Plugging the esports engagement gap with innovative solutions

No longer is growth and attracting bettors the biggest challenge facing esports betting operators. Data shows that the customers are there, especially among those who are digitally savvy, including millennials and Gen Zs. The challenge today is how to stand out in a crowded field of sportsbooks to attract customers, and then how to keep them engaged, betting and coming back. 

Millennials and Gen Z accounted for around 87% of esports bettors in 2024. However, this new generation of bettors shows different patterns of behaviour when compared to traditional sports wagering.

Not only do they crave the fast-pace of esports and seek out a community-style vibe, but they also engage with esports content differently. Esports wagering opens up opportunities for more interaction between the bettor and the event, such as more in-play live esports betting options, micro-bets on a wide variety of in-game events and interaction with other punters. 

A large portion of esports bettors also tend to have extensive knowledge of the titles and players they follow, driving them to make bets based on granular details about the match. And with 85% of all esports bets occurring live during a contest, every time someone clicks away in search of information is another risk that they won’t return.

In short, the esports betting experience is much more than simply watching a stream and placing a bet on who will win.

Given that analysts valued the global esports betting market at almost $600 million in 2025, with this expected to increase to more than $700 million in 2026 and estimates project a market value of over $3.4 billion by 2035, operators can’t afford to treat esports bettors like traditional bettors by offering just a basic stream. Success depends on thinking differently. 

Getting ahead of the game

Esports betting solutions provider Oddin.gg believes it has identified a way to help operators capitalise on this markedly different betting and consumption behaviour in esports. 

Oddin.gg is known for directing its efforts towards developing new tools that allow its clients to deliver an offering focused on engagement. Its latest release, BetPeek, enables operators to offer users a brand new way of interacting with esports content. 

Marek Suchar, co-founder and managing director of Oddin.gg, said the solution has completely rebuilt the esports betting and viewing experience.

Many suppliers use superfluous language to describe their product launches – but in this case, Oddin.gg really delivers.

“Essentially, if you are watching Twitch, Kick, or YouTube, you’re forced by the observer to watch the status of the game as they want you to watch it,” he explains. “We have now built it so you can navigate yourself within the game from any perspective that you want.”

Using BetPeek, bettors can follow the action from different perspectives across the map, so they have a clearer view of how the game is unfolding, as well as choose whether they see opponents through walls, allowing them to follow the entire match on their terms. 

Crucially, Oddin.gg can also provide contextual overlays alongside esports streams, keeping betting and viewing within the same interface, removing the need for bettors to use a second screen or swap windows to place a wager.

“Our way with the video overlay allows bettors to follow the game, bet and constantly enjoy the viewership experience,” Suchar said. “In turn, this provides users with many more ways to interact with the game without having to sacrifice their experience.”

Initially, BetPeek has only launched with support for Counter-Strike 2, having been developed around this title. However, Suchar said work is under way to expand the offering to other games, with Dota 2 next on Oddin.gg’s list.

Engagement focus 

BetPeek has only been available for a matter of months, but operators using the new tool have already reported a positive impact. According to Suchar, across platforms that have rolled out the solution in the last couple of months, as many as one in four bettors used BetPeek when it was available.

There are other benefits to the solution beyond control over the viewing experience. BetPeek is optimised for betting environments, without the typical delays associated with public streaming platforms. For keen bettors, this can be a major draw.

“What we have seen is a significantly increased viewing time of more than seven minutes,” he said. “This also provides us with two to three times more interactions versus the standard streams. People are much more engaged with BetPeek than with just traditional streams; they can fully control and they can embrace functionalities.

“We also have the full analytics of whether viewers are following the team, the action or player. In that regard, we can already offer personalisation on the lines and offer them as an overlay on the screen whether that is on a particular team they are watching, a player or the outcome of the match. 

“There is much more to come when it comes to BetPeek,” he teases. “We are just getting started.”

Understanding the opportunity

While there remains an exciting buzz around esports betting, some in the industry still consider the vertical to be niche and underdeveloped. Suchar said this “misunderstanding” could not be further from the truth, revealing that across Oddin.gg’s lines over the past year, wagering volume reached several billion euros across their partner network.

Esports is often associated with a younger audience, but it is not solely a young person’s activity. Many of the most popular esports games for betting were released up to 15 years ago. He said those who started playing such games in their 20s and 30s are now in their 30s and 40s, and retain an appetite to play, watch and bet on the action.

While the current and potential audience is diverse and far-reaching, there have historically been certain limitations when it comes to uptime, the number of markets and content in terms of coverage. Filling those gaps is vital to the growth of the sector.

“Imagine going to a football match and during the second half you can’t bet at all,” he said. “In the past with esports, uptime was only up to 50%. Bookmakers need to understand this is a generation that demands user-friendliness in a way that when they want content on demand, they get it. If they don’t get it, they just walk away. 

“From that perspective, what we are looking at is uptime, market depth and coverage, all while keeping an eye on UI and UX. If you have no streaming or widgets attached, and a lack of engagement tools, many of the bettors that are used to Twitch and Kick will simply walk away and go somewhere else.”

What next for Oddin.gg?

While BetPeek is only a few months old, Suchar said the focus at Oddin.gg is on improving engagement levels within esports betting, whether that is by extending the reach of its existing products or by bringing new tools to market. While interaction and additional context drive interest, the onus is on key stakeholders like Oddin.gg to deliver the solutions operators need to retain customers long term.

“At Oddin.gg, we’re building 24/7, interaction-led, bettor-driven engagement tools and solutions, and BetPeek is just the start of that,” he said. “From the perspective of how we are looking at it, esports is much more digital than other sports.”

Given this, with esports betting more than any other vertical, putting the viewer in control is essential.

“We are changing the formula in a way through BetPeek and other tools that we are preparing,” Suchar concluded. “You can interact, decide and then bet, and we believe there are many more opportunities in that space.”