These days, it’s not very surprising to hear a person say their job is a blogger, influencer, or a gamer. The world has shifted so much of itself online that these types of online professions have become more prominent. Among them, even once niche offerings like eSports and online gambling are now becoming more prevalent.
Many people enjoy both as a pastime but many are now choosing to participate in eSports and professional gambling as careers. However, despite their similarities, the truth is that they are actually quite different vocations. Here’s a look at how eSports and professional gambling actually differ.
The Key Differences Between eSports and Professional Gambling
Players who are interested in both and want to choose a career path can benefit from knowing the prominent differences between these two niche careers. Professional gambling is a game of chance, and despite preparation, things may still fail to go a player’s way.
On the other hand, eSports requires a lot of skill and practice to increase one’s chances of growing and earning more. This makes eSports less risky than gambling since it offers a clear path to growth.
Meanwhile, no matter how good a pro-gambler is, there’s never a guaranteed win. Lastly, pro-gambling is an individual venture meaning your earnings are yours. In contrast, eSports are often set up for teams, and all earnings the team makes are typically shared among the group.
Professional Gambling: A Risk-Based Endeavor
Professional gamblers earn by placing bets on various ventures, like card games, sports, or casino games. In most cases, they earn the status to take part in or be invited to play in major gambling tournaments like professional poker players do with the World Series of Poker (WSOP). However, for ordinary online gamblers, making the leap from novice to professional takes a lot of time, practice, and dedication.
Thankfully, to help most players improve their skills and get better at games, modern iGaming platforms now come in a massive array of options. For many ordinary players, the allure might be something like fast payout online casino sites which are usually hosted via offshore platforms. Sites like these offer benefits like faster payouts and more games but also offer niche perks like cryptocurrency payments and a more private gambling experience.
Such platforms usually also have excellent practice modes so players can hone their strategies without needing to spend actual money until they get better at a game. While it’s a great way to learn how to become a professional gambler, making an actual career out of it isn’t that straightforward.
The reason is that professional gambling is not really counted among skilled careers as it largely relies on chance. However, professionals don’t just roll the dice randomly and hope for the best. It takes a significant amount of research and trained strategic thinking to become a professional gambler. Being one usually means using a variety of different strategies.
Bankroll Management
Professionals set a budget for how much they can spend on their bets. Whenever that quota is met, they will stop and take it up on a different day. This prevents overspending or making a huge loss in the long run.
It also helps if they divide their money into smaller rolls and have a set purpose for each. By making strategic bets based on a bankroll that is managed mindfully, professional gamblers can actually give themselves a slight edge and fractionally increase their odds of winning.
Value betting
Before placing bets, good players will also usually find out more about the events that are taking place and they will often go through past tournaments to learn strategies or study their opponents. This can help them determine what the best possible outcome might be in a specific scenario in order to place their bets as strategically as possible.
eSports: A Skill-Based Pursuit
eSports are electronic sports. They involve people playing video games competitively. Tournaments and competitions are built around various popular games that require nuanced skills to play professionally.
Players compete individually or in teams for prize money and for brand endorsement or, in less well-known competitions, for newer equipment. A lot is required of eSports players though and it isn’t everyone who can even stand a chance in the field. Players that succeed usually have a mixture of the following attributes.
Exceptional gaming skills
Knowing the basic rules of a game doesn’t automatically qualify you for professional gaming. Even players who have been playing infrequently for a few years will feel like amateurs when the real pros show up.
Good reflexes matter, both physically and mentally since better-honed instincts allow a player to make quick decisions. Meanwhile, things like agile fingers and outstanding hand-eye coordination allow them to react almost instantaneously.
Teamwork
While one might be a star player on their own, most eSports require a group effort and individuals who can work well with others. Having a superstar attitude could cost the whole team and a bad rapport with teammates causes unnecessary friction.
Mental Fortitude
eSports are very, very competitive. Many young players grow up with dreams and plans of playing professionally from an early age. Their ambitions of making money while doing what they love drive these dreams. However, it can also create a lot of pressure for all the players since gruelling hours of practice and supreme levels of dedication are required.
The Rewards of eSports
Although the price is high, earnings are not too shabby at all for very good players. Many international tournaments provide huge rewards for players ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions, depending on the fame and prestige of the tournament.
Besides cash prizes, eSports players also earn money through lucrative sponsorships and brand endorsements, as well as their streaming channels on platforms like YouTube or Twitch.
Many casual gamers enjoy watching pro live streams, going so far as to even pay a monthly subscription fee for a really good pro channel.