Global interest in betting on esports

As sports betting grows in certain global markets, new YouGov data reveals the appetite for placing bets on esports.

According to YouGov’s Global Gambling Profiles tool, 15% of respondents from Australia say they’re interested betting on esports, a significant proportion of the population, compared to Canada (10%), US (10%), Germany (7%), and the UK (4%).

North America is experiencing tremendous growth in betting in general, thanks to law changes in several US states and Canadian provinces.

Along with the growing popularity of esports throughout the pandemic, coupled with these legislative changes, esports betting is expected by many industry observers to see several years of growth.

Looking at the United Kingdom, considered to be a mature betting market, just 2% of gamblers reported placing a bet on esports in the last year. While esports in general aren’t as popular in the UK as other markets, this does present an opportunity for marketers to use the UK public’s interest in sports betting to increase interest in esports.

In the United States, bettors are nearly six times as likely as their UK counterparts to have placed a bet on esports in the last 12 months (11%), which is the result of higher interest in competitive gaming in general stateside.

Looking along age groups, few surprises emerge. One in five of consumers aged 18-24 in the US, UK, Australia, India, Germany, and Canada are interested in betting on esports. That number increases slightly to 22% among those 25-34 and dwindles the higher we go up the generational ladder: 35-44 (18%), 45-54 (12%), and 55+ (4%).

Indeed, esports betting presents an alluring opportunity for both the video gaming industry, which can further increase its profile in the mainstream, and the gambling industry, which can use esports to expand its audience base.