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Unibet talks to Abios about the Future of Esports Betting

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The esports market is the fastest growing sports vertical with the betting market following suit. The betting market for esports is expected to grow with a CAGR of 13.1% between 2020 and 2025 according to MarketWatch, showing a great potential for future opportunities. Unibet has offered markets on esports since 2014 and has used Abios widgets to deliver an enhanced customer experience for punters.

We decided to talk to the Esports Product Manager at Unibet, Filip Kristersson, to get his take on esports betting, how they’ve enhanced their betting offer and their predictions for the future.

What are your thoughts on the future of esports and betting?

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Esports will continue to grow and become increasingly important for bookmakers. Within 3 years, it will be a top sport for most sportsbooks and continue to grow. Together with American sports, it will drive new innovations such as betting types, widgets, and ultra-live. The rise of eSoccer as a filler product paints an intriguing picture, are we seeing the beginning of a new paradigm? I foresee interesting times ahead.

What esports games are most popular among your customers?

The big three still rule supreme: CS:GO, LoL, and Dota 2. With the Nordics as some of our core markets, we see a lot of CS:GO activity. Hopefully, The International will be able to go forward as planned in Stockholm this summer, so we can see some proper Dota 2 action as well.

Do you see any growth in interest in other esports games? Are there any new-/upcomers we should keep track of?

While not really being traditional esports, we have seen an increase in eSoccer. The product currently has a filler-role, but can become a proper esports with the right infrastructure and fanbase. Other games of interest are Call of Duty, Valorant, and Rainbow 6, though it’s too early to say anything yet. I’m interested to see the Battle Royale genre getting cracked, as it’s slightly awkward to watch and place bets on now. The growing trend of mobile esports should also be followed, though it will take a while to grow big as an esports in Europe.

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Have you seen any changes in the esports betting market related to Covid-19?

The rise of eSoccer was one thing we didn’t see coming, it was an unexpected surprise. In hindsight, it does make sense. Almost everyone has played the game, it’s recognisable, quick, and fun to bet on. The other esports saw an increase, even if the more prestigious LAN-tournaments were canceled. We have also seen an increase in activity from many of our competitors as well as suppliers. I believe the increased esports awareness benefits us as we have a strong esports product.

Thank you for bringing these great insights on the esports market. You have used our products to enhance and develop the customer experience across your platforms.

How do you use our widgets and value stats?

In short, we use the Abios widgets to enhance our customer experience. Whether you are a frequent bettor or it’s your first time, we want it to be easy, smooth, and understandable to bet at Unibet. The pre-match widgets give you an understanding of the teams’ latest performance, without having to leave Unibet.

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The value stats have been a great way to help players try types of betting they aren’t used to, as well as showcasing how you can use data to improve your betting. It’s also nifty to use on external sites together with promotions.

What value has Abios products brought you?

The compliance checks made us one of the few bookmakers who could have most of our esports events available on site after the Swedish re-regulation. The mapping of streams makes sure it’s possible to view every esports event on our website. Abios continuous service helps us ensure we have all the content available for all markets, something becoming increasingly important with different regulations.

What value has Abios brought to your customers in terms of user experience?

As can be understood from the above answers, they have been a great addition to our customer experience, prolonging time on site and helping to drive both pre-match and in-play betting. At Unibet, we want our players to feel in control and feel good about their bets. By providing additional information in a well-packaged way, we promote the expert feeling.

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GIANTX unveils its team for the Spanish Superliga of League of Legends

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The global esports organization GIANTX has officially presented the roster for its League of Legends Superliga team, the most prestigious esports competition in Spain, organized by the LVP. The roster includes Feisty (midlaner) and Aetinoth (ADC), who continue for another year after establishing themselves as key players for the organization, and newcomers Badlulu (toplaner), Ferret (jungler), and Lospa (support).

The team, known as GIANTX Pride, will be led by Fearless, a veteran coach who has already won three Superliga titles with GIANTX. After previous stints with teams like Guasones and Rebels, Fearless returns to lead this young and promising roster as they pursue the organization’s long-awaited eighth Superliga trophy, with the season set to begin in January 2025.

The roster was revealed during an event at the Home of GIANTX in Málaga, attended by over 150 fans and supported by Opel, the team’s main partner in the Superliga. The event featured activities, giveaways, and a showmatch against Barça Esports, where fans got a first glimpse of the team in action.

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Feisty (South Korea, 2003) and Aetinoth (Turkey, 2005) return for another year, having gained recognition as rising talents with potential for the LEC, Europe’s premier competition in which GIANTX also competes. Badlulu (France, 2002), with prior experience in the Superliga at CASE Esports, joins as the toplaner. Ferret (Turkey, 2001), a promising jungler from the Turkish scene, comes from FUT, while Lospa (South Korea, 2002), a former Iberian Cup champion, joins as support after training in Gen.G Academy.

