February 2023 was an incredibly busy period for the esports betting sector. There was a multitude of partnerships, potential investments in the space, personnel changes and an acquisition.
As a result, Esports Insider has created a list of the top esports gambling stories of the month. To find out more click the titles of the stories.
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Spotlighted story:
2022 was a good year for esports viewership and, in turn, for esports betting. The year saw more than 10 events with over one million peak viewers, and major LAN tournaments returned in full force after the pandemic — offering lucrative in-person engagement opportunities.
To discuss the future of esports betting, Esports Insider sat down with Alex McBride, Head of Esports for betting company Pinnacle.
Multinational esports organisation Team Liquid has announced a partnership with gaming and esports-focused betting company unikrn for the Brazilian market.
The partnership will include numerous activations, including an event in São Paulo hosted jointly by Team Liquid and unikrn where fans will be able to interact with influencers and players.
North American esports organisation OpTic Gaming is part of a group seeking investment to launch a new betting venture, according to a report by esports gambling newsletter Sharpr.
OpTic has reportedly formed a group with gambling consultancy service RedZone Digital, and former iGaming operator EBET executives Bart Barden and Jason Finch, to find funding for the project.
Esports and sports betting company Rivalry has announced a partnership with professional VALORANT player Matthew ‘Wardell’ Yu.
Yu and Rivalry will work on a number of campaigns aimed at activating his fanbase and the VALORANT community. This includes working on different types of content series’. The first content series from Yu and Rivalry will see him coach fans and give tips on how to improve VALORANT performance, as well as comment on the latest matchups and news within the VALORANT competitive scene.
Esports betting platform GG.Bet has signed a three-year deal with the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) in an attempt to battle corruption in esports through player and coach education.
The agreement will see GG.BET support ESIC’s anti-corruption video tutorial series which aims to support players and other stakeholders about the pitfalls of betting as a participant in a game. GG.bet will also become a ‘Tier 1 Anti-Corruption Supporter’, which ESIC claims would reinforce the bookmaker’s commitment to creating a fair and secure environment for players and stakeholders.
Esports betting company Esports Entertainment Group (EEG) has entered into a share purchase agreement to sell its Bethard iGaming business, the company’s casino and sportsbook brand, for approximately €9.5m (~£8.45m).
The sale of its Bethard iGaming business, which notably has gambling licences in Malta and Sweden, includes €1.65m (~£1.47m) in cash with an additional €6.5m (~£5.78m) of purchase consideration.
Leading CS:GO skin trading sites CS.MONEY, CS.TRADE and Waxpeer, among others, have teamed up to establish the non-profit Skin Traders Alliance (STA).
The Alliance will focus on making the market “safe and secure for every user,” according to a release. CS:GO trading scams have been rampant since Valve Corporation, the game’s publisher, introduced weapon skins in the Arms Deal Update in 2013.
German esports data company Bayes Esports has announced the expansion of its partnership with esports-focused betting company GG.BET.
Bayes Esports will provide live match data for CS:GO, Dota 2 and League of Legends for GG.BET, and the partnership is set to last at least until 2024. The financial details of the partnership were not disclosed.
Esports betting platform Midnite has announced the appointment of former Sky Bet Product Designer Lewis Bamber.
Bamber becomes Senior Product Designer for the company, where he will create new products in addition to refining existing offerings on the platform. During Bamber’s time at Sky Bet, he created the platform’s design system alongside leading its BuildABet project which continues to prove popular with consumers.
Gaming data company GRID Esports has announced a collaboration with betting and gaming solutions provider BETER.
As a result, the multi-year agreement will see GRID provide its data to BETER, enabling it to expand into new titles such as VALORANT. BETER also aims to utilise GRID’s data modelling capabilities. In addition to VALORANT, BETER plans to add new titles to the platform. Details on which titles were not disclosed.
