Esports Betting Stats

Get the numbers on betting and gambling associated with esports.

The world of esports has exploded in the past decade. With pro gamers competing for huge prize pools, and competitions like Overwatch, Starcraft 2 and League of Legends selling out stadiums, it’s not surprising to see punters get in on the action. We decided to understand more about the growth of esports betting, putting data at the forefront of our research.

To build a clear picture of statistics and trends in the UK, our team researched dozens of different sources and compiled a broad array of data insights. We have presented the results below and will update regularly as fresh data sources become available. Sources are indicated with each data point and full references included at the end of the page.

1. The total value of money/items wagered around major esports titles by 2020 is estimated to be $12.9 billion globally.

Source: Chris Grove, Esports & Gambling – August 2016

2. The estimated global combined esports cash and skin betting revenue was $56 billion in 2016.

Source: Chris Grove, Esports & Gambling – August 2016

3. The base projection for the number of customers placing a wager on esports in 2020 is 6.5 million.

Source: Chris Grove, Esports & Gambling – August 2016

4. Esports revenue is increasingly being driven by advertising and sponsorships, which is approximately 58.7% of the total 2019 esports global revenue.

Source: Newzoo Global Esports Market Report – 2019

5. 8.5% of UK adults have placed a bet on esports.

Source: UKGC, Virtual Currencies, Esports and Social Casino Gaming – March 2017

6. Of the UK adults who have placed a bet on esports, 88% a have bet with real money, and 90% have bet with in game items. 78% have bet with both.

Source: UKGC, Virtual Currencies, Esports and Social Casino Gaming – March 2017

7. 58% of UK Esports bettors are men.

Source: UKGC, Virtual Currencies, Esports and Social Casino Gaming – March 2017

8. 25-34 year olds are most likely to bet on esports in the UK.

Source: UKGC, Virtual Currencies, ESports and Social Casino Gaming – March 2017

References & external links

The people behind this page

Compare.bet's online gambling content experts helped write, edit and check this page:

Daniel Bennett

Daniel is a contributor at Compare.bet. He has half a decade of experience writing on topics including sports betting, online casino and the NBA. Daniel also helped cover Premier League football for Compare.bet news and has interviewed Louis Saha, Richard Dunne and Gary Pallister. In his spare time, Daniel enjoys film photography and making Spotify playlists.