	1999	$3,641.93
2	Korea	$5,438,336.48	1377	$3,949.41	2	China	$3,093,705.23	379	$8,162.81
3	China	$4,876,979.55	1027	$4,748.76	3	Korea	$2,356,078.82	573	$4,111.83
4	France	$2,290,981.17	1378	$1,662.54	4	Brazil	$2,284,006.59	420	$5,438.11
5	Denmark	$2,234,162.91	652	$3,426.63	5	Russian Federation	$1,718,361.31	454	$3,784.94
6	Russia	$2,179,829.93	855	$2,549.51	6	France	$1,703,512.13	441	$3,862.84
7	Canada	$2,011,038.76	884	$2,274.93	7	Denmark	$1,654,614.71	173	$9,564.25
8	Sweden	$1,933,771.15	712	$2,715.97	8	United Kingdom	$1,327,882.15	348	$3,815.75
9	Brazil	$1,861,949.00	989	$1,882.66	9	Canada	$1,307,092.60	319	$4,097.47
10	Germany	$1,824,623.63	1032	$1,768.05	10	Germany	$1,304,784.38	500	$2,609.57
11	Finland	$1,672,037.47	405	$4,128.49	11	Sweden	$1,176,960.10	215	$5,474.23
12	United Kingdom	$1,438,156.76	915	$1,571.76	12	Australia	$891,602.63	359	$2,483.57
13	Australia	$1,278,719.22	838	$1,525.92	13	Thailand	$826,835.23	314	$2,633.23
14	Poland	$1,158,065.87	624	$1,855.87	14	Finland	$792,457.03	96	$8,254.76
15	Philippines	$1,106,753.39	200	$5,533.77	15	Poland	$596,336.18	221	$2,698.35
16	Japan	$973,735.09	406	$2,398.36	16	Ukraine	$574,589.16	112	$5,130.26
17	Thailand	$882,805.98	350	$2,522.30	17	Norway	$439,630.18	67	$6,561.64
18	Bulgaria	$860,229.50	118	$7,290.08	18	Netherlands	$399,067.54	150	$2,660.45
19	Norway	$714,775.28	225	$3,176.78	19	Japan	$325,085.28	223	$1,457.78
20	Spain	$625,412.64	392	$1,595.44	20	Bulgaria	$310,401.72	24	$12,933.41
21	Ukraine	$623,458.01	278	$2,242.65	21	Philippines	$290,771.52	71	$4,095.37
22	Taiwan	$600,532.10	211	$2,846.12	22	Turkey	$281,767.76	128	$2,201.31
23	Netherlands	$519,272.80	451	$1,151.38	23	Malaysia	$252,612.81	43	$5,874.72
24	Italy	$490,560.54	137	$3,580.73	24	Argentina	$251,784.40	79	$3,187.14
25	Malaysia	$463,826.66	175	$2,650.44	25	Estonia	$240,863.04	37	$6,509.81

Total Prize Money, Tournaments and Players (All Esports)

2019 (Jan-July)		2020 (Jan – July)
Total Prize Money	$66,992,940.50	Total Prize Money	$38,798,059.63
Total Tournaments	2715	Total Tournaments	1622
Total Players	26141	Total Players	10625
Average tournament prize pool	$23,987.94	Average tournament prize pool	$23,919.89
Average player prize money	$2,492.18	Average player prize money	$3,651.58

Best Countries By Average Player Prize Money

Country	Average prize money per player
Bulgaria	$12,933.41
Denmark	$9,564.25
Finland	$8,254.76
China	$8,162.81
Norway	$6,561.64
Estonia	$6,509.81
Malaysia	$5,874.72
Sweden	$5,474.23
Brazil	$5,438.11
Ukraine	$5,130.26

**Stats from www.esportsearnings.com – does not include information about salaries, bonuses or sponsorships

BETBY CONTINUES UPWARD TRAJECTORY WITH SOLID Q3 2025 PERFORMANCE RESULTS

Published

4 days ago

October 15, 2025

George Miller

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Reading Time: 2 minutes

BETBY, a leading sportsbook supplier, has reported another strong quarter, with its Q3 2025 performance underlining consistent growth and sustained engagement across its global partner network. The results highlight the provider’s continued expansion, innovation, and ability to deliver competitive value to operators worldwide.

During the third quarter, BETBY’s sportsbook recorded a 56.07% year-on-year increase in Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR), a 24.92% rise in total bets placed, and a 19.45% increase in active players, aligning with the solid upward trend seen in the company’s H1 results.

Importantly, these results were achieved despite a non-idyllic September, which was marked by uncompetitive margins due to sporting outcomes. This resilience further underscores the company’s ability to maintain growth momentum even in unfavourable market conditions.

