eSports and eGames: it’s time for digital sports era

Betinvest COO Max Dubossarsky shares his thoughts in a column in which he addresses the current worldwide scenario for gaming.

Every day, 227 of 257 countries are focused on one and the same thing. Countries with differing state structures, social values, cultures and traditions. Tune in to any television station in the world, any news outlet, and you will see a familiar sight – even in a country thousands of miles away.

It’s not breaking news that the whole business world has been practically put on hold because of the coronavirus outbreak. The sports and sports betting industries are no better off. We are in unprecedented territory, where almost all sports events have been suspended or postponed: from national championships to international and worldwide tournaments such as the Euros and Olympic Games. And the same fate has been met by events outside of the world of sports, ones that are no less popular or widely known – for example, the Eurovision Song Contest. Similarly, all trade fairs have been postponed to a later date too.

But what can a betting business gain from all this? While bets on traditional sports are no longer relevant, this is an opportunity to develop other solutions and digital versions of sports which not all operators and providers paid much attention to previously. We all, therefore, need to adapt to the current conditions and get creative.

This is an opportunity to develop other solutions and digital versions of sports.

As a sports betting provider with 20 years of market experience, we would like to share our own strategy of work in these difficult times. The first thing that we did was to ensure that our team had comfortable and safe conditions to work in. Business is business, but your personal safety and that of your colleagues is of the utmost priority. We urge all our colleagues in the industry to look after themselves – and we urge employers to provide them with the means to do so. Since isolation measures began, we at Betinvest have been working remotely. We begin each day by asking our colleagues how they are on our company chats and discussing recent news. We’re in touch with one another 24/7, about work and other matters too, as we realise how important that is – now more than ever. We also speak to our partners from all over the world more regularly. This is absolutely vital at the moment, both for business and for a feeling of support.

Secondly, we reviewed the global situation within the gambling industry to find out about the current key demands from end customers – the players – so we can adapt our product line. Just a month ago, no one could have imagined that practically all championships and tournaments all over the world would be put on hold, and fans would not be able to watch sporting events, support their favourite teams or athletes from the stands or place bets. In addition to all this, land-based operations have also been put on hold for the time being due to isolation requirements. This represents a huge part of the industry as a whole – one of the industry trademarks. But there’s no reason for operators and sports betting providers to despair – this is a time to develop aspects of the business that have not previously been a priority.

We have noticed that with the cancellation of the majority of sporting events, the demand for eFootball, eBasketball, eTennis, etc has grown several times over. Of course, some sports events are still available, such as those in countries like Belarus, Singapore, Australia, and on the African continent. But that’s not to say that fans of teams from other countries need to support these events due to the lack of other competitions taking place. Rather, we propose that operators expand their offer and give their players the opportunity to bet on esports and eGames. We are offering our esports solution with up to 3,000 pre-match events per month and 1,000 live events, as well as eFootball, eBasketball, eTennis, eHockey and even Mortal Kombat, to name but a few. Teams of skilled gamers play FIFA 2020, NBA 2k20, Tennis World Tour and NHL20 matches 24/7. We provide pre-match and live odds, statistics for all events, full streaming on Twitch or client platforms and records of games saved on our YouTube Channel. All this is available to make sure that sports fans can support the virtual version of their favourite teams or athletes without leaving the house, and to give them all the same excitement when selected, qualified players control the teams in real time on their consoles.

Today, esports are among the most profitable areas of business.

Just a few years ago, we saw the rise in popularity of esports amongst young players, and our eSportsbook was launched two years ago. Today, esports are among the most profitable areas of business, with loyal young players being the target audience for many brands. Of course, with the current isolation requirements, the large esports tournaments can’t be held in their old format. LAN tournaments are being cancelled and Majors postponed, but online tournaments are going ahead as before. Nonetheless, given these challenging times, the fact that esports tournaments are adaptable and the loyalty of players, it seems to us that esports solutions are among the most in-demand at the moment. And so, we are proud to offer our clients a product which is not only current, but which is also tried and tested. It is developed by a team of professionals: past players who know the industry inside out.

And finally: remember that the gambling industry is, first and foremost, the entertainment business. We see it as one of the few industries that can brighten up these days of isolation for people, and at least take their mind off current problems for a while. And so, our aim as a sports betting provider is to offer – alongside our operators – popular and appealing entertainment for end users which is accessible from home. This is the time to adapt to change and to be decisive and resourceful, because experience tells us that everything can change in a matter of days. So, expand your virtual presence. Don’t be afraid to try – be prepared to trial solutions.