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Winter sports betting and eSports growth potential

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There are limited betting options in Winter Sports and eSports could be the solution, creating more variety.


In the world of online casino gambling and sports betting every season calls for a new favourite to step into the spotlight.

While slot games continue to lead in online casinos, in sports betting the type of sports you bet on change based on the seasons. During wintertime, the most popular sports to bet on are winter sports.

The only hiccup is the lack of variety and winter sports betting opportunities available within the online sports betting industry.

Sports betting during winter

For sports bettors looking to make the most of the winter sports seasons, the best option would be to visit the bigger and more popular betting sites. This includes big names such as Bet365 that tend to offer the widest variety in winter sports betting options.

At the end of the day, no matter which sportsbook you choose to visit, you will quickly note there is always a range of sports not available.

You will have the option to bet on snow, including alpine skiing, biathlon, cross country skiing, ski jumping, and on-ice which includes ice hockey.

Some of the popular winter sports not available for betting include:

  • On snow - Snowboarding, luge, bobsleigh
  • On ice - Curling, bandy, ice skating and figure skating

According to participant numbers, ice hockey is the most popular winter sport across the globe, with bandy short on its heels.

With many of the winter sports not available for sports betting options, there is room for improvement and growth. If the sportsbook does not add these sports as betting options, there is the eSports community and the possibility of eSports games being developed to fill the market.

The rise of eSports

eSports is not something to discard, as it is rising in popularity ranks slowly but surely. One of the many aspects to take into consideration is that eSports is one of the few betting options that have not been completely taken out of the race throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the eSports industry felt the effects of the pandemic it was not as dooming as for most of the sports betting industry.

Some would say the current pandemic resulted in more rapid growth in interest regarding sports betting. With sports betting options taken out of play, many bettors started learning about esports betting quickly, discovering how exceedingly small the difference is between eSports and live sports betting.

eSports allow for players to enjoy the same range of betting options they generally have available in sports. One of the biggest differences being that eSports has bigger growth potential and fewer limits as no games are bound to a specific season, instead, you can enjoy eSports activity 365 days a year.

Across the globe, more sportsbooks have started exploring the option of this gaming category, planning on adding it to their offering. Those who have eSports available have already seen a massive surge in betting activity.

Sports go virtual

The eSports market is not just fantasy games as many would believe. There is a range of sports-based eSports options including popular sports such as Football and even Basketball. Even the NBA has created a basketball simulation game dubbed, NBA 2K where you can participate in basketball tournaments and place bets on the excitement.

The same is happening in the world of winter sports with Greentube dedicating efforts to creating a popular 3D skiing simulation. You get to strap on your skis and race across 10 downhill courses in this exciting Skill Challenge 15. It released about 6 years ago but is among the most thrilling virtual sports betting options available today.

Greentube, a Novomatic subsidiary, is only one of the few software developers starting to focus on creating more virtual sports options for players. The developer is hard at work producing a range of skill-based games which will soon be accessible via an eSports site. With the beatdown of the pandemic lockdown, the sports betting industry has started looking at possible alternatives.

There is a clear lack of winter sports betting options and eSports can unlock growth and more betting opportunities with the development of new winter sports-themed game releases.

Published: February 22, 2021

Anything incorrect or missing?

Article by Stelly

CasinoWow Contributor

Hey there! I am Stelly, and happily, I'm part of CasinoWow's content team. It excites me to be able to write and share with all gambling enthusiasts unbiased reviews and news that contribute to the gambling community and industry. Thankfully, I also have the chance to help you make an informed choice for casino brands and games, as well as provide interesting guides and news.

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