Overall, what do you think it is that younger players see in esports betting that has made it so popular in recent years?
Esports appeals to multiple generations simultaneously with its diversity, dynamism, accessibility and speed. However, speaking in terms of the young audience, people are primarily attracted by the opportunity to observe and directly participate in tournaments of the disciplines that were their hobbies in their teenage years.
Nowadays, the younger generation prefers content that doesn’t require prolonged concentration. Everything should be, “here and now,” if you will.
"Thus, esports much better meets the demands of modernity: short rounds, good dynamics, providing that desired excitement."
The sector experienced its primary surge during the Covid-19 lockdown, confirming its convenience and ability to thrive under any conditions. These circumstances allowed esports to establish itself in the industry, demonstrating its potential to both bettors and operators. That’s why the majority of the acquired audience remained interested when market offerings became competitive again. After this, esports could demonstrate its other standout difference: much more independence from a season or weekday, where a player can always find the event that satisfies their current demand.
Do you believe the convenience factor is something that could draw both older and younger players towards esports betting in time? What is it about the virtual aspect of esports that you think appeals so much?
Again, we believe players of both age groups are already interested in esports. The main challenge facing the industry now is to attract an even bigger audience to showcase its appeal. Esports is a relatively new business, which can lead to some scepticism. However, as our experience with one of the most successful esports bookmakers, GG.Bet, shows, its freshness is also why it engages. Immersive visual effects, tools, characters, and frequent updates draw with their novelty and freshness compared to traditional sports. With dynamic disciplines, various storylines and gameplay to suit any taste, the content is widely diverse and easily adapted to external factors.
Reducing user friction and ensuring accurate data seem to be key factors in enhancing the esports betting experience. How do you believe Data.Bet can stand out in these areas?
These factors are more likely to enhance the exclusive content, as they enable operators to guarantee unique experiences reliably. The design a user sees, as well as the functionality of features an esports betting provider offers clients, relate to embedded solutions. At Data.Bet, we deliver a crafted product, Single Page Application (SPA), for which our team took all the beneficial traits of iFrame, common in the industry, improved and extended them. Now, in our portfolio, we have a new-generation solution developed to ensure a solid, completely customisable product that keeps bettors satisfied and positively affects bookmaker outcomes.
Content is also a consideration. For example, different widgets and video streams with minimal delays that we supply to our clients keep users updated. This is especially important if a bettor prefers Fast Markets over classic ones since they give comparatively immediate results and change every 3-5 minutes, depending on the discipline. All these advancements will not be that significant without markets that meet the interests of bettors. That is the reason we developed the “Player Props” feature with an opportunity to try to predict total death, kills and even choices of a particular player.
Licensed content from trusted sources drives all these features since it empowers data feeds, shaping a reliable betting line. Along with other tools available, Data.Bet’s experts use fast raw data sources to minimise bet latency and generate new offerings.
What are some of the key market trends you have noticed in esports betting over the last few years?
The main esports betting trends remain creating more content and personalising it. Providers try to develop new disciplines, diverse markets and tech advancements, particularly using AI models. Searching for new, groundbreaking content sources to attract a bigger audience, industry representatives have also started to invest effort in the growth of mobile disciplines. These all are to showcase the potential of esports and prove that, with the right expert approach, the industry, being versatile and relatively young, still has a lot to offer for engagement and a lot to give in monetary value.
How do you expect your products to evolve within the changing market - what can we expect from Data.Bet in 2024?
We’re always working on our existing products, but in the last six months, we have already launched several new features, such as Fast Markets and live video streams mentioned before. We are working on creating even more offerings that will enhance the platform’s experience for end users and increase turnover.
"Very soon, we plan to provide our clients with another novelty, Bet Builder, which will help users dive deeper into betting, increasing engagement."
