Esports in the US: growth, challenges and the road ahead

When I think about the growing popularity of esports around the world and the conversations happening at events from Lisbon to Las Vegas, one observation is undeniable – esports betting has great potential in the US.

For sportsbooks, the upside is massive: tournaments with multi-million-dollar prize pools, fan bases that rival or surpass traditional sports and a betting market expanding at astonishing rates globally. And, on top of that, an entirely new category of bettors.

But while the potential is high, it’s important to remember that esports is not just another sport. Success depends on the right partnerships, technology and strategy, in other words: partners who understand the uniqueness of esports bettors and can help you attract this unique demographic, limit your risk and maximise your margins. 

With the US poised to become a global leader in esports betting, I’ve been looking closely at the drivers of success, what’s hindering growth and the strategic advantage for those who act now to seize the next wave of opportunity.

Growth: new fans, more markets, bigger bets

Esports is no longer niche. In 2025, the global audience is on track to top 640 million, with North America ranking among the strongest regions for viewers and players. The US alone boasts more than 3,000 professional players and hundreds of teams that compete in national and international leagues, driving viewership, sponsorships and event ticket sales up and up.

Why does this matter to bookmakers? The simple answer: demographics. 

Esports betting in the US is on track to surpass $850m in stakes by the end of 2025. But these aren’t the ‘typical’ bettors we see in traditional sports betting.

Esports fans skew young, with 52% between the ages of 18 and 34. They’re Gen Z and Millennial, deeply digital and often mobile-first. 

They’re also betting more. According to our reporting, the average stake for an esports bet is nearly €29, six times higher than the typical football wager. This isn’t a fluke. Esports bettors understand the games, the player meta and the storylines, all of which translates into deeper engagement and more frequent, confident bets.

Serving this audience successfully depends on maximising uptime, offering an expansive range of live markets and providing a seamless, player-centred interface for bettors expecting speed and depth.

At Oddin.gg, we’re always looking for ways to improve the experience for bettors and the revenue for operators. We do this by giving bettors more ways to bet and keeping them more engaged during play. One of our newest additions, BetBuilder unlocks virtually endless bet combinations across esports and eSimulators, both pre-match and in-play.

Challenges: regulations, risk and the role of esports experts

Similar to traditional betting, the US is a regulatory patchwork when it comes to esports betting. Licensing, taxation and compliance vary state to state, muddled further by publisher-driven tournament rules and ever-shifting legal definitions. This lack of central oversight can drive up compliance costs, slow innovation and leave operators struggling with uncertainty. 

On top of that, esports moves fast, but regulations move very slowly. The delta between the evolution of esports titles and betting platforms and factors like age restrictions, advertising laws and data use policies can be costly for large operators, and can mean the difference between survival and stagnation for startups.

Unlike traditional sports like football or baseball, esports is a digitally native domain where a single patch update can rewrite the rules. Match-fixing, software exploitation and team instability are also real risks. Unfortunately, for fear of exposure to dangerous bettors, many bookmakers limit esports lines and miss out on activity.

While all of this is not intended to be a red flag, it is important to be aware of, and to make sure you work with partners that are knowledgeable about the uniqueness of esports and take integrity seriously.

At Oddin.gg, we use our expertise in esports to provide real-time risk management for operators, using a ‘two-way feedback loop’ to monitor the volume constantly and make instant adjustments whenever necessary, identifying suspicious patterns and reacting to in-game changes minute by minute using AI and a trader team with a significant representation of former professional players. 

Additionally, Oddin.gg is part of International Betting Integrity Association, a not-for-profit association that safeguards sport and regulated betting markets through global monitoring, intelligence sharing and stakeholder collaboration, and the Esports Integrity Commission, as we firmly believe that this is the only way to sustain volume and protect the esports market.

The road ahead: what must change for US esports to thrive

Both operators and lawmakers need to recognise that esports is unique from other sports, but that it also has incredible potential. Every title, publisher and tournament brings unique formats, update cycles and engagement patterns which warrant regulatory standards to support real-time betting, protect player welfare and ensure integrity without throttling innovation.

In our experience, far too many providers still see risk management as merely ‘protection’. But with the right data and models, risk tools can uncover hidden opportunities. Operators can expand activity on top leagues, control exposure on unpredictable smaller competitions and maintain a healthy balance for both operator and bettor. 

The rewards are waiting

Esports betting in the US stands at a crossroads. Audiences are enormous and deeply engaged, ready to redefine the future of sports betting. But sustainable growth demands smart regulation, ongoing education and products built for the complexities of digital sport. 

Bettors expect context, speed and personalisation. Our new BetBuilder is a prime example of the future: hundreds of thousands of bet combinations per matchup, all managed in real time using advanced algorithms. 

At Oddin.gg, we’ve spent seven years developing the only end-to-end ecosystem designed for this challenge. It’s time for US bookmakers, publishers and lawmakers to embrace not just the opportunity but the hard work that real innovation requires. The rewards will extend far beyond profit. They’ll shape the future of the entire betting landscape.

Marek Suchar is co-founder and managing director of Oddin.gg, the leading B2B provider of esports betting solutions. With a background in finance and global business development, Suchar has helped position Oddin.gg as a trusted name in igaming.

He regularly speaks at industry events, offering insights on esports trends and how operators can build effective engagement strategies.