Advanced betting solutions provider UltraPlay has reported a record-breaking increase in esports betting volume and turnover after Covid-19 hit the sports sector.
Since mid-March, the company has reported a 500% growth in esports’ betting volume. There has been a 22% increase in the number of bets per player daily, according to UltraPlay.
With most traditional sporting events currently cancelled or postponed, esports has been much in focus. UltraPlay has increased the frequency of its CS:GO events – all of which are offered with pre-match and live odds – by 15%, while 20% more Dota 2 events have been covered. Including League of Legends, the three main esports titles continue to be responsible for 60% of betting volume, but this percentage is gradually reducing due to a recent spike in interest in sports simulators.
UltraPlay has also reported another promising trend with games that simulate sports such as football, basketball, and hockey – FIFA, NBA2K, and NHL.
According to UltraPlay, FIFA has broken records compared with the period before the global pandemic with 1,500 events weekly, 90% of which are offered with in-play betting opportunities via the provider’s clients. There are more than 500 NBA2K events, all offered with live odds. UltraPlay also offers more than 250 NHL events weekly, 70% of these going live. Overall, UltraPlay covers more 3,500 events weekly, 90% of them with live odds.
Peter Ivanov, head of trading at UlraPlay commented: “We believe esports could be the profitable alternative to many sportsbooks looking for a solution at the moment. It won’t be a short-term solution but rather will gain more power in the next following months and years.
“Esports is the next generation of bettors’ way of entertainment and operators need to make this leap forward as soon as possible.”
The B2B betting provider started offering esports pre-match and live odds back in 2014, when the sector was less known. For the past six years, the company has enhanced its offering to 34 titles, 16 of them covered with live odds.
