What is Esports?
Esports is a type of competitive video gaming in which organized teams compete against each other. These players take gaming to a professional level and play some of the most popular titles that most people just play at home with their friends.
The tournaments are well structured and offer substantial cash prizes.
What are the Esports Games?
From Counter-Strike to Madden NFL, Fortnite to Super Smash Bros, you can find professional teams that make a living competing in your favorite games.
The majority of Esports fall into a few major genres. There are fighting games, first-person shooters (FPS), sports, real-time strategy (RTS) and multiplayer online battle arena games (MOBA).
Types of Games
Esports isn’t just playing Fifa with your bros over a couple of beers; it’s a billion-dollar industry that covers a multitude of genres. It’s a world full of professional entertainment for any gaming enthusiast.
Shooters
While there are both first-person shooters and third-person shooters, the former is one of the most popular genres in Esports.
The first-person shooter (FPS) is a genre that revolves around guns and other weapon-based combat. As you may be able to tell from the name, the gameplay is experienced through the protagonist’s eyes.
Most shooter games involve avatars, various enemies, and one or more ranged weapons. They tend to take place in a 3D world and have realistic graphics. These games are typically played from PC instead of consoles in the competitive world.
Sports
The Sports genre is made of video games that are based on traditional athletic competitions such as racing, football, and soccer.
As you may already know, the most popular titles in this category are FIFA and Madden. These games are generally played on game consoles rather than a PC during competition.
Other
Some of the biggest Esport games fall into the Real-Time Strategy and Multiplayer Online Battle Arena genres. These games can be found in the fiercest of cash-prize tournaments.
RTS, shorthand for Real-Time Strategy, involves the player building an army to control the map. In these games, players command their unit, construct buildings and try to defeat the enemy army.
Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) games are a subgenre of RTS but have gained more notability in recent years. MOBA involves player control of a single character, whose goal is to destroy the opposite team’s headquarters.
There are both player-controlled characters and AI units that spawn in each base and travel along various set paths. These games are action-packed and require a lot of strategies. The biggest names in this genre include League of Legends and Dota 2.
Popular Esport games
The Esports industry is home to a variety of professional leagues, teams, and top players. The cash prizes for the biggest tournaments can bring players millions of dollars, and the competition is fierce.
Let’s go over the biggest games in the industry in terms of viewership, events, and prizes.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
The FPS Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has maintained a status at the top of the Esports world for almost a decade. This title is one of the most popular in the world and is characterized by frequent updates and a vast weapon selection.
There are currently ongoing CS leagues. BLAST Premier and ESL Pro League compete in top tier tournaments in cities such as Rio de Janeiro and Cologne.
Overwatch
Overwatch is a team-based shooter that revolves around 6v6 battles. The game is set in near-future earth, and every match includes various heroes that come with unique abilities and flaws.
The biggest Overwatch esports pros hail from the USA and South Korea. The professional Overwatch League is made up of 20 teams who compete for over 26 weeks for a share of $5 million.
Dota 2
Dota 2 is the sequel to the Defense of the Ancients. This game has pro players that are spread across sixteen different countries. It’s a competitive 5×5 MOBA by Valve, the same studio responsible for Counter-Strike.
Dota has millions of fans worldwide and is known for having the largest prize pools in Esports. At the Dota 2 annual event 2022, The International, there was $18.9 million in rewards.
Valorant
Valorant is a game worth noting because it’s the newest in the industry. Currently in beta, this title is taking Esports by storm. The 5v5 tactical FPS is a product from Riot Games, the developer from the hugely popular game League of Legends. The first Valorant tournaments began in mid-April 2020.
Popular Esports Events
When it comes to contests and special events, there are always more being introduced into the industry. Sometimes it can be a challenge to keep track of them all. You can find tournaments for almost every major game and provider. That said, some of the most popular esport events include:
- Fortnite World Cup
- The International World Cup
- IEM Katowice
- Dreamhack
- BlizzCon
- Capcom Cup
- International eSports Federation World Cup.
- League of Legends World Championship
Bet on Esports in Florida
Esports are hotter now than ever, and there’s never been a better time to get in on the action. Many of the top online Florida sportsbooks offer odds and wagering options. There are even dedicated “Esportsbooks” that are devoted entirely to the market.
Esports Odds
You need to understand how esports betting odds work if you want to make money betting on them. Esport odds are typically presented as decimals regardless of where you are in the world.
The larger the decimal amount on any outcome, the more the bookmaker is willing to payout. Higher decimal odds are less likely to happen, which means a greater risk for more reward.
Is Esports betting in Florida legal?
If you’re interested in wagering on competitive gaming bet live in Florida, you must consider the legality of the matter.
