Source: Pixabay
Anyone who has heard of eSports already knows about CS: GO. It’s one of the first competitive online games that maintained its popularity for over a decade. As eSports was becoming more popular so did CS: GO and it is still one of the most popular games in that environment, along with League of Legends and Dota 2.
Moreover, the prize pool for these competitions tends to be massive, so given its influence, it’s easy for new members to join the CS community. However, something unexpected happened during the pandemic, and gambling activity related to CS: GO suddenly surged. So, let’s see what happened and how come this activity did not slow down even after the dust settled.
Clarification
Before we proceed to explain this phenomenon, let’s just clarify a few things first. CS: GO gambling in this context refers to betting or gambling on CS: GO eSports events. This is not about the loot boxes and the debacle from a few years ago when this game was labeled as a gambling platform for kids.
Now there are specific sites for CS: GO gambling or so-called CS: GO crash. This allows players to wager their in-game skins and win various rewards. Since the overall gaming activity has increased during the lockdown, so did this form of betting. Governments even had to block some of these sites as they were not operating legally.
Pandemic and eSports
The main development that had a lot of impact on this increased activity was the mandatory lockdown. Sports events around the world were put on hold, and nothing much was going on. Meaning, people were really bored and tried to kill time while at home.
As a result, people, in general, were playing video games more. The same goes for online casino slot games, poker, roulette, etc. However, since the lockdown did not severely affect eSports competitions they were held as planned. Without other major sports events, bettors started to turn to eSports out of boredom. They were signing up for 50 free spins no deposit UK casinos to play other casino games and to place bets on eSports matches. CS: GO is a type of game that many are familiar with and even if they aren’t the concept is pretty straight forwards. So, new users naturally gravitate towards things that are easier for them to understand.
New Gambling Trends
Source: Pixabay
Another reason for this increase in activity, or a number of reasons more accurately, is the gambling sites and new features. For starters, the platforms themselves look really appealing and more graphically advanced. That on its own increases the overall user engagement. More importantly, there are lots of gambling-related features or possibilities that bettors really love.
Crypto Payments
One important novelty is the possibility to place wagers using bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. This allows users to stay anonymous and to perform money transfers in a swift and safe manner.
Real-time Bets
Real-time bets were only possible for regular sports up until recently, and if we are honest a lot of eSports still lack this feature. Luckily, it is available for CS: GO and there are lots of users who know the game and who are eager to see real-time bets make an appearance. This is definitely why there is still strong demand for CS; GO gambling and why more and more players are joining in and placing wagers.
Cloud Gaming
Combined with real-time bets this feature allows you to spectate any match that’s available on the cloud. Meaning, there is always some competition happening somewhere, and thanks to cloud technology bettors have access to spectate those matches.
Casino Bonuses
Finally, there were many user incentives that prompted people into wagering on eSports. Typically when someone claims the bonus offer they have a limited time to use it until it becomes invalid. So, in order to fully utilize these promotions users were looking for ways to spend that extra cash, and as mentioned CS: GO tournaments were one of the few things available.
Conclusion
As you can see there are a few explanations why people were betting on CS: GO more than ever. Since a lot of newbies gave this a try and liked it, it’s natural for them to continue playing or placing bets even when other sports are available. Once again, this is a massive community that keeps growing, and as more teens become adults they also gain the right to place these wagers, which is why the numbers are on a constant rise. Hopefully, the explanations provided here gave more relevant context to this phenomenon.
Leslie Alexander is a professional content lead who works at Gamblizard. Leslie loves to explore topics related to popular eSports games and topics related to online casinos. She also loves to play poker, go camping, and hiking.
