eGames was an international eSports competition that was first held in April 2016 during the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Although the tournament is now defunct, many other similar international eSports events like this are becoming more popular each year.
It’s also now possible to bet on these events on a handful of fully licensed and regulated online sports betting sites. Here is a closer look at how eSports events are helping fuel the growth of the multi-billion dollar global iGaming industry.
How are eSports competitions helping boost the iGaming industry?
More people than ever are tuning in to watch some of the world’s biggest eSports events on live streaming sites like Twitch and YouTube, and many of these same viewers also like to place sports bets on who they think might win those events.
The iGaming industry is a term used to describe online websites offering real money gambling services, and some of the most popular sites are online sportsbooks (aka online bookmakers/sports betting websites), dedicated poker sites, bingo & lottery sites and online casinos.
People who sign up to legally permitted sites like this to place bets on eSports events also like to spend their money on other services and tend to play the world’s best online casino games from award-winning providers before and after placing sports bets, which is helping fuel the growth of the iGaming industry.
What are the biggest eSports events still to come in 2024?
If you want to watch a live eSports event from your Wi-Fi/internet-connected smartphone, desktop computer, laptop, or tablet or place bets on one of these events, then you may want to add some of the following dates to your diary.
Some of the biggest upcoming eSports events you can still look forward to in 2024 are the following:
- eSports event: Valorant Champions 2024. When: in play now, running from August 1-25, 2024. Where: Seoul, South Korea
- eSports event: IEM Cologne 2024 – Counter-Strike. When: August 7-18, 2024. Where: Cologne, Germany
- eSports event: eSports World Cup 2024 CoD MWIII. When: August 18, 2024. Where: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Other upcoming eSports events include the Free Fire World Series in Southeast Asia from August to October, the BLAST Premier: Fall Showdown (online) from August 21-25, and the ESL Pro League Season 2 (Counter-Strike) in Malta from September 3-22.
Which team will most likely win the eSports World Cup 2024?
The eSports World Cup 2024, which will see the world’s most successful eSports teams battle it out in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, is starting soon, and the team most likely to win is Atlanta FaZe.
They are currently priced at around 3.00 in the decimal odds format to win the competition outright, meaning they have a 33.30% implied probability rate (IPR) of winning. 3.00 in fractional odds is 2/1, and 3.00 in American/moneyline odds is +200.
In comparison, the bookies’ second odds-on favourites, team OpTic Gaming, are currently priced at around 3.25 (decimal odds), which is 9/4 (fractional odds) and +225 (American/moneyline odds) with a 30.80% IPR, followed by teams Cloud9, Toronto Ultra, 100 Thieves, Seattle Surge, Team Heretics, and Las Vegas Legion, to name a few.
Final thoughts
Before placing a wager on any upcoming eSports event, the important thing is that you choose a safe and secure iGaming site like 1Bet, which is controlled by one of the industry’s most trusted names. Never sign up to an unlicensed and unregulated iGaming site.
When placing sports bets or playing your favourite online casino games, remember to gamble responsibly at all times to ensure you remain within your budget.
This world-class sports betting and casino website is fully licensed and regulated to offer sports betting services. It also has thousands of computer-generated and live dealer online casino games from award-winning providers.
You must be of legal age (which is typically 18, but 19 or 21 in some regions) to gamble on this website. It’s free to join and is well known for having some of the industry’s most competitive eSports betting odds and high or above average return to player (RTP%) payout rates in most of their games.