Why is Betting on eSports Growing in Asia?

Competitive gaming keeps growing year after year, exploding into a global phenomenon whose competitions will probably soon compete with top actual sports leagues. At the time of writing, we saw a mind-blowing stat that over sixty-five thousand eSports events get organized around the globe every year. The sphere has led to games like League of Legends, Dota 2, and Counter-Strike attracting viewership numbers that right now rival those of traditional sports, as in 2022, the global eSports audience reached 532 million viewers. Projections by Newzoo are that today, this figure stands at 640 million, and betting on matches from top eSports competitions has emerged as one of the fastest-growing segments of this sector.

While the US is the single most dominant market in this realm, eSports is booming in Asia, especially in China and South Korea, which are the hot spots for contests in that part of the world. Per a Niko Partners 2023 report, Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa account for 56% of global eSports revenue. As this industry is rapidly swelling, so is betting on eSports, with revenues from this practice estimated to reach $2.8 billion in 2025, from which $857 million is projected to be pulled in by the United States.

Even though Asia, generally, has a predominantly anti-gaming stance, that has not stopped eSports betting from getting a powerful hold on the world’s most massive continent. We just read news that BETBY, the sportsbook software provider for many of our reviewed sites, struck a partnership agreement with SABA Sports, an Asian sports gaming supplier, to bring its sports simulation genres to Asian gamblers.

Why Is eSports Expanding So Quickly in Asia?

First things first, the most obvious reason why eSports betting has gotten such a swift hold in Asia is that gaming has been an integral part of Asian cultures for decades. Japan is responsible for most of the legendary pre-mid-1990s arcade titles, and video games are traditional pastimes across the continent, particularly in its more developed nations.

Moreover, unlike in many Western countries, Asian societies have embraced gaming as a legitimate entertainment form and a viable career path for young people. That is a thing in South Korea and China, where professional gamers are now regular celebrities and where streaming platforms like Douyu and Huya have significantly helped provide opportunities for gamers to earn income. Internet cafés, or PC bangs as they are called in South Korea, have also played a massive role in gaming acceptance, supplying social environments with affordable access to high-end gaming setups. In China, these places bear the name iCafes, which are famous as communal gathering spots. Even in most of Southeast Asia, where mobile gaming dominates, internet cafés are still popular today.

On top of all this, there is also the fact that multiple Asian governments have even acknowledged the significance of gaming. For instance, South Korea recognizes gamers as athletes, and China incorporates gaming into educational programs.

Who Are Asia’s eSports Bettors?

Going by research posted on SIGMA.WORLD we saw a few years back that note that, in Asia, 78% of people betting on video competitions fall into the 18 to 25 demographic, and 16% are between 26 and 30. Only 5% are 31 to 40 years old, and only 1% are older than 41. Hence, in Asia, eSports betting is something that young adults do. These are people highly engaged with gaming and digital platforms who have experience with titles like League of Legends, Dota 2, CS, and other games typical for the eSports arena. But, we must also mention that Niko Partners claims that mobile eSports titles account for a significant chunk of video game wagers placed in Southeast Asia. Chinese gamblers seem to be especially passionate about mobile games and betting on contests organized around them.

The Dominance of Asian eSports Teams/Players

For many, the most obvious answer would be that Asians have a higher work ethic, and most of them have grown up playing video games, as noted above since these have been an integral part of many Asian cultures. But that is just a stereotype. The main reason why this is so is infrastructure. Video game competitions have been a substantial industry in South Korea for decades now, which has led to traditional broadcasters picking up these events and players/teams getting large corporate sponsors. Thus, people from Korea and other Asian territories have long had financial incentives to get good at competitive gaming, and they have created systems/structures where players can quickly thrive. Because of this, South Korean teams have dominated League of Legends and StarCraft tournaments, Chinese ones have done exceptionally well in Dota 2 tournaments, and teams from China, Mongolia, Thailand, and Indonesia have performed exceptionally well in PUBG and other mobile gaming titles.

China, in 2024, amassed over $38 million in prize money, making it the first region worldwide in this department, and Asia’s eSports revenue, according to data posted on Statista, is projected to grow to almost $1.6 billion in the next four years. They stood at $638 million in 2020.

While it goes without saying that Western teams have produced some strong contenders in multiple gaming arenas, North American and European teams have struggled to gain massive traction in specific games at the top level on the grandest stages.

Where Is eSports Betting Legal in Asia?

Of course, residents of most Asian countries can freely gamble at many of our crypto bookmakers using digital coins. Some may reject them based on their accessing regions, but we are sure that it will not be a major feat for Asian readers to find an online sportsbook from our reviewed batch that will accept them into their fold.

That out of the way, eSports wagering faces varying legal frameworks across Asia. The Philippines is probably the most progressive gambling nation in Asia, and its regulator, The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, or PAGCOR, has the most comprehensive online gambling framework on the continent, making it a hub for online gambling operators. Filipinos based in the Philippines can legally gamble at PAGCOR-regulated platforms, but they are forbidden to use Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators, which are sites set up in the Philippines that target international gamblers.

South Korea also has legal online sports betting, regulated heavily by the government, with only a limited number of operators permitted to function in this market.

In India, states like Sikkim and Nagaland allow online gambling, but pretty much the rest of the country does not. South Korea has stringent anti-gambling laws that extend to the online sphere, and the same goes for Singapore, which has two of the world’s most impressive land-based casinos. The same applies to Macau, our planet’s physical gambling capital, and, of course, Japan, too, forbids most forms of gaming and betting. 

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