Legal sports wagering has grown to be an important ad category for radio stations in states where sports betting is allowed. It has also spurred new sports talk programming options, including VSiN – The Sports Betting Network, and several “Gambler” focused iHeartMedia radio stations.
A sub-category of interest on the horizon could be wagering on esports. In the U.S. and Canada, one in 10 adults claims an interest in betting on esports, according to a YouGov study. The number is higher down under, with 15% of those polled in Australia agreeing with the statement, “Betting on esports is something that interests me.” However, in the UK and Germany, the percentile is minimal, at 7% and 4%, respectively.
“Along with the growing popularity of esports throughout the pandemic, coupled with these legislative changes, esports betting is expected by many industry observers to see several years of growth,” the report says.
In the U.S., bettors are nearly six times as likely as their UK counterparts to have placed a bet on esports in the last 12 months (11%), which the study says is due to the higher interest in competitive gaming in America compared to Britain.
Demo-wise, one in five consumers aged 18-24 in the U.S., UK, Australia, India, Germany, and Canada are interested in betting on esports. That number increases slightly to 22% among those 25-34, which can be accounted for by the younger audience that esports attracts. Looking at upper demos, among 35-to-44-year-olds its18%, 45-54 (12%), and 55+ (4%).