Request Demo
Nayeemul Islam
Junior Content Marketer
Insights / 5 Min.
Once a controversial outsider, the betting industry has now firmly planted its flag in the esports world. From headline-making partnerships with major tournaments to team jersey placements and digital activations, betting brands are rapidly evolving their presence in competitive gaming. This shift reflects not just a growing audience overlap, but also the industry’s pursuit of new engagement frontiers. In this post, we explore how betting brands entered esports, who led the charge, and how the sponsorship landscape continues to evolve.
Betting brands entered the esports market by sponsoring teams, tournaments, and digital broadcasts. One of the earliest moves came in 2014 when Pinnacle hosted the Pinnacle Pro-Am, making it one of the first bookmakers to actively support competitive gaming events. This was followed by high-profile sponsorships in 2016, such as Betway partnering with Ninjas in Pyjamas and GG.Bet sponsoring Fnatic, marking a shift toward broader visibility. These brands also began collaborating with influencers and streamers to promote their platforms through predictions, affiliate links, and livestream integrations. Through these strategic partnerships, betting companies found new ways to engage esports audiences and steadily normalized their presence in the industry.
Plenty of betting brands have wagered their money on the esports industry:
Timeline showing the entry of betting platforms into esports
Pinnacle sponsored the Dota 2 Pro AM in January 2014 along with Join DOTA. This earliest known sponsorship of an esports tournament by a betting platform later proved to be an immense success and a welcome move by DOTA fans.
Asian betting platform, Dafabet became the headline sponsor of Fnatic way back in 2015.
In 2016, Betway signed a sponsorship deal with celebrated esports powerhouse, Ninjas in Pyjamas.
After Dafabet, Fnatic went on to sign a partnership with another betting company – this time it was GG.Bet. GG.BET went on to work with more stakeholders in the esports community, including teams such as NaVi, Luminosity, and Alliance. In 2022, they became the official betting partner of DOTA 2’s The International.
NaVi's partnership with GG.bet kicked off in 2016. Credit: Esports Insider.
Sportsbet.io got into the esports action in 2017 when they agreed to sponsor CS:GO team HellRaisers.
Polish bookmaker, STS made their inaugural esports move by sponsoring Izako Boars in 2017. The following year, they went onto sponsor the Polish Esports League.
Berlin-based PENTA Sports added online betting provider Sunmaker as a sponsor for the esports organization in 2018.
1xBet was announced as the title sponsor of team HellRaisers in 2018. 1xBet also became the title sponsor of Natus Vincere in 2020.
Unibet became the official betting partner of esports organization Astralis in 2018 after signing a global partnership.
Parimatch entered esports after shaking hands on a partnership agreement with Virtus.pro in August of 2018. The bookmaker later expanded their partnership with the team in 2021. Parimatch later signed deals with Team Spirit (2019) and Fnatic (2020).
Parimatch became the official betting partner of Fnatic in 2018. Credit: Gaming Intelligence.
Esports-dedicated betting platform Unikrn partnered with German esports organization Unicorns of Love in 2019.
Rivalry became the official betting partner of Fnatic in 2019 and later in 2021, expanded the partnership.
Swedish esports organization, GODSENT secured a three-year sponsorship deal with Betsafe helping them become the exclusive betting partner of the organization.
Vulkan Bet became the title sponsor for three of the rosters of Gambit Esports in 2020.
Puntt became a partner of ESL Premiership’s UK edition in 2020.
Esports betting brand Midnite became the title sponsor of the ‘Nine to Five – Cup 6’ CG:GO tournament series in 2020.
VIE.bet became a primary jersey sponsor of SG Esports in 2021 with an intention to expand their presence in Brazil and the rest of LATAM. The betting platform went onto make more esports appearances such as the cs_summit 8.
This deal in 2021 saw DraftKings become the ‘Official Sports Betting, iGaming, Daily Fantasy and Free-to-Play Partner’ of FaZe Clan.
DraftKings became an official partner of FaZe Clan in 2021. Credit: MaC Venture Capital.
Luckbox bolstered its expansion plans into the South American market when it partnered with Peruvian esports organisation Thunder Awaken in 2022.
BetBoom launched its own esports organization in 2022 and has made its mark in the esports scene ever since. The organization has active rosters in Counter-Strike, DOTA 2, and PUBG.
In 2022, M88 Mansion became the main title sponsor of the Talon Esports DOTA 2 team.
Roobet started hosting the Roobet Cup annually since 2022 and the tournament has been a resounding success ever since.
Winline entered the esports market by striking a 3-year partnership deal with Virtus.pro in 2022.
Winline shook hands with Virtus.pro in 2022. Credit: Virtus.pro.
Leon.Bet became the exclusive betting partner of 9INE in 2024.
Astralis has announced a partnership with betting company ComeOn Group, through its ComeOn! Brand in 2025.
In early 2025, BetKing became a General Partner of B8 Esports Club, marking its entry into the esports industry.
Mel.bet became Talon’s official sportsbook partner for its Dota 2 team this year, strengthening its presence in the game title.
Betting brands have become a key part of the esports ecosystem, evolving from early adopters to major sponsors. While challenges remain, their growing presence signals long-term commitment and deeper integration. As esports expands, betting’s role in shaping its commercial future is only set to grow.
