Global Esports Betting Monitor: H1 2025
Sharpr breaks down the companies, tech, and trends shaping the future of internet gambling
Global Esports Betting Monitor: H1 2025
The Global Esports Betting Monitor is a quarterly report developed in partnership with Abios, providing our readers with a holistic snapshot of esports betting trends and activity.
All data is captured from the Kambi network, spanning more than 50 operators in regulated markets across the globe. Market data may vary depending on the source.
Abios delivers an odds feed with engaging features such as same-game bet builders, player props, and flash markets. Discover more today.
Click here to view the last report covering Q4 and FY24.
Valorant, Call of Duty betting handle tick up in H1
Counter-Strike and League remain the core betting titles: Both titles ticked up slightly in H1 2025, and together accounted for 83% of total esports wagering volume across regulated markets.
Dota 2 continues its downward trend: The game dropped to 8.7% of handle in H1 2025—down from 10% YoY and a more significant slide from 14% in FY23.
Valorant inches upward in betting share: The title reached 4.8% of global handle in H1 2025, continuing its slow-but-steady climb as a top-five esports betting title.
Call of Duty doubled its share year-over-year: CoD rose from 1.7% to 2.9% of handle, likely boosted by better-performing Majors and growing North American interest.
North America shows increased interest in League, Call of Duty
League of Legends generated the most betting volume in North America: One of just two regions, alongside Oceania (45%), where it outpaced Counter-Strike 2 in betting volume during H1 2025.
North America led in Valorant betting (on a percentage basis): The title made up 11.5% of esports handle in NA—nearly double the share seen in other markets (typically 4–8%).
Call of Duty betting remains uniquely North American: The title contributed 12.2% of total handle in the first half of 2025, compared to under 3% in every other region.
City-based model gives CDL unique foothold in NA: While the Call of Duty League may not stand up to titles like CS2 or League globally, its regional team branding offers some upside in NA where franchises are exclusively based in the US and Canada.
Latin America sees 27% jump in regional market share
Latin America recorded the strongest YoY growth in turnover: LATAM grew its share of global turnover from 8.1% in 1H24 to 10.3% in 1H25 (a 27% increase). The region also made up over 21% of global bet count in the first-half of the year, but with just 10.3% of handle, it suggests bettors are placing more frequent, smaller bets compared to Europe and Oceania.
Europe remains dominant not just in share, but also in stake size: The region (not pictured) contributed 74% of global betting turnover in H1, but just 72.5% of total bet count—implying a marginally higher average bet size than other regions.
Oceania remains a high-stakes market despite a dip in share: The region accounted for just 2.7% of global handle in H1, but 10.3% of all stakes—indicating that Oceania bettors continue to place fewer, but materially higher-value bets. The region also contributed 22.8% of Dota 2 handle in H1, highlighting how Oceania bettors continue to show strong affinity for the title, even as global interest cools.
North America’s share of global handle declined: NA recorded 4.3% of handle in H1 2024, down from 4.9% YoY. The region continues to lag in esports betting volume, largely due to limited regulation and lower cultural traction outside of Ontario.
League of Legends, CS2 deliver high yield per event, Valorant under-monetizes
CS2 is unmatched in volume and monetization: Counter-Strike 2 made up 40% of all esports events and generated 57.2% of total turnover in H1—giving it a 1.42x return on event share. It's the only game that performs above parity in both dimensions.
League of Legends delivers consistent ROI per event: While accounting for just 21.7% of total events, League brought in 26.1% of turnover—a 1.20x yield per event. This suggests that League’s structured calendar (regional splits, MSI, etc.) continues to support high liquidity.
Valorant maintains strong event presence but under-monetizes: The game made up 15.8% of all tracked esports events but just 4.8% of turnover—yielding a monetization ratio of 0.30x. This may indicate smaller markets, or less liquidity per match compared to CS2 and League.
Call of Duty is event-rich in NA, but low impact globally: COD saw 3.1% of events, but returned just 2.9% of turnover—a flat yield that mirrors its tight regional appeal.
Trendspotting
📈 Trending up: Riot Games is championing esports betting
Riot Games is no longer on the sidelines of esports betting—the publisher, whose titles account for around one-third of global handle, is introducing regulated wagering in what may be the blueprint for how others engage with the segment moving forward.
In a blog post last month, Riot communicated it will be taking an active role in its betting ecosystem, and will now permit League and Valorant teams to partner with gambling brands. Here’s the TLDR:
Brand vetting: Sports betting brands must be vetted and approved by Riot—the publisher says it will bring a “razor of scrutiny” to determine whether or not an operator is up to snuff.
Official data only: Partnered operators must use official Riot data, ensuring “consistency, integrity, and accountability across the board” for teams and commercial partners.
Reinvested revenue: Riot will reinvest revenues earned from its sports betting program, directing funds toward higher prize pools and new tournaments, integrity system developments, and educational training.
So what?: Like in traditional sports, Riot is moving to structure and own the relationship between its franchises and the betting segment—and there’s plenty of upside for all the rightsholders involved. Betting partners gain access to prime real estate; teams unlock new revenue streams; and Riot retains control over how and where its IP is used.
Initial consumer reactions have been largely negative, while most stakeholders celebrated the news and what it offers to an industry commanding lots of attention but still wrestling to monetize.
While the broader esports industry is valued at around $3B, its betting segment is significantly more liquid—generating nearly $11B in handle globally across just League of Legends and Valorant in 2024, per Sportradar. That means more money is being wagered on esports than the entire ecosystem is estimated to be worth—an imbalance that underscores just how much betting drives real economic activity in the space, and what’s being left on the table.
📉 Trending down: Long-tail esports
The esports betting market is starting to look a lot more top-heavy. In H1 2025, just three titles—Counter-Strike 2, League of Legends, and Valorant—accounted for over 85% of global betting turnover. That doesn’t leave much room for anyone else.
Games like Dota 2, Overwatch, Rainbow Six, and Rocket League continue to fade from the spotlight—not necessarily because of shrinking fanbases, but because their formats, calendars, and publisher support make them harder to price and promote.
Operators are increasingly prioritizing titles with:
Consistent match cadence (like Valorant’s VCT)
Robust data support (like Riot Games)
Global reach and multi-region liquidity (CS2 Majors and LoL Worlds, which pull bets from all regions and convert at scale)
By contrast, long-tail titles lack visibility and reliability. That makes them risky to build markets around, and easy to cut when margins tighten.
The result is easy to spot in the data: Dota 2’s share of global handle dropped to just 8% in H1 2025, continuing a downward trend. Rainbow Six and Overwatch didn’t even crack the top five, and collectively, long-tail titles made up less than 12% of total betting turnover.
This isn’t a matter of popularity of cultural significance, it’s about operational cost and return. Unless publishers invest in making these games more betting-friendly (with structured schedules, better data infrastructure, or international visibility), they’ll continue to lose relevance in the betting ecosystem—even if they remain culturally significant to their core audiences.
Contact us
News tips, feedback, and sponsorship inquiries.
Reach me directly at luongomanagement@gmail.com 📩 or on Twitter 🐦
All dollar figures are in USD unless otherwise noted.