The Global Esports Betting Monitor, a quarterly report by Abios and gambling newsletter Sharpr that focuses on esports betting, has released interesting data for 2024.
According to the report, Counter-Strike continues to be the leading esports title in the betting sector. In Q4 2024 specifically, the game accounted for 64% of the total betting market share across Kambi’s network of operators.
Abios is a subsidiary of Kambi, a major sports betting supplier that has a network of over 40 operators.
For 2024 as a whole, MOBA title Dota 2 saw a 4% decline in esports betting handle. Meanwhile, League of Legends betting handle grew 2%, accounting for 26% of the total betting handle for 2024.
The biggest shift in betting handle across Kambi’s network of operators was VALORANT, which went from 3% in 2023 to 5% in 2024.
Gen Z bettors have also outnumbered Millennials in 2024, making up 44% of the total sample size compared to 36% in 2023.
In terms of events, CS2’s Shanghai Major drew 28% of total bets in Q4 2024 for Kambi’s network, making it the most-bet-on event among domestic and international events. This was followed by the League of Legends World Championship at 19%.
Another interesting statistic highlights the proactiveness of betting fans in Counter-Strike, as 46% of total CS bets were through live betting in Q4 2024. In contrast, VALORANT live betting accounted for 28%.
While the decline in Dota 2’s betting share is surprising, trends for VALORANT and League of Legends aren’t completely unexpected. Alongside its esports audiences getting older, Riot Games has recently softened its stance on betting by allowing partnered teams to have betting sponsors in both titles.
Alongside analysing the esports betting landscape, data solutions company Abios has also had an eventful 2024. Last year, the company secured notable partnerships with the likes of North American gaming media platform Apollo and gambling company Svenska Spel.