It may have sounded crazy to say this even ten years ago, but there is a genuine chance that eSports could one day be more popular than traditional sports. The competitive gaming scene has blown up in recent years, and it is already worth more than $1 billion.
With technology advancing rapidly and making the games better by the year, eSports are bound to keep attracting spectators. If traditional sports don’t do more to attract new fans and retain old ones, eSports may be able to gain superiority in the future.
Competitive Gaming Industry Has Boomed in the Last Ten Years
In the last ten years, the competitive gaming industry has risen exponentially, and projections for the next decade are exciting as well. In 2020, the industry was valued at $996 million, but by 2025 it’s expected to be worth a whopping $1.86 billion. If it carries on expanding at this rate, it will have reached a staggering size by 2035.
The numbers of the eSports industry are still way behind some of the world’s biggest sports, such as football and soccer. However, it should also be noted that these competitive games have both been in existence for more than a century, so they have had plenty of time to attract booming fanbases. The most lucrative leagues of these sports – the NFL and the Premier League – are much younger than the sports themselves.
These leagues are now booming brands that attract huge amounts of investment from international corporations and will inspire the eSports industry to attempt something similar. Indeed, some of the world’s biggest names have already started to endorse eSports leagues and competitions, with the likes of Intel and Red Bull already highly involved.
Betting Sites are Helping eSports Flourish
One of the reasons why the world’s most popular sports got so big was because the sprawling betting industry grew up alongside them. Staking on the games gave the masses a reason to watch them and meant that they were accessible even to people who didn’t usually have a team to support. The same thing is happening with eSports, and some of the world’s best-known bookies are beginning to offer wagering on digital events.
There’s likely to be an even greater influx of eSports betting sites in the years ahead too, as it’s now possible for almost anyone to create their own offerings. Using platforms like Sportingtech, budding entrepreneurs can build fully functioning sportsbooks that are ready to take payments and bets. It would be hard to compete with some of the best-established brands in the industry, but going for a niche focus on eSports to capitalize on the growing interest in them could be fruitful in the 2020s.
The eSports industry is currently mirroring the rise of popular competitive leagues like the Premier League and the NFL. With more youngsters getting into competitive gaming every year, there is a chance that the industry could surpass some traditional sports in the future.
