Pandemic gives eSports betting big boost
Online gaming competitions helping to fill the void as other leagues postpone or cancel seasons
We currently live in a cyberworld where babies are named X AE A-12 and eSports is the most popular live sport to bet on.
OK, sure, the former can be placed at the feet of the eccentric Elon Musk and his Vancouver-born pop star wife, Grimes (Claire Elise Boucher), but the latter is borne of the economic conditions wrought by the global lockdown in the fight against COVID-19.
The latter is not surprising, with nearly every pro sports league in hiatus until they’re given the green light to resume, and eSports being tailor-made to fill the void.
Physically distant? Check. Engaged fan base? Check. Captive and digitally-dependent audience? Check.
“In PlayNow, you have options to be on everything from eSports to table tennis to darts,” said Matt Lee of the B.C. Lottery Corporation.
“With eSports, that has seen the most increase year over year. I believe right now eSports currently makes up 42 per cent of all sports bets that are being made on Playnow. com.
“And the NFL draft was a big hit for us … table tennis has seen large year over year increases, and darts as well.
“The numbers speak for themselves. Obviously the pandemic has made eSports and table tennis the only shows in town, but at the same time, you’re definitely seeing more and more (action) in the eSports market than ever,” added Lee, identifying Overwatch, DOTA 2, Counter-Strike and League of Legends as seeing the most betting.
“I mean you look here in Vancouver, the Titans are one of those kind of markets that are driving the bus a little bit in terms of growth. It’s definitely been a combination of factors as to why you’re seeing so much growth in the eSports market, for sure.”
Sports bettors in B.C. have two official regulated platforms to place wagers: Sports Action or Playnow.com. BCLC made the decision to suspend Sports Action on March 12 after the NBA and NHL suspended their seasons, but Playnow.com traffic has spiked in the interim.
“Since the pandemic started … Playnow.com has really been seeing that increase in both registration and play activity over the last couple of months, just because it’s allowed people to sort of stay home and stay safe, while also being able to pursue some sports betting options online,” said Lee.
But as progress is made fighting the COVID-19 outbreak in countries around the world, sports leagues are emerging from hiatus, such as the German Bundesliga, which resumes soccer action this weekend.
BCLC has restarted Sports Action as a result, and will make additional leagues and sports available for betting as they resume play.
Because of the prolific amount of unregulated and grey betting sites in the province, which number close to 2,000, BCLC won’t release specific breakdowns of their sports betting trends. But overall last year, it generated $26.3 million in revenue.
The BCLC produced a whopping $1.4 billion in revenue for the province last fiscal year, with $982 million coming from casinos and community gaming centres, all of which have been closed since March 16, following directives from the provincial government.
With many of their pointof-sale partners being closed or operating under reduced hours, Lee said those sales have seen a large dip, the most recent numbers weren’t made available, but that trend could see a change soon.
“We’re assuming there were declines in lottery sales, but we’re seeing more and more as the province opens up, and more and more retailers are starting to come back online,” he said.
“We’re not talking about just mom-and -pop retailers. There’s an entire hospitality group that sells lottery tickets and many of those partners of ours have been closed at this time, so it’s definitely something that none of us have ever expected but … we’re hopeful that more lottery tickets are being sold at this time.”
In the meantime, there are sports to bet on. With the resumption of soccer in Germany, one of the world’s most popular leagues, traditional bettors should return to their old haunts.
The emergence of eSports as a popular betting choice also seems to herald a new age.
“There’s a lot more appetite for eSports,” said Lee. “I’ve seen eSports matches broadcast on TSN2 … Vancouver Titans games broadcast on TSN2, 3 and 4. I don’t know what I’m watching, but it’s kind of crazy when you think about it. And this was even before the pandemic, too.
“It’s pretty safe to say that the demographics for eSports probably strays toward the younger audience. I’d be willing to surmise … people aren’t making sports bets on eSports unless they have some sort of knowledge about it.
“We have a broad range in terms of who our key demographics are. The lottery can be maybe a bit more of an older audience, but I do find on Playnow.com you’re seeing a little bit more of a younger demographic.”