03
Editor ’ s Letter
Recession ? What recession ?
Questions ? Comments ?
william . harding @ clariongaming . com
Welcome to the third edition of our annual Esports betting report , which aims to provide an expert overview of this growing subsector of the gaming industry .
At a time when the world is tightening its belt and much of the entertainment industry is feeling the pressure of the cost-of-living crisis , esports continues to shrug off any notions of recession . Computer gaming thrives in moments of economic contraction as gamers tend to fill ranks and find their escapism and dopamine-drip online . As such , esports continues to provide incredible growth globally .
With one eye permanently on the future , the gambling sector is positioning itself for a new wave of bettors . Regions such as Brazil and Canada have become attractive markets to explore for esports operators , and it ’ s a similar story in the US , where several states have been making confident strides to accommodate this historically misunderstood vertical .
If I had to pick one word to sum up the year , then ‘ consolidation ’ would probably do it . Microsoft ’ s planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard and Sony purchasing Destiny 2 developer Bungie are just two examples of large publishers land-grabbing for the long term .
My sincere thanks to Felix Ng for researching and authoring the report for Clarion Gaming . I hope you find it useful .
William Harding , Head of Esports , Clarion Gaming
Esports report 2023 : Moving closer to maturity , still room for growth
Published March 2023 . © iGaming Business Ltd 2023 . All rights reserved . No part of this publication may be reproduced , stored in a retrieval system , or transmitted in any form or by any means , electronic , mechanical , photocopying , recording or otherwise without the permission of the publisher . The information contained in this publication is believed to be correct at the time of going to press . While care has been taken to ensure that the information is accurate , the publishers can accept no responsibility for any errors or omissions or for changes to the details given . Readers are cautioned that forward-looking statements , including forecasts , are not guarantees of future performance or results and involve risks and uncertainties that cannot be predicted or quantified . Consequently , the actual performance of companies mentioned in this report and the industry as a whole may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements .
Written by : Felix Ng Editors : William Harding and Robin Harrison Design : Ogo Ikeogu Production : Guy Parsons
Published by iGaming Business , part of Clarion Events , 69-79 Fulham High St , London SW6 3JW . Tel : + 44 ( 0 ) 207 384 7763 Registered number : 3934419
Esports report 2023