Entain highlights “clear link between betting and video gaming”

The British gaming giant Entain has identified a correlation between video gaming and betting and predicts strong future demand for esports betting products.

UK.- The FTSE100 gaming operator Entain, owner of  Ladbrokes, Coral, Gala and bwin, has highlighted a new study showing a strong correlation between video gaming and betting.

Its survey of 16,000 people found video gamers 4.3 times more likely to bet and 4.5 times more likely to take part in igaming.

It found that 10 per cent of adults aged under 24 watched esports on platforms like Twitch on a weekly basis, as did 9 per cent of 25-34 year-olds and 6 per cent of 35-44 year-olds. 

The operator expects to see an increase in demand for esports products, noting that in a separate study of 20,000 adults across 16 markets, 37 per cent of respondents said they expected to watch esports in the future – more than double the 15 per cent who do so now. 

It also highlighted that interest in the sector extended beyond the younger generations and included “digital dads” who seek to retain the enthusiasm for video gaming consoles they had when they were young.

Men with children were more than twice as likely to spend time watching esports than those without, and 59 per cent of fathers in Britain aged 25 to 44 played computer or video games every week.

The younger demographic does predominate, however, with 53 per cent of under 24s playing video games every week, followed by 46 per cent of  24 to 34-year-olds and 36 per cent of 35 to 44-year-olds.

Entain also forecast a rise in the use of virtual reality, with 60 per cent of its digital customers and 57 per cent of under 35s responding that they were “very interested” in the development.

Entain’s deputy director of digital Dom Grounsell said: “Enthusiasm for gaming, mobile, and more social forms of interactive entertainment is far from confined to younger generations. People of all ages – particularly middle-aged dads – enjoy gaming and seem to love experimenting with new and exciting content.

“We’re developing new interactive entertainment experiences, with more gaming and social features, because it’s increasingly clear this is what people want.”

Entain has already begun to prepare for such developments. Last year, it bought the esports betting provider Unikrn, adding its brand, products and team to its own operations.

This month, Entain announced that it expects to report a 7 per cent increase year-on-year in net gaming revenue for 2021.