Asia : A grey market to behold ICE365 esports betting report 2021
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ASIA : A GREY MARKET TO BEHOLD
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Niko Partners
WHILE ASIA is considered the birthplace of modern esports and is regarded as a trendsetter in the space , the take up of esports ( and esports betting ) across Asia is as varied as it is fragmented .
As a region , Asia has the largest audience of esports players and fans in the world , with 510 million fans and 595 million esports gamers . Together , the region generated $ 519m in esports revenue in 2019 , around half of all global esports revenue at the time . 2
One of the most interesting developments in Asia has been the rise of mobile gaming , which has now outpaced the growth and scale of PC and console gaming . It is estimated that Asia contributed about 68 % ( or $ 13.3bn ) of global
Esports titles popular in Asia Dota 2 , Overwatch , League of Legends , Heroes of the Storm
mobile games revenue as of 2019 , the same year that saw mobile esports tournament prizes in South-East Asia grow 244 % compared to 2018 .
Next year , esports is expected to make its medal sport debut at the 2022 Asian Games . A total of 27 National Olympic Committees ( NOC ) have entered players in the esports categories at the games , which will take place in Hangzhou , China . This will offer invaluable help when it comes to legitimising esports as a ‘ real ’ sport in the public and governmental realm globally .
Unlike regions such as North
America , Asia ’ s esports and betting landscape is far from homogeneous . The popularity of games titles varies enormously depending on which part of the region
July 2021