Nowadays the definition of gaming spans a whole spectrum of opportunities. Gaming is mainly taken to refer to the world of video games and esports, but it is also becoming more and more understood in the gambling world as well. Both industries have been on an incredible rise as of late, with technology playing the all-important catalyst, and no signs of them stopping any time soon.
The world of video games has always been a rather niche market since its inception and up until the third console generation, around 2012-2013. With the dawn of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One however, online gaming became a staple offering with most games, with franchises such as Call of Duty and FIFA making online their most prominent offering, and in many cases it is this online offering which keeps bringing in sales.
Many if not most game development studios are located in North America, making the United States a desired location for all developers to be in. This is because many events are also held in the North American continent, such as E3 or the recent Video Game Awards. These events help the communication between different studios as well as facilitate the sharing of material made to entice even more people to enter their gaming circle.
The other side of the gaming definition is referred to the world of gambling, a world which has been very popular ever since its inception, but which is gathering a lot of steam as of late, especially with the introduction of online betting websites. Speaking of North America, gambling has its mecca in the United States, particularly in Las Vegas, Nevada. Everyone knows of the plethora of casinos in Sin City, so it comes to no surprise that North America is also an ideal haven for gamblers and all those who want to succeed in the sector.
Betting sites have become all the more popular in recent times with betting being permitted even mid match, if not encouraged. Different odds for all the different scenarios in a football match, for example, are being added to the betting game for all customers to “benefit” from, although this is only a further provocation for you to lose all your bet for a simple side condition which would have not mattered much to the final amount.
Both sides of the gaming world then come together in the world’s latest phenomenon: gaming betting. Betting on video games is not as popular as the two industries which make it, but it is definitely on the rise. There exist websites which only offer gaming betting, and that is already a sign of the potential which is being observed of gaming betting. Counter-Strike Global Offensive, for example, is a prime contender for the most game bet on, as there are plenty of tournaments all year round, with the topmost teams from all over the continent competing against each other for not only bragging rights but also incredibly inviting cash prizes.
The most recent competitor of CSGO, namely Valorant, is also a top nominee for betting since it offers a very similar game to CounterStrike. Given CSGO’s story and how long it has been a top esport, however, it will take some time for reasonable odds for Riot’s title, which will give the go ahead for CSGO betting to keep rising for the moment. Speaking of Riot, their introduction to the gaming world came by way of League of Legends, another esport which is very much into the esport betting scene. League of Legends will definitely help Riot Games however, as studying the process of LoL will no doubt benefit the eventual introduction of Valorant and Riot will know which steps to take and the steps not to.
With all this said, one cannot but look to other countries and continents in search of the next big betting market. South Korea is known worldwide for its propensity to produce top talent in all the gaming genres, meaning that for now South Korea is above North America in the odds market.
Having said that, the potential for the US market to grow is currently without a limit, which means one should definitely keep an eye out on the North American continent.
