Entain Study Finds Key Connections Between Gamers and Betting

In a recent study, sports betting, gambling, and multimedia firm Entain surveyed 16,000 UK residents, searching for insights into changing consumer habits. As a result of the research, Entain revealed promising links between gaming and betting, uncovering key information about the typical consumers of both markets. When findings were published, the Entain study stated that ‘video game enthusiasts’ were up to 4.3 times more likely to involve themselves with betting of some kind.

Furthermore, it was also revealed that, out of the same 16,000 people surveyed, gamers were 4.5 times more likely to participate in ‘iGaming’. Following the period of research, several key data points were published, suggesting that ‘two-thirds of men (aged 25-44) with children’ were categorised as regular gamers. This essentially strips away the preconception that gaming is reserved for younger audiences only, and opens up yet another valid connection between gaming and betting, being as the latter is an adult-dominated market.

Correlations and Confirmations

As time goes on, there are more connections forming between the diverse and dynamic worlds of gaming and betting. Once upon a time, nobody would have even considered placing a bet on an esports tournament, but today, it’s a multi-billion dollar vertical. With the esports industry growing at a remarkable rate, the esports betting sites and markets are expanding exponentially. Typically, millions of dollars will change hands every year where esports bets are concerned.

Entain’s study revealed several data points regarding the average consumer of video games in the United Kingdom. These data points included the facts that:

• Gamers are 4.3 times more likely to participate in betting.
• Men with children are more likely to play video games than those without.
• Men aged 25 – 44 are, on average, twice as likely as women to play games or watch esports tournaments.
• Around 53% of British adults (aged under 24) play video games several times a week.

There are direct correlations between the consumer averages for gaming and for betting. Both are male-dominated industries, and now, following the Entain study, we can see that the average age of the consumer also matches up between industries. In 2021, a Statista study was published, revealing that approximately 53% of all online bettors were aged between 25 and 44. While it’s safe to assume that the gambling industry is adult-driven, it’s with Entain’s data that we can now see that the average gaming consumer is also more mature than we might have first thought.

Growth on Growth

The Entain study wasn’t just looking at historic or present data, but also forming predictive models that looked into the future of esports. For instance, Entain’s data suggests that around 37% of UK-based adults will watch esports at some point in the future. In the United States, this figure is slightly higher, sitting at around 40% of adults.

As younger gamers mature, they’re much more likely to begin experimenting with betting – particularly esports betting. While mainstream, traditional sports are by no means dying out, esports have the ability to draw in millions of younger viewers, owing to the direct, personal connection that many consumers have with the games themselves. As the average consumer matures, so too do their habits, and as Entain’s study suggests, gamers are much more likely to also become bettors.

Recently, Entain has taken great strides to break into the gaming industry, pushing as far as to make leaps towards the metaverse. At the tail end of January 2022, it was revealed that Entain had established a $133m ‘innovation lab’ known as Ennovate. This lab would have the chief goal of developing sports and entertainment experiences that would live and breathe within the metaverse. With a development like this taking place, it makes perfect sense why Entain would need to study the ins and outs of the average consumer.

In the near future, both the esports betting and esports markets, in general, are expected to expand dramatically. This is definitely a space for you, the consumer, to keep an eye on.