The esports data and odds provider that is also a part of Kambi, Abios, released a new report providing a unique insight into the growing esports betting vertical. The report was compiled thanks to data from Kambi’s network and pointed out which are the most popular esports games, leagues, as well as teams in 2022. The data was based on the betting turnover for last year but at the same time, delivers “a guiding light” for 2023 as well.
Kristina Skogvard, Abios’ marketing manager, explained that the popularity of esports has been rapidly growing and the activity became a part of the offering of many sports betting operators. This, according to her, underlines the importance of the new report which delivers unique insight into the esports betting vertical.
Skogvard acknowledged that CS:GO remains an unquestionable leader within the esports betting market. Yet, she pointed out that Riot Games’ first-person shooter, VALORANT, has also seen an increase in growth with viewership for its tournaments reaching similar figures to CS:GO’s tier 1 tournaments. In conclusion, Skogvard predicted that with the increase in content for 2023, VALORANT may quickly gain further advantage.
“Esports is becoming increasingly prevalent among many sportsbooks and we don’t believe it to slow down anytime soon.“
Kristina Skogvard, marketing manager at Abios
CS:GO’s Reign Continues
Based on the betting turnover via Kambi’s network in 2022, Abios compiled a list of the most popular esports titles. The list consisted of ten games and CS:GO was crowned as the leader, followed by League of Legends which was ranked second. Dota 2 hit third place, followed by VALORANT and Call of Duty.
The bottom half of the list with the most popular esports titles included Rainbow Six Siege which was ranked sixth, followed by Overwatch 2 and StarCraft 2 which have taken seventh and eighth positions. Rocket League and League of Legends: Wild Rift were positioned in the ninth and tenth place within the list.
Not unexpectedly, CS:GO reigned when it comes to Abios’ list of most popular leagues. The new report positioned CS:GO’s Intel Extreme Masters, ESL Pro League and BLAST Premier as the top three leagues. League of Legends’ LPL ranked fourth followed by CS:GO’s PGL Major which was fifth.
It’s no surprise that esports betting continues to gain popularity, considering the convenience of mobile betting. At the same time, esports betting also taps into fresh audiences by attracting millennials and even Gen-Z audiences that are old enough to place wagers.