GIANTX Pride is the most decorated organization in Superliga LVP history, with seven titles to its name. The last victory came in the summer of 2021, and the team is determined to add the elusive eighth trophy to its collection. The Superliga for 2025 will feature ten teams, including Barça Esports, Guasones, Los Heretics, LUA Gaming, Movistar KOI, Ramboot Club, UCAM Esports, VENI VIDI VICI, and ZETA, competing across three splits—winter, spring, and summer.

The LVP, part of Grupo Mediapro, has introduced changes to the Superliga’s format for 2025. The updated calendar will be released soon, setting the stage for another thrilling season.

The post GIANTX unveils its team for the Spanish Superliga of League of Legends appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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GRID Joins IBIA as an Associate Member, Strengthening Esports Integrity

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GRID, an esports data platform, has officially joined the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) as a first esports-focused Associate Member. This collaboration signifies a pivotal moment for esports integrity, aligning GRID with IBIA and its globally recognized integrity-focused members, who monitor over $300bn in sports bets per annum and have a growing focus on esports betting.

With this partnership, GRID and IBIA are committed to collaboratively addressing any integrity issues in esports, fostering trust across stakeholders, and setting a benchmark for excellence in the ecosystem. GRID has been a certified member of IBIA’s Data Standards program since 2022, actively contributing to the development of tailored esports integrity protocols. This membership further underscores GRID’s dedication to transparency and collaboration in combating betting-related corruption within esports.

Since 2018, GRID has operated an internal integrity department pioneering official data-driven solutions for esports. This makes GRID one of the first companies to monitor tournament and data integrity in the competitive sports sector and actively flag and report suspicious behavior, enabling it to collect a large database of integrity reports and insights.

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IBIA is a not-for-profit body that protects regulated sports betting markets from match-fixing. It represents over 50 of the world’s leading betting companies which operate over 125 sports betting brands. IBIA’s global monitoring network is a highly effective anti-corruption tool, detecting and reporting suspicious activity in regulated betting markets using transactional activity linked to individual customer accounts.

Under the partnership, GRID and IBIA will share information relating to suspicious esports betting and potential match manipulation from their respective monitoring and intelligence platforms. IBIA members will also benefit from free access to wider integrity-focused resources supplied by GRID.

Moritz Maurer, CEO of GRID, commented: “Integrity is at the heart of GRID’s mission. By joining IBIA as an Associate Member, we are taking a definitive step toward establishing esports as a trusted and credible industry. This partnership enables us to further our efforts in promoting transparency, reducing risks associated with esports betting, and strengthening operational practices across the ecosystem.’’

Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA, said: “We are delighted to welcome GRID as an Associate Member of IBIA. This partnership is a landmark for the esports sector and reflects our commitment to expanding our integrity initiatives into new markets. GRID’s expertise in esports data monitoring and integrity standards is an invaluable asset in our shared mission to combat betting corruption globally.”

 

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ComeOn Group and Astralis unite to drive esports engagement in the Nordics

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ComeOn Group announced a sponsorship partnership between its flagship brand ComeOn! and Denmark based Astralis, one of the most esteemed esports organisations globally. As a global leader in esports, Astralis is providing a vibrant and engaging esports experience that is aligned with ComeOn!’s brand experience and is further enhanced by its focus in providing a leading esports betting destination.

As the official sponsor of Astralis, ComeOn! will be prominently featured across all of their platforms, including social media, team events, and competitive gaming content, boosting their brand exposure in key global markets with a focus on the Nordics. ComeOn! is already known as a vibrant brand in the Nordics and with the increased brand visibility it will be put at the heart of the fast-growing esports scene.

ComeOn Group continues to invest in its Sportsbook product experience that is powered by its proprietary sportsbook platform, where esports holds an important strategic market opportunity with its ever growing demand.

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Juergen Reutter, Chief Executive Officer at ComeOn Group, said: “We are very excited to team up with Astralis as this collaboration not only allows us to showcase our innovative Sportsbook platform but also strengthens our ties to the esports community. This partnership is very much in the heart of one of the fastest growing betting markets globally. Esports has seen great demand by our audiences, and we want to provide the best betting experience for our customers. This partnership is also a testament to our localisation and personalisation focus and by working together with Astralis, we can deliver unique experiences that resonate with our players and elevate the entertainment experience around competitive gaming.”

Mads Rasmussen, Commercial Director at Astralis, said: ”We are proud to present ComeOn Group as our new global partner. This partnership holds great significance for Astralis both as an organization and as a business, and we look forward to bringing the agreement to life, benefiting the vast majority of our fanbase – who are adults. We have undergone a long and very positive process with ComeOn, and the fact that they are European-based with licenses in all our key markets, including Denmark, has been a decisive factor in our decision. Astralis fans, both in Denmark and internationally, can look forward to an innovative new digital activation, which promises to deliver an exciting and engaging experience.”

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