Probably you are asking yourself – Is Esports betting in Florida Legal? The answer is that while it’s legal to bet on sports of any kind in some US states, Florida is unfortunately not one of them.
Where is Esports betting legal?
One thing that separates Esports from other professional sports is that there are many players under the age of 18.
Some states, such as New Jersey, allow for betting on gaming as long as there are no minors competing. Other states include Nevada, New Jersey, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
How does Esports Betting Work?
There are many types of Esports betting in Florida. You bet for real money similarly to traditional sports gambling. You place bets on a variety of outcomes, including who will win individual matches, maps as well as overall tournaments.
Watching Esports in Florida
You can watch all of the action even though you can’t bet on any games in Florida. Twitch and Youtube are some of the biggest streaming services in the industry and attract millions of viewers worldwide.
Where to watch Esports
Twitch is the top streaming platform for gaming. This platform laid the foundation for live streaming significant tournaments and has had a considerable impact on the growing popularity today.
How to watch Esports
You can watch Esports by signing up for a Twitch account. If you don’t want to use this platform, you can find tournaments on YouTube Gaming, Facebook, ESPN.
What channel is Esports on?
Sometimes you can find the biggest events on ESPN. If you want 24/7 access to the top games, it’s better to stream on Twitch, a service is dedicated to competitive gaming.
How to Make Money Betting on Esports
Betting on the top players, events, and teams is highly entertaining. Like any online sports betting, there’s always variance, but it does involve skill and research.
One of the first things to do is learn the ins and outs of the game that you’re wagering on. Whether you play the game yourself, or just watch the action, get to know the details. You also want to conduct comprehensive research on the various leagues, players, and teams.
How to invest in Esports
It’s possible to invest in eSports through publicly traded stocks. The industry is evolving rapidly and becoming ever more popular; it may be an excellent time to jump on the investment opportunity.
How do Esports teams and organizations make money?
The majority of revenue comes from sponsorships and advertising. Organizations, teams, and individuals have varying incomes, but they are considered professional. The remaining streams of revenue include merchandising, media rights, and ticket sales.
The Esports Industry
While competitive gaming has been around for a long time, it’s just recently gained popularity. The industry has attracted mainstream celebrities, an increasing amount of coverage from major sports outlets, and massive investment.
When did Esports become popular?
The recent decade has witnessed massive developments in gaming and streaming technology, which has spurred the industry’s growth. Today, there are audience figures of over 433 million.
How much is the Esports industry worth?
According to Newzoo, the global Esports market surpassed the billion-dollar revenue. The total annual revenue was around $1.1 billion in 2019.
Who owns Esports?
Many companies are players in the market; there is no owner. The major players in the market include Logitech, Electronic Arts (EA), Activision Blizzard (ATVI), and Take-Two Software (TTWO).
What are the major Esports companies?
The major players in the competitive video gaming industry include Cloud 9, Take-Two Interactive Software, Activision Blizzard, Nvidia Corp, and Electronic Arts.
Who’s investing in esports?
Major celebrities, fans, and other investors have jumped on the opportunity this industry has to offer. The most notable names include Drake, Kevin Durant, Michael Jordan, Ashton Kutcher, and Shaq.
Esports in Numbers
The best way to understand the industry is to take a look at the numbers. The esports market is growing expansively in terms of audience demographics, providers, events, and investment.
How many people watch Esports?
The most recent reports claim that over 430 million people watch esports around the world. There are projected to be 46 million viewers in the US alone by the year 2023.
What are the biggest Esports Events?
The biggest gaming events include the League of Legends World Championship, Dota 2 tournaments, Fortnite World Cup, and the ESL One.
Richest esports organizations
Some of the wealthiest players in the industry include Team Liquid, Cloud 9, Fnatic, and Team SoloMid. The highest-earning of them all is Paris Saint-Germain Esports.
Highest earning players
The three highest-earning players are PVDDR (Paulo Damo da Rosa) from Brazil, Canadian (Troy Jaroslawski) from Canada, and Bosco (Dylan Bosco) from the United States.
History of Esports
Esports has origins in the 1970s but only gained serious momentum in the 2000s. Since then, the rapid evolution in technology and the accessibility of online streaming has expanded global interest in competitive gaming.
When did Esports start?
The first-ever video competition was played in 1972 in California. This tournament is considered to be the event that set the foundation for the industry today.
When was Esports created?
Esports has been around since the 1970s but has only recently hit the mainstream. The genre became more globally accessible in recent years due to the evolution of streaming services.
Who invented Esports?
The company Activision Blizzard is considered the founder of Esports. It was responsible for the first game to achieve fame in competition, Starcraft.
When was the first tournament?
The first tournament was held in 1972 at Stanford University, where 24 teams competed in the game SpaceWar. The event was called the Intergalactic Spacewar Olympics.