This performance further demonstrates the scalability and reliability of BETBY’s sportsbook solution, which continues to attract new partners and drive growth across regulated markets. The supplier’s investment in proprietary trading models, AI-powered tools, and tailored partner support remains central to its strategy.

Betby.Games, BETBY’s proprietary esports feed, also delivered a positive quarter, achieving an 8.43% year-on-year increase in Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR), a 6.18% rise in total bets placed, and an 11.85% growth in active players compared to the same period last year.

Leonid Pertsovskiy, Chief Executive Officer at BETBY, commented: “Q3 once again demonstrates the strength of our products and the trust we’ve built with our partners. We continue to deliver solid results across both sportsbook and esports verticals, driven by innovation, user-centric solutions, and our commitment to excellence. As we approach the end of the year, our focus remains on accelerating growth and reinforcing our position as a Tier-1 provider in the iGaming industry.”

To find out more about BETBY’s cutting-edge sportsbook solution visit booth 4045 during SiGMA Central Europe. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with BETBY’s team, and discover how the company’s solutions and services can be their winning aspect for their iGaming project.

The post BETBY CONTINUES UPWARD TRAJECTORY WITH SOLID Q3 2025 PERFORMANCE RESULTS appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Beşiktaş Esports

HAVIT Partners with Three Top International Esports Teams to Expand Global Presence

Published

5 days ago

October 14, 2025

Niji Narayan

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Reading Time: < 1 minute

HAVIT, a leading global consumer tech brand, officially announced strategic partnerships with three internationally renowned esports teams: Brazil’s Vivo Keyd Stars, Turkiye’s Galatasaray Esports and Beşiktaş Esports. This marks a new stage in HAVIT’s global esports expansion, further strengthening its influence in the global esports ecosystem.

HAVIT has achieved remarkable results in the esports sector across both the Turkish and Latin American markets.

In Turkiye, HAVIT’s gaming headsets consistently rank No.1 on the leading platform Trendyol. To further integrate into the local esports ecosystem, HAVIT partners with Galatasaray Esports and Beşiktaş Esports, celebrated for their prestigious legacy and youthful energy, each with a massive fan base. This collaboration not only reinforces HAVIT’s market leadership but also deepens its connection with the local esports community.

Moreover, HAVIT enters the second year of its partnership with Vivo Keyd Stars, Brazil’s leading esports team, providing high-performance gaming gear to support the team’s play. With HAVIT’s gear and their own relentless drive, VKS won the championship in LTA South 2025 Split 3 and will represent Brazil at the 2025 League of Legends World Championship. This partnership underscores both the team’s strength and HAVIT’s commitment to empowering Brazil’s esports development.

Brand Vision: Build a Global Esports Network

This strategic partnership across Brazil and Turkiye is a key step in HAVIT’s regional market expansion and lays a solid foundation for HAVIT’s future presence in wider esports ecosystems of Europe, the Americas and beyond.

“Partnering with these teams is a crucial implementation of HAVIT’s ‘For Fun. For Games. For Champions’ vision. By merging technology with esports, we aim to inspire gamers worldwide to break boundaries and shape the future of gaming,” Doug Pollard said.

The post HAVIT Partners with Three Top International Esports Teams to Expand Global Presence appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

2XKO

DATA.BET the First to Launch 2XKO Offering

Published

1 week ago

October 10, 2025

George Miller

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Reading Time: < 1 minute

Introducing Riot Games’ newest title to the esports landscape

DATA.BET, the award-winning sports betting solution supplier, has pioneered the betting market by launching 2XKO, a new dynamic competitive format.

2XKO marks a new addition to the global esports scene. With its fast-paced, double-elimination structure, it brings a distinctive rhythm of short yet high-stakes matches — a setup that potentially opens new avenues for betting engagement and audience retention as the format evolves.

At this stage, DATA.BET’s coverage focuses on key pre-match markets, including Winner and To Reach the Final for overall tournament outcomes, as well as Winner within individual matches. During the final stages of the competition, the company also plans to expand its offering with Map Winner markets for each map.

What makes 2XKO unique is the combination of short-form, high-intensity gameplay. This setup maximizes player engagement, mirroring the popularity of competitive fighting games worldwide while translating seamlessly into a betting environment.

DATA.BET debuted its 2XKO betting coverage at the upcoming 2 NICE KO tournament in Nice, France (Oct 10–12, 2025), featuring nearly 300 players across top fighting titles.

Bogdan Holovnov, Head of Esports at DATA.BET, said: “Esports thrives on creativity and innovation, and 2XKO is the perfect example of how new formats can drive excitement for players and bettors alike. At DATA.BET, we’re proud to be the first to bring this to market — giving our partners exclusive access to content that captures the speed, intensity, and global appeal of fighting games. This launch reinforces our commitment to expanding esports betting with fresh, high-impact experiences.”

The post DATA.BET the First to Launch 2XKO Offering appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.