Digital platforms and the rising interest in competitive gaming tournaments have fuelled the growth of global esports wagering. According to market studies, revenue from esports wagering was around $ 2.8 billion by 2025. The steady growth shows that the industry is evolving and becoming more sophisticated.
The maturation of esports betting coincides with the growing popularity of online entertainment. The industry has moved from being a niche hobby to a mainstream entertainment in the public eye. As a result, more and more traditional sports organizations and tech companies are investing in the industry.
The Evolution of eSports Wagering
The emergence of esports wagering came with the professionalization of multiplayer games, particularly League of Legends and Counter-Strike, in the early 2010s. Platforms that supported betting, allowing gamers to wager on tournament outcomes, were basic and rudimentary. The gaming industry soon integrated livestreaming and sophisticated data analytics. The result was a more interactive wagering ecosystem. Without real money stakes, platforms like MelBet Pick ’em have streamlined users’ engagement in tournament outcome wagering. By 2025, the ecosystem had been betting on real-time events that were more granular than ever before, betting on individual players and performance.
Central areas, such as Europe and North America, hosted esports events first, and Asia followed because of its high esports participation rate. The pandemic accelerated these shifts by limiting in-person sports and increasing demand for digital alternatives. Different areas adopted regulatory frameworks, allowing licensed constructions in the markets, to help render user trust and market stability.
Market Dynamics and Growth Factors
Growth in esports betting gained traction in 2025, reaching USD 12.92 billion, a 14.3% CAGR from previous years through 2035. Much of this growth can be attributed to the proliferation of mobile apps with social gambling functionality. More business sponsors have been added, contributing to larger tournament production, higher prize pools, and improved production quality.
| Year | Market Size (USD Billion) | Growth Rate (%) | Key Driver |
| 2023 | 8.50 | 12.5 | Increased viewership |
| 2024 | 10.20 | 13.2 | Mobile platform adoption |
| 2025 | 12.92 | 14.3 | AI-enhanced predictions |
| 2026 | 15.50 | 14.8 | Regulatory expansions |
This chart shows the upward movement illustrating the impact of technology and regulation on annual surges. Reports show that the Asia Pacific accounts for over 40% of global revenue due to its high population density and gaming culture.
There are also sponsorship and media rights, which have been very important because esports tournaments attract audiences similar to those of traditional sports. Prediction platforms have also opened the market to casual spectators by allowing them to play for free on prediction tools that often act as betting gateways.
Prediction Platforms in the eSports Ecosystem
Prediction platforms provide the services necessary to act as middlemen in the esports betting world. Users can forecast the outcomes of individual matches and tournament results. These platforms use historical data and predictive models to increase the accuracy of esports predictions. Additionally, these services promote fan engagement and thereby support the growth of the betting industry by teaching users predictive models.
These services also offer prediction games where users can win prizes and rank on leaderboards, outside the gambling context. For instance, these services use AI analytics to identify winning patterns in teams based on data from numerous previous games. This works exceptionally well in these games because the outcome variables are limited to specific winning conditions, such as map and hero selection.
The most common esports titles on these prediction platforms include:
- Counter Strike 2: Tactical depth with major world tournaments.
- Dota 2: Team coordination in large multi-stage tournaments.
- League of Legends: Major viewership with structured regional leagues.
- Valorant: Round-based games with various agent abilities.
- PUBG Mobile: Battle royale games with survival mechanics.
When predicting outcomes, the nature of esports competitions requires the ability to adapt as the stream unfolds. Integration with live streams accommodates this transfer, as each stream allows fine-tuning of every prediction. For this reason, the platforms offer features that help retain users.
Impact on Mongolia
Esports’ popularity in Mongolia has skyrocketed over the years. Mongolian teams began winning titles at international championships in 2025 and have continued to win diverse championships.
Most notable is the MongolZ team, which won the CS2 World Cup, along with other recognized teams. This World Cup victory awarded the MongolZ team 500K dollars and has made other national tournaments, notably the ESN National Championship and the PUBG Mobile National Championship. As a direct result of the regional growth, Mongolian developers and service providers of all types have pivoted to, and engaged with, the Mongolian market and have personalized their offerings by including varied regional language and currency EPS.
With the rise of competition, predicting the top Mobile EPS Dota 2 and CS 2 tournaments has become more difficult. Rapid participation in the mobile EPS Dota 2 and Cs 2 has ensued. The increasing participation is a direct result of the country’s high smartphone penetration. Due to swift participation in mobile EPS Dota 2 and Cs 2, a definitive hub in Mongolia within the Asian esports landscape is on the rise. Mobile esports has increased event coverage and more betting, driven by fan engagement, creating opportunities to wager on international tournaments and championships.
Esports in Mongolia is growing due to:
- Strong community organizations hosting LAN events.
- Collaborating with international sponsors.
- Supporting talent and developing partnerships.
- Educational programs incorporating esports for children.
- Development of high-speed internet infrastructure in cities.
- Social focus on gaming in a competitive format.
Future Prospects
In the future, eSports betting may use advanced virtual reality and metaverse integration to let punters watch their bets and interact with simulated environments. As regulations and borders are standardized, eSports gambling may also become less fragmented and offered on larger platforms. Illegally gaming and distributing technologies may become a concern, but they may also have a positive impact on the future gaming market.
As regulations on data and privacy improve, so will user data security. Hybrid models, e.g., eSports gambling, may become a reality, helping grow market size and audience engagement. The industry will continue to innovate with the implementation of more gaming data analytics and interactive communities.
