The world of esports and gambling has changed dramatically since the start of the year, and it’s left the world of fantasy sports and traditional betting in the dust. New Year, new ideas, and innovation have lead to a more streamlined and comfortable experience for the gamers, enthusiasts, and savvy bettors who prefer to place their bets online.
Why Are Esports and Gambling Mixing?
Gamification and fantasy sports have collided, and it’s produced a game that’s both entertaining and rewarding to play and bet on. If you’re unfamiliar, gamification is all about turning traditionally “boring” or “repetitive” tasks into something fun and engaging. It’s perhaps best known for its use in esports, where it’s given rise to new terms like “match winning,” “lose-win,” and “dodgeball,” but it’s also been applied to gambling and fantasy sports.
Traditional sports have always been a part of esports, both in terms of game content (e.g., NBA 2K) and community engagement (e.g., fantasy football). But with the advent of eSportsmania, esportscasters, and gaming chairs, the worlds of esports and traditional sports have collided, and it’s given birth to a hybrid sport we call CS:GO betting.
Here are the reasons why you might be interested in or worried about CS:GO betting.
Cutting Edge Technology
The first and most obvious reason why you should care about CS:GO betting is that it’s cutting edge technology. While other forms of betting have been around for a while, esports and gambling as we know it today didn’t exist until 2016. And even today, it still feels like early days.
Thanks to technologies like blockchain and smart contracts, CS:GO betting is here to stay and will only become more prominent in the coming years. These are the types of technological advancements that will enable new ways of betting and make existing forms obsolete.
Increased Legal Uncertainty
Legal uncertainty is one of the main concerns whenever you enter the world of esports and gambling. Just ask anyone who’s tried participating in Battle.net’s Overwatch beta, where legal questions have hindered competition and growth. But that’s not the case with CS:GO betting. Thanks to its mix of traditional and non-traditional sports, as well as its combination of gameplay and betting, the governing bodies that regulate esports and gambling have actually made progress in defining and clarifying their roles and responsibilities. The result of this is that the legal status of CS:GO betting is much more clearly defined than that of competing sports, including traditional ones.
More Than Meets The Eye
What if I told you there was a way to have your esports fix and also place a wager on the game? Would you be interested? Well, there is, and it goes by the name of CS:GO betting. While it has its roots in conventional esports (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive) and gambling (poker), it has since transcended those limits, incorporating elements of both into a hybrid game that’s quickly becoming popular. In fact, the legality of CS:GO betting depends on where you live, as it can be considered a form of gambling in some jurisdictions but not in others.
So, while it might not be for everyone, the fact remains that you could play esports and gamble on it, all within the same game. In a world of hybrid sports, where do you place your bets?
Cutting edge technology, increased legal uncertainty, and new ways of entertaining yourself and rewarding yourself for your entertainment are just a few reasons why you might be interested in or worried about CS:GO betting. But as long as you’re keeping score, the fact remains that this game has only just begun, and it’s going to continue evolving and changing as time moves forward.