Counter-Strike revealed as top esports betting title in 2023
Kambi subsidiary Abios notes first-person shooter snared 56% of all wagers across the Kambi operator network in dominant showing from Valve-developed game
Almost 60% of all esports bets placed across Kambi’s network in 2023 were on Counter-Strike contests according to new data released by the supplier.
As detailed in the Abios Leaderboard 2023, the Kambi esports subsidiary revealed that 56% of all esports bets were placed on the first-person shooter title.
League of Legends was a distant second at 24%, while Dota 2 was third with 14% and Valorant and Call of Duty finished the list with 3% and 2%, respectively.
Counter-Strike was also the most popular title to bet on in both Europe and North America. Second and third in both regions were League of Legends and Dota 2.
In North America, Call of Duty and Valorant rounded out the top-five while in Europe, Counter-Strike’s 2023 successor, Counter-Strike 2, was fourth and Valorant was fifth.
However, League of Legends was the most popular game to bet on in Latam, with Counter-Strike second. Dota 2 came in third, while Counter-Strike 2 was fourth and Valorant finished in fifth place.
Picking out a breakout region this year, Abios highlighted Brazil due to its “vibrant esports ecosystem and Counter-Strike fandom”.
Elsewhere, the report revealed that while most bets (53%) are placed on pre-market matches, live markets powered ahead in terms of total turnover at 60%.
Abios also detailed the top five esports betting markets in 2023, with match odds leading the pack ahead of map handicap and total kills per player on the podium.
Niclas Sundell, Abios head of sales, said: “As esports continues to mature and become an integrated part of any modern online sports betting offering, it is essential for sportsbooks and other industry leaders to understand what products and services esports fans are looking for.
“Abios Leaderboard 2023 outlines how Counter-Strike dominates the esports betting scene while highlighting betting habits across games, markets and regions.”
Kambi acquired esports supplier Abios in August 2021 in a SEK150m deal to allow the sports betting firm to add to its arsenal.
In 2023, Abios serviced more than 15 titles and covered more than 60,000 matches.
Kambi will be undergoing significant change in 2024 with CEO Kristian Nylen recently announcing he will be stepping down from the role.