Escape From Tarkov Arena is the latest shooter to take the world by storm. It’s an all-new title from Battlestate Games, the developer of Escape From Tarkov, an intense extraction shooter that was released as a beta in 2016. In Tarkov Arena, competitive players are introduced to a session-based, traditional multiplayer experience, and it has been built with esports in mind. Recently, the first-ever Tarkov Arena esports tournament was played at DreamHack Hannover, and it was a roaring success.
Now, we’re asking an important question – what’s the potential for Tarkov Arena to become a popular esports betting title? It has everything that’s required to become a success as an esports game, but what legs does Tarkov Arena have when it comes to betting? Let’s take a look at the game and its future and determine if it could offer markets that esports bettors should keep their eyes on.
Will Tarkov Arena Have Betting Markets?
Where there’s a competitive game, there tends to be betting markets not far behind. In the case of Tarkov Arena, you’ve got a shining multiplayer platform with a legendary foundation that’s backed by a world-class developer and millions of fans. It has the groundwork already laid, all that’s left now is for Battlestate Games to build up the esports ecosystem hand-in-hand with grassroots tournaments, top-tier esports organisations, and streaming platforms.
It’s almost a given that Tarkov Arena will boast at least some betting markets. It’s likely that when the bigger tournaments start playing – or when there’s some kind of a consistent league that’s played regularly – betting operators will offer win-loss markets at the very least. I’m not expecting there to be a far-reaching and diverse array of markets available with competitive odds, but I do foresee betting operators testing the water with basic Tarkov Arena betting markets.
Related: Learn About Esports Betting Markets
Esports Betting in Russia
Escape From Tarkov is a Russian game with a huge market in-country. It’s played by hundreds of thousands of Russians, it’s built by a Russian company, and it’s set in a fictional region on the Russian border. During the first Tarkov Arena tournament, the favourite to win – and the second-place team – was a Russian organisation, Virtus.pro.
So, where does Russia align with esports betting?
There are plenty of esports bettors in Russia, and betting companies are no strangers to the Russian market. There have been plenty of partnerships between Russian esports teams, organisations, and betting operators. For instance:
- Natus Vincere partnered with GG.Bet when the team was made up of mostly Russian players
- Team Spirit, a hugely popular Russian organisation, partnered with Parimatch
- Virtus.pro, who competed at the Tarkov Arena tournament, also partnered with Parimatch
- Gambit, a Russian organisation, was partnered with Liga Stavok, a Russian betting company
There’s a track record there when it comes to the alignment, and as the Takrov Arena esports scene grows, we’ll likely see more partnerships creep into that space. I’ve got no doubt that Tarkov Arena will succeed as an esports title, it’s just a case of to what extent the betting operators get on board with the action.
Related: Team Spirit’s Parimatch Partnership
www.esportsbets.com
