Why Esports Betting is The Next Big Thing

What is Esports?

A rising popularity within the sports industry and now the betting industry is Esports. But what is esports? Esports is short for electronic sports; it’s a multiplayer online organised competitive video gaming sport. It’s usually, but not limited to, played by professionals and is enjoyed globally by spectators and millions of fans online within the esports community.

Esports first became popular in countries like China and South Korea. They were the first countries to license professional esports players back in 2000. Esports gained global popularity in the early 2000s, mainly due to content creation platforms like YouTube and Twitch, which led to a massive surge in both professional players and spectators. From the late 2010s to the present day, esports has become a significant phenomenon in the video gaming community and the betting industry.

It’s now very popular for many people to focus on esports betting. At Tangobet, you can bet on games such as FIFA, NBA 2K, Counter-Strike, DOTA 2 and many more.


How Does Esports Betting Work?

Esports covers a variety of gaming genres, from sports-related games such as FIFA to first person shooters such as Counter-Strike. Esports betting is an offspring of the traditional betting ecosystem, with many overlapping similarities.

Bettors will bet on a team or a player they think will win, just as in most sports when it comes to betting. This creates the same thrilling atmosphere as traditional sports betting, where in-depth game knowledge can lead to financial gain.

As we spoke about before, esports betting shares a lot of the same concepts as traditional sports betting, but there are also some key differences. Both esports betting and traditional sports betting revolve around predicting the correct outcome, which the odds created by the bookmakers guide. Understanding the odds is essential to placing bets on esports. Esports betting offers heaps of variety and flexibility, and each esports tournament/game will provide a vast range of betting options that involve not only the overall winner but also specific in-game events and performances. For example, you can bet on a particular team to win a tournament, but you can also bet on a singular player to score the most goals or get the most kills.

While the primary goal of esports betting is predicting the correct outcome, there are also some key differences compared to traditional sports betting. In esports, the industry is littered with young professionals. This means that there’s typically less historical data to analyse on that player compared to other sports. This makes recent performances and real-time analysis vital for Esports betting. Esports betting is also more subject to volatility, as there are frequent game rule changes, player transfers, and strategies that are constantly changing.

For instance, a highly-rated esports player may transfer to a new team, and they could drastically change the betting odds overnight. Another example is an announcement of a game update or a new rule change that alters the game’s mechanics. This can potentially help a previously underperforming team become more competitive and, therefore, change the odds.

Why is Esports Betting The Next Big Thing?

Esports betting and esports viewership has climbed the ranks of popularity at a lightning-fast pace in the last few years. Over 640 million people are expected to be part of the global esports audience in 2025, with 318 million dedicated fans and 322 million casual viewers. What started as a niche interest has evolved into a worldwide sensation, drawing massive crowds and generating billions in revenue, but why is esports betting the next big thing?

In 2020, there was a surge in esports betting correlating to the COVID-19 pandemic. This meant that as the rest of the betting world stopped, bettors had to turn to the only sport that was still allowed to be played. Another reason for the growth we have seen in the sport is the accessibility. At any moment, there will be an Esports match, tournament, or event to bet on, and a live feed of the sport is available on free platforms such as YouTube and Twitch online.

Unlike other traditional sports, data is provided and updated in real-time, creating accurate odds and increasing your chances of winning. It is also effortless for bettors to switch between watching their favourite Esports team play their favourite video game and then placing a bet without missing any of the action.

Esports is a lucrative and fast-growing sporting industry that is here to stay for a very long time. At Tangobet, we see ourselves as an esports betting website, with lots of professional games to bet on. If you want any more esports betting tips, or have a look at the latest esports news, have a read of our other articles. If you haven’t already placed a bet on an esports match, you probably should.