Esports isn’t nibbling at the edges of sports betting anymore—it’s eating a real share. According to the LSports Report Q1 2025, esports betting grew 75% year over year, making it the third-most consumed category worldwide, just behind football and table tennis.
What’s changed is where the action lives. Bettors are flocking to maps, agents, and digital fixtures right alongside weekend football slips.
The result: esports isn’t a side tab for sportsbooks, it’s a core vertical shaping product, pricing, and promos. If you’re still treating it as an experiment, you’re already behind the players who aren’t.
A 75% Surge: What’s Behind the Esports Boom?
According to the LSports Quarterly Report, while football still tops the charts in total demand, esports has become the industry’s breakout star, reshaping the contours of the esports betting market in real time. LSports reported that fixture consumption, the number of esports matches offered for betting, rose dramatically, driven by both traditional esports titles like Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) and Dota 2, as well as simulated sports such as E-Football and E-Basketball.
The latter two saw staggering increases, 79% and 122% respectively, suggