Everything you need to know about the integrity of esports
As with any other betting market, esports and professional gaming players are expected to follow a set of unwritten rules and regulations. With esports having only been a professional competition for less than a decade in most regions of the world, the industry has received scrutiny concerning its integrity and ethics. Despite two South Korean stars, Savior and Life, having been banned from competing, as well as serving jail time for match-fixing, esports in the modern era is now a whole different ball game.
The ethics of esports betting
Ethics within esports surrounds the sponsoring of games and competitions, along with the individuals and teams who compete. Esports faces multiple challenges when it comes to performances, the most difficult of which perhaps concerning when two players from the same team are pitted against each other. Although there are currently no governing bodies for esports, many nations have established national associations, with the Korea esports Association and the esports Association within the UK, helping to eradicate any such issues.
As well as this, Faceit, owners of the esports Championship Series, one of the largest CS:GO leagues around, have partnered with Genius Sports, a leading data provider, in order to provide real-time match data to many of the world’s largest regulated bookmakers, helping to increase the integrity of the industry. Accurate match and player data is provided to bookmakers, with the duo also analysing such information for any irregular activity. By comparing results and betting activity, any suspected match-fixing can be quickly looked into. Such a presence, along with the continued growth of esports in general, will help to put off match fixers from targeting esports in the first place.
esports – into the mainstream
With esports continuing to move into the mainstream, as major television networks, such as ESPN and YouTube, having introduced their coverage over recent months, the need for increased regulation has now become greater than ever. With CSGO competitions having been placed under scrutiny as a result of recent issues, more and more organisations are likely to help legitimise esports in the near future.
As a whole host of celebrities, sports stars and organisations look to get involved in esports in some capacity, it has resulted in the unbelievable growth of the industry over recent years. As a result, some have questioned the legality of esports betting, with initial growing pains damaging its reputation. However, with CSGO, among others, having now been established as legitimate and respectable professional sports markets, placing a bet on your favourite team or player can now be carried out in a trustworthy manner.
Recent estimates predict that the global audience for esports will reach an unprecedented 600 million by the year 2020, with many believing that the esports betting market will be bigger than the esports economy itself in the near future. With many sportsbooks now offering dedicated esports betting pages, the market is now one of the most popular in terms of sports wagering, with any illegal activity set to be quickly dealt with. As a result, you can rest assured that the team or player of whom you bet upon is putting their all into their game, as well as complying with the rules and regulations of the industry.
