Rivalry CEO: Latam is “one of the most underappreciated esports markets”
Steven Salz and other industry experts speak to the power and potential of the Latam esports market
Leading figures from the esports world have said that Latin America could be the future jewel in the crown of the blossoming industry.
Steven Salz, CEO of esports operator Rivalry; Ian Smith, ESIC integrity commissioner; and Sam Cooke, MD of trade publication Esports Insider, all sang Latam’s praises at a recent webinar focused on the rise of esports betting.
Latam esports has seen a significant rise in recent months, with the likes of Flutter Entertainment brand PokerStars entering a sponsorship agreement with Brazilian esports outfit Furia signifying the relevance of the continent.
Salz said: “Latam is one of the most under invested and underappreciated esports markets in the world. It’s religion in a way that we don’t really find in other places.”
Manchester City and Argentina star Sergio Aguero, who became a prominent Twitch streamer this year during his recovery from a serious injury, launched his own esports organisation in October.
Aguero was named founder and CEO of KRÜ Esports, with the launch once again demonstrating the potential rise of Latam esports.
Cooke said Aguero’s decision to launch an esports organisation was “a big nod to the potential of Latam esports”.
However, Smith, whose organisation investigates match-fixing and integrity issues within esports, said that the region’s esports potential may rest outside of its control.
Smith said: “What hampers the region is basic economic development. [The] spread of PCs, connectivity and all the usual issues. It’s unfortunate because the case is that the player base is mind-boggling.”
Speaking on how to convert sports bettors into esports bettors, Salz once again referred to Latam as a guiding light.
Salz said: “It depends on the business model. We see traditional sports betting operators are looking to convert more of their existing user base to esports. Esports focused operators are minting esports fans into bettors.
“Obviously, they have a pre-existing interest in sports betting. The vast majority of them also bet on sports. For example, in Brazil, CS:GO is religion but so is soccer. The CS:GO bettors also bet on soccer. I think it is really a business model question, but both of those things are happening across the ecosystem right now,” he added.