Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, otherwise known as CSGO in the gaming scene, has amassed a huge following since its release in 2012. The reason behind its success is not attributed to a standalone factor, although what can be said is that CSGO is the first PC game that has broken into the gambling market.
With CSGO being the game of choice for many players, the question on the minds of sports betting and online casino operators is: Will CSGO gamblers ever decide to switch to other sports betting niches? If so, which sports or games would they be most interested in? We explored a few possibilities and these are are our findings below.
Other eSports games as an alternative
It’s very much possible that CSGO gamblers will, at one stage or another, seek to move on from what they're doing now to other eSports games or gambling activities. Looking at current player trends, if CSGO gamblers decide to look for another sports betting opportunity, evidence suggests that they will look for alternatives in esports rather than looking at unrelated sports betting disciplines.
The Overwatch League is one of the preferred alternatives for CSGO gamblers looking for something new. As a product from Blizzard Entertainment, it has grown by leaps and bounds and its success in acquiring a number of esports gamblers to try it out cannot be understated. As the Overwatch League concept is centred on team efforts, most CSGO gamblers who make the switch are those who are already part of a team.
Apart from this, the League of Legends League that has been in place since early 2013 is also another good option for CSGO gamblers. Both the Overwatch League and the League of Legends League in many ways are similar to CSGO, something which is playing a part in luring CSGO players. This is because all of these three eSports are first-person shooter games and they all have similar gamification features.
Is regular sports betting an option?
Apart from eSports, conventional sports betting is another alternative for CSGO gamblers. We've spoken to several industry experts who revealed that most eSports gamblers were once (or still are) conventional sports betting fanatics. As these gamblers already have an interest in sports betting, whenever they decide to ditch CSGO gambling, they can quickly find solace engaging in what they're familiar with.
It’s not clear which sports commands a considerable following among ex or current CSGO gamblers, but it seems that football (European) leads the rest. Football is a global sport that attracts billions; the 2014 FIFA World Cup had a record viewership of over 3 billion people. Also due to the aggressive marketing strategies employed by actors in the footballing arena, most people looking for a sport to bet on often end up following football as it is the one sport which that is advertised the most. Besides football, CSGO gamblers can opt to pursue other sporting disciplines such as rugby, basketball, and Formula 1, amongst other sports markets.
