Esports is steadily climbing the ranks in the world of sports betting. According to the product team at SOFTSWISS Sportsbook, a leading sports betting software provider, esports has shown a consistent upward trend over the past three years. While football, tennis, and basketball have maintained their top positions, esports has advanced from seventh place in 2021 to fourth in 2023. Counter-Strike, in particular, has made a notable leap, securing the sixth position among the top ten disciplines by the number of bets.
Alexander Kamenetskyi, Head of SOFTSWISS Sportsbook, suggests that the rise of esports is a call to action for their partners to focus on cyber disciplines, thereby engaging audiences beyond traditional betting demographics. With Newzoo’s report projecting 640 million viewers by 2025, the potential for operators in the cybersports sector is immense.
Another significant trend in sports betting is the consistent growth in bets made from mobile devices. SOFTSWISS Sportsbook reports that 80 percent of bets in 2023 were placed via mobile, compared to 70 percent in 2022 and 68 percent in 2021. This trend is solidifying as players increasingly opt for the convenience of mobile betting, especially in live betting scenarios. Notably, mobile devices contributed 92 percent to the operators’ Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR).
The SOFTSWISS Sportsbook team has also observed shifts in player behaviour around major sports events. For instance, there was a 10-20 percent drop in online casino turnover during the World Cup 2022, indicating that a significant portion of casino players redirect their focus towards sports betting based on seasonal patterns. This pattern underscores the strategic importance for iGaming stakeholders to recognize the synergistic relationship between casino ventures and sportsbooks.
SOFTSWISS Sportsbook is also noting the strengthening of other trends like regulation and responsible gambling, as highlighted in the iGaming Trends 2024 report by SOFTSWISS. The team is looking forward to discussing these insights during the first SBC Summit Rio.
SOFTSWISS, an international tech company based in Malta, Poland, and Georgia, provides software solutions for managing iGaming projects. The company offers a wide range of products, including the Online Casino Platform, the Game Aggregator, the Affilka affiliate platform, the Sportsbook Platform, and the Jackpot Aggregator. In 2013, SOFTSWISS was the first in the world to introduce a Bitcoin-optimized online casino solution.