G2 Esports: Gambling sponsorship a “perfect piece of the puzzle”
Senior esports execs salute gambling sector’s commercial involvement in vertical as traditional sports teams seek out alternatives
Two senior figures in the esports industry have hailed commercial support from the gambling industry as some teams from traditional sports look to distance themselves from the sector.
Speaking at a Paysafe roundtable on the state of play of the esports industry, Sabrina Rathi and Stephan Schröder spoke to the power of gambling sponsorships across the vertical and praised the industry’s involvement.
The likes of Betway, Parimatch, Pinnacle and STS all hold esports sponsorships, as do smaller operators such as 1xBet, VBET and Fun88.
Rathi, commercial director for esports organisation G2 Esports, said she had “no concerns” regarding the gambling industry’s involvement in esports.
She said: “I think betting for us, as an organisation, is super interesting. A few days ago, we announced our partnership with Betway which was a long-time in the making and I think organisations like ESL and others have made the case to make betting more accessible.
“Esports is not just sports, it is also a form of entertainment which is why betting fits right into it. For us this is a perfect piece of the puzzle for our overall entertainment strategy,” she added.
Schröder, SVP of global brand partnership for esports tournament organisers ESL, praised the gambling industry’s previous sponsorship commitments across other sports.
He said: “I think it is one of the most engaged industries on the sponsorship side. If you take a look at gambling and betting in other forms of sports they were always really engaged and interested in new areas.
“We know there is a huge interest and they have a clear business model behind it and I think that’s something that fits perfectly to our community,” he added.
The House of Lords has requested the phasing out of gambling sponsorships in sport by 2023 as part of the UK government’s review of the Gambling Act 2005.