Esports has rapidly grown in popularity in recent years and has become a multimillion-dollar industry, with professional players, teams and even dedicated esports stadiums.
The rise of esports is particularly noticeable on the new sports betting sites that are springing up all over the US, following the widespread legalization of sports betting after 2018. It’s thought that as legal betting spreads across the nation, many more gaming companies will make a transition into sports betting for fun & for cash prizes. When they launch eSports betting, they will likely offer very generous promotions just like this WOW Vegas promo code which they offer on their casino-style gaming site. In addition, you will likely find a growing number of esports betting markets, particularly for major esports such as Dota 2 and CS:GO.
One of the most important factors in the growth and success of esports has been the amount of prize money that is up for grabs in the biggest tournaments and competitions. In this article, we will be taking a closer look at the esports world and examining which sports are the most lucrative:
Dota 2
Dota 2, which stands for Defense of the Ancients 2, is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game that has become one of the Big Three esports titles. It was released by Valve Corporation in 2013 and has since exercised an impressive dominance in the esports world.
The biggest tournament for Dota 2 is The International, which is held annually. This tournament attracts the best Dota 2 teams from around the world, who compete for a share of the huge prize pool and the title of Dota 2 champion. Of equal significance to the prestige gained by doing well at The International is the massive prize pool, which surpassed $40m in 2021.
In fact, Dota 2 has been the best-paying esport for ten years now. In 2021, the top five Dota 2 players each earned over $3m in personal profit.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
CS:GO is a first-person shooter game that was released by Valve Corporation in 2012. It has been a popular esports game for many years and has a large and dedicated following, particularly in Europe, which is the stronghold of CS:GO gaming.
The biggest tournaments for CS:GO are the Major Championships, which are held several times a year and each have a prize pool of over $1m. CS:GO is also popular in the betting community, with many websites offering odds on matches and tournaments throughout the year. While not as lucrative as Dota 2, the top players can make six figure sums every year.
League of Legends
LoL is a MOBA game, similar in format to Dota 2, that was released by Riot Games in 2009, making it the oldest of the Big Three. It is one of the most popular esports games and has a large and dedicated following, particularly in Asia.
The biggest tournament for LoL is the World Championship, which is held annually and has a prize pool of over $2m. The World Championship attracts the best LoL teams from around the world, who compete for a share of the prize pool and the World Championship trophy. Although it doesn’t have the highest prize money for its top tournament, LoL has more events than its main rivals. The top 50 or so players all bank over $500,000 even before sponsorships and endorsements.
PUBG Mobile
The rise of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds perhaps points to the future of competitive esports as it is the only game on this list to be a purely mobile game.
PUBG is also playable on desktop and console, but it is the mobile version of the game that has proven to be the most popular. Combining the popular battle royale format of Fortnite with the online mechanics of Arena of Valor, it is quickly rising up the esports ranks.
The top league in PUGB, the PEL in China, offers a $10m prize pool and the PMGC, the second biggest tournament, offers over $3.5m. The game is so popular that over the last three years, the top 300 players have all earned over $100,000.
Arena of Valor
Another MOBA game, which is quickly closing the gap on Dota 2 and LoL is Arena of Valor. The game’s biggest tournament, the Arena of Valor World Cup, offered a prize pool of over $10m in 2022, of which $3.5m went to the winner.
The top Arena of Valor players are already earning more than $1m every year and the top 100 players in 2022 finished with six figure returns, numbers that are only likely to grow as the game becomes even more popular with esports fans.
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