With just over a month to go until the next Counter-Strike Majors–scheduled to kick off on November 24 in Budapest–operators and teams are ramping up preparations. But the market is shifting, and evolving consumer demand is placing more emphasis on individual player performance, super-teams and increasingly intricate bet types, writes Lauren Harrison.
Unfamiliar with these changes?
Fear not, Niclas Sundell, Sales Director at esports data and odds experts Abios, is here to explain.
Read on as our Head of Content, Curtis Roach, and Niclas discuss the current state of play, the latest high-profile roster changes, and how operators can enrich their marketing offerings to stay competitive and secure a larger share of this fast-evolving market.
Curtis began by asking:
With the Counter-Strike Majors around the corner, we’ve seen a wave of high-profile roster changes and “super-team” investments. From your perspective, how do these reshuffles shape betting markets and influence fan engagement?
“Roster changes aren’t anything new in esports. But you’re correct in suggesting that they do seem to have exploded over the last 12-months.
“Ropz to Vitality and Twistzz heading back to FaZe are two of the more high-profile examples, but there have been plenty of eye-catching moves over recent months.
“Popular players switching teams does throw into focus just how important player props are becoming to the esports betting offering.
“As in more traditional sports, fans increasingly follow individual competitors as much as they do teams, and having a betting offering which reflects this trend is a cornerstone of successful customer engagement.
“Of course, meeting this trend requires real expertise on the trading side, with traders that understand how a competitor’s form and abilities will match up to different roles and positions with their new team.”
The Falcons’ lineup is one of the most ambitious projects we’ve seen in esports. How do such big-money moves alter betting dynamics and what lessons can we take from traditional sports?
“We’ve been speaking about ‘superteams’ in esports for a long time, and I think the Falcons may just have created one. They have been performing really well in some tournaments, and it would not be a massive surprise to see them win the whole Major.
“Niko joining the Falcons is almost equivalent to Alexander Isak joining Liverpool, giving an already stacked team even greater resources.
“But it is still a new team with so many good players already in place. Everyone will want space and to dictate their own plays. And if the right balance isn’t found, they will have problems.
“All of that being said, I would anticipate that Falcons or Vitality have the best chance of being the teams with the highest average on over/under kills during the Major.”
Abios has been pioneering new ways to enrich betting markets, from combined bets to unique prop offerings. How should operators be rethinking the role of esports data to build more engaging, fan-first wagering experiences?
“We made a concerted effort to invest extensive development resources in both bet builder and player props over the last couple of years. These have been a game-changer in traditional sports betting, and it’s a trend we can observe in esports as well.
“Popular markets such as match winner and map handicap remain crucial to a best-in-class esports betting offering, but customers increasingly seek to drive their own betting experiences and create their own bets.
“Operators unable to cater to combinations of player kills, bombs planted, and knife kills, for example, put themselves at risk of losing a significant share of the wallet on major events.”
Player-centric betting is quickly gaining traction. Why do you believe a player-first approach is key to the future of esports betting, and how is Abios positioning itself at the forefront of this trend?
“As I’ve already alluded to, Kambi and Abios’ integrated teams have been placing a great deal of focus on building cutting-edge player prop offerings for some time.
“This offering now places the product at the forefront of what is possible in esports betting.
“A functional selection of match winner markets is no longer enough to compete.
“Operators must be able to offer a deep range of pre-match and live markets with high combinability if they are to achieve meaningful acquisition and retention over the long term.”
Editor’s Note:
As the nature of esports continues to evolve–from niche to mainstream–Niclas argues that the betting market is entering a new era, one defined by player-centric wagers.
Fans are increasingly following their favourite competitors as closely as their favourite teams, and the most forward-thinking operators are moving quickly to diversify.
From more complex bet types, such as player props, to in-depth pre-match markets and real-time live betting, Niclas believes that operators who are unable to offer more engaging markets stand to lose ground in this increasingly competitive and consumer-led marketplace.
Abios, in collaboration with Kambi, is leading the charge.
By investing heavily in bet builders and player prop markets, they are enabling operators to offer highly customisable, fan-driven markets that mean the consumers can drive their own experiences.
This is the new frontier of esports betting.
