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IEM Cologne 2021: how major events increase the popularity of esports betting

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IEM Cologne is one of 2021’s best Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournaments. This newsworthy event brings together 24 teams from all around the world, has a $1 million prize pool and three stages of play.

Counter-Strike is flourishing

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is the fourth game in the Counter-Strike series of games. As with its forerunners, the game is a multiplayer first-person shooter in which two teams (Terrorists and Counter-Terrorists) compete against each other in various game modes.

Just imagine, the first release of Counter-Strike was published on November 9, 2000. This game has existed for more than 20 years. Even though the last game in the Counter-Strike series Counter-Strike: Global Offensive was released nearly 9 years ago, in August 2012, the game is still top-rated online and has millions of fans.

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According to Statista, as of February 2020, Counter-Strike had 24 million monthly active users, more than double the figure from May 2016. In May 2021, CS:GO reached more than one million concurrent players on Steam.

 

More than just a game

And what’s interesting is, it’s not just a game for millions of gamers, but for watchers of esports content too, of course. ELEAGUE Major, which took place in January 2018, was the most-watched CS:GO tournament that year, reaching nearly 1.9 million viewers. With such a large number of supporters, it is par for the course that CS:GO competitions are worth big money.

The game’s annual cumulative tournament prize pool reached $21.77M in 2019. And in 2020, the estimated prize money for CS:GO tournaments stood at $15.85M, making it the online game with the highest cumulative prize pool in that year.

Gamers are not short of attention and cash rewards. For instance, the Danish gamer, a member of Astralis, Andreas Højsleth, known by his online alias, Xyp9x, has earned over $1.88M playing CS:GO competitively. Currently, he is in second place in the earnings table for players of CS:GO. Another Danish player, Peter Rasmussen, who goes by the alias dupreeh, occupies the first spot with around $1.91M.

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CS:GO betting

Professional gaming quickly became a matter of interest to sportsbooks. Today, as reported by iGB, the most popular esports betting titles fall under two categories. The first includes the “Big Three”: League of Legends, Dota 2, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. They’re also some of the most popular video games globally.

The growth of popularity of these games turned the attention of the majority of sportsbooks. Global betting operators are widening their portfolio with popular online PC games. Some of the most popular CS:GO events are commercial CS:GO tournaments with 24/7 schedules that allow sportsbooks to fill free airtime with engaging content.

Betting on commercial CS:GO events works the same way as betting on major CS:GO events. Bettors wager on various markets: the outcome of a match, top-performing players, final scores, etc.

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One of the platforms that provide fast and dynamic 24/7 esports tournaments is ESportsBattle. It is worth noting that the organizers of ESportsBattle CS:GO tournaments have noticed the huge spike in bettors’ engagement rate in the run-up to big matches.

 

ESportsBattle & CS:GO

Because of increased global demand, ESportsBattle decided to expand its horizons and became the first platform to launch 1×1 CS:GO matches, guaranteeing beginner players an opportunity to have a shot at it. Earlier, ESportsBattle had only a 5×5 format and later became the first to offer 2×2 CS:GO matches.

This variety of formats and modes allows pro and amateur players to face off in EsportsBattle tournaments, develop their skills, and make money on it.

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For bettors of  EsportsBattle CS:GO tournaments, operators  provide the following markets: match winner (2-way or 3-way), match handicap, total maps, correct map score, map winner (2-way and 3-way), total rounds.

During July 2021, when IEM Cologne 2021 took place, ESportsBattle CS:GO matches chalked up far more views, which, in turn, led to increased bettor engagement. The number of views of ESportsBattle tournaments has risen dramatically: from 120K in June to almost 200K in July.

Furthermore, the number of views increased by 73% from the beginning of 2021. Betting on CS:GO gives bettors a chance to feel even more engaged in the whole IEM Cologne 2021 experience, as though they are participating in the tournament.

Thanks to regular broadcasts of esports events that boosted the gaming, esports and betting markets began to enjoy particular popularity. Moreover, one of the betting operator stated that there was almost 40% uptake in the number of active bettors engaged with EsportsBattles’ CS:GO events between June and July. Since the beginning of 2021, the number of people betting on EsportsBattle CS:GO events has increased by 10,000%.

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Sportradar and Oddin.gg ink AV betting agreement to elevate and expand esports reach

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Sportradar and Oddin.gg, an award-winning B2B betting-solutions provider for esports, today announced they have entered into a multi-year strategic partnership to offer audiovisual streaming of Oddin’s exclusive esports content to Sportradar’s betting operator clients around the world.

The deal will support Oddin.gg’s growth ambitions in the expanding global esports market, whose betting turnover was estimated to be €83 billion in 2023. It will extend the reach of Oddin.gg’s official competition content by leveraging Sportradar’s market leading position as an AV betting provider.

Sportradar’s global network of 900+ betting operator clients will benefit from the opportunity to offer greater volume and a wider variety of live streamed esports events to their customers, increasing opportunities for engagement with existing and new betting markets. The partnership also paves the way for future collaboration in other areas.

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Oddin.gg holds the official rights to high-profile competitions including the newly released Counter Strike 2 (CS2) which Sportradar will distribute to sportsbooks through the company’s integrated streaming product, providing access to prominent competitions globally and enabling operators to offer exciting new content to their customers.

A number of prestigious competitions are featured in the partnership, including:

• PGL Copenhagen Major 2024, the first Major for the newly released Counter Strike 2;
• Dacha DOTA2 Qualifiers and Main Events;
• Dacha Counter Strike 2 Qualifiers and Main Events;
• Tipsport MCR 2024.

Patrick Mostboeck, SVP Fan Engagement, Sportradar said: “This agreement further strengthens Sportradar’s esports offering while supporting Oddin.gg in realising their growth plans through AV streaming for betting. Sportradar’s ultra-low latency audiovisual outputs, as well as our comprehensive Live Odds and real-time trading solutions, provide betting operators with the critical materials they need to commercialise the global, highly engaged esports fan base.”

Vlastimil Venclik, CEO and co-founder of Oddin.gg shared: “As the forefront innovator in the esports betting sector, Oddin.gg is embarking on a journey by aligning with Sportradar, a leader in the realm of sports data and content distribution. This partnership is not just a collaboration but a combination of distinct strengths, where Sportradar’s extensive and sophisticated video distribution capabilities are set to be the vehicle for our unparalleled esports odds and analytical insights. This strategic alliance aims to harness the best of both worlds, merging our profound expertise and nuanced understanding of the esports betting market with Sportradar’s wide-reaching video distribution.”

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The post Sportradar and Oddin.gg ink AV betting agreement to elevate and expand esports reach appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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SIS launches market-leading esports product in Kentucky with bet365

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SIS Content Services, part of the SIS Group (Sports Information Services), the leading global multi-content supplier of 24/7 live betting services, has made its market entry in Kentucky with ebasketball from its esports product suite now live with long-term operator partner bet365.

This launch in the Bluegrass State enhances SIS’ reputation as a leading supplier in the esports betting space, widening the audience that can engage with its competitive gaming content across the US. It follows on from successful launches of its esports products in New Jersey and Colorado.

Developed specifically for betting, SIS’ H2H Global Gaming League ™ hosts over 150,000 events per year. The Competitive Gaming content is produced entirely in-house from SIS’ self-contained gaming studios in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom. It has ultra-low (sub-second) latency live streaming, visible ESIC-trained integrity referees for every game, live caster commentary, and on-screen graphics with unique betting prompts to maximize engagement.

SIS’ short-form, event-based esports product provides a full end-to-end solution with integrity at its core and is proven to deliver superior margins around the clock, adding as much as 10% in value to sportsbooks.

Since legalized sports betting launched in Kentucky in September, it has generated $447.8 million in handle across retail and mobile, providing SIS with the opportunity to expand its US offering.

Michele Fischer, Vice President, SIS Content Services, said: “As Kentucky is a basketball state, we are confident that our ebasketball product will provide an elevated experience for the bettors on the bet365 platform. Our offices are located in Louisville, so it is meaningful to be part of the sports betting infrastructure in our home state.”

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Richard Ames, Chief Executive, SIS, and President, SIS Content Services, said: “To grow our esports content across the US has been an aim of ours for some time, and to be able to expand our competitive gaming product into a third US state showcases how we are well-placed to deliver engaging wagering experiences to bettors.”

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Sony Group Becomes Founding Partner of Esports World Cup

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Multi-year collaboration will produce the Anthem and original documentary series of Esports World Cup 2024

The Esports World Cup Foundation (“EWCF”) and Sony Group Corporation (“Sony”) have signed a multi-year partnership agreement to collaborate on initiatives for the Esports World Cup. The collaboration leverages Sony’s acclaimed gaming products and entertainment expertise alongside the EWC’s vision to unite the global gaming and esports communities across the most popular games, and underscores a shared ambition to broaden the appeal of gaming and esports to players and fans worldwide. The inaugural Esports World Cup 2024 is slated to take place this summer in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

As part of this agreement, Sony Pictures Entertainment will create a behind-the-scenes documentary series showcasing the players and games of the Esports World Cup. Sony, together with Sony Interactive Entertainment, will also look to exploring additional opportunities to support promising creators and talent in the region. Sony Music Entertainment will produce the music Anthem of the Esports World Cup 2024

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“Sony is the perfect partner for the Esports World Cup,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO, Esports World Cup Foundation. “Our goal is to establish a global platform for esports and gaming that sets new standards for live esports events. Sony’s experience in creating stunning visuals, engaging music, compelling storytelling, and state-of-the-art technology will be a game-changer for the Esports World Cup. The EWC aims to take esports to the next level, and we are thrilled to count on Sony’s world class expertise in this endeavor.”

“We’re excited to make the Esports World Cup more fun and engaging for fans globally by harnessing the creativity and technology from across our diverse businesses.” said Toshimoto Mitomo, Executive Deputy President and CSO, Sony Group Corporation. “Sony has been enhancing the esports experience especially with Sony Interactive Entertainment’s initiatives such as PlayStation Tournaments and the annual EVO fighting game series. We look forward to further catering to this growing, global community of players and fans with the Esports World Cup.”

With the Esports World Cup, EWCF has created an unprecedented celebration of competitive gaming and esports fandom. This summer, top esports organizations will face off in Riyadh, to compete in a unique cross-game structure for the largest prize pool in esports history. Recently, the EWC has announced the addition of ten popular titles – Dota 2, Counter-Strike 2, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Honor of Kings, PUBG, PUBG Mobile, Overwatch, Free Fire, Fortnite and Rainbow Six Siege – as participating games. More games will be announced soon.

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