With esports and adjacent industries continuing to grow at a blistering pace, several other industries are looking to get in on a slice of the action themselves. However, when it comes to appealing to this audience, esports is entirely different from the online casino sector when it comes to demographics and what fans are looking for in an entertainment product.
Fortunately, there are a lot of crossover opportunities between esports and online casinos, but in order to make the most of these operators really need to get to know their audiences starting, in this case, with esports.
How Esports Builds New Communities Across Different Industries
The Average Esports Fan
Over 400 million people watched an esports event last year, so there can be no doubt that the worldwide esports fanbase has to be as broad as it is diverse. However, there are certain groups of demographics that are more engaged with esports and esports betting than others, and operators will need to start becoming familiar with them.
Worldwide, 225 million of the 435 million individuals tuning in can be classed as adults. Other statistics tell us that 38% of people that watch esports are aged somewhere between 18 and 24. Unsurprisingly, this is the highest percentage for any age group, with 34-54 years second on the list at 26%.
Gender-wise, the majority of esports viewers are male. As you might have already guessed, in markets such as the UK and the US, the majority of esports fans are above the legal gambling age. This is obviously good news for online casino operators looking to cross-sell to and engage.
Esports Fans Are A Brilliant Hunting Ground For Online Casinos
Of course, just because most esports fans are old enough to enjoy an online casino doesn’t mean that they are about to start playing slots and table games. Likewise, this doesn’t mean similarly same-aged online casino players cease playing at Bitcoin blackjack sites for a while just so that they can bet on the latest Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament.
Indeed, in terms of the games themselves, it would appear that esports and online casinos don’t have a great deal in common. When we talk about esports and cross-selling, we are normally thinking about sports betting. However, if we look a little deeper, we will see that this cross-over still exists within the casino industry as well.
Skill plays a vital role in esports betting just as it does in table games like poker and blackjack. But there is also an element of luck that applies to both games of skill and games of chance. Additionally, both esports and online casino games are fast-paced, and no two games are the same, regardless of how much you play a certain game or bet on a sporting event.
Possibly, the most obvious similarity between esports and online casino gaming is the rise of branded slots based on popular video games, such as Tomb Raider and Call of Duty. Here, the designers of these titles have obviously identified and honed in on a strong link between video games and online casinos and which gives operators further confidence in the mutual opportunities between the two.
Online Casino Fans Are A Brilliant Hunting Ground For Esports Operators
In order to attract esports fans, online casinos should start to think like them. Some of the most popular esports games include League of Legends, Dota 2, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, with each game requiring a high level of skill in order to master.
When expanding their content range so as to appeal to esports fans, casino operators should consider adding casino games that also require a similar level of skill such as table games like blackjack and poker. Aside from broadening the game operator’s offering, online casinos will be able to exploit all of the potential marketing opportunities to ensure that they can create a presence for themselves on channels and platforms where esports fans can be found.
This could be incorporating video into marketing plans. As an example, research shows that fans watch more than 100 million hours of esports footage on Twitch each month. This streaming service is very popular with gaming YouTubers and influencers so the potential to market there as a casino brand is huge. Operators could even set up a channel on Twitch to engage with fans or sponsor a professional poker player who streams his games and promote their brand on YouTube.
On the face of it, esports and online casinos might look worlds apart. However, if you look a little more closely, you will find that there is a world of marketing opportunities. Esports fans enjoy fast-paced, skill-based games, both of which can be found at online casinos.
Appealing to esports fans and players might take some thinking outside the box. However, if operators can offer a modern, seamless experience for which entertainment is the focus, these two online worlds can be brought closer together for mutual benefit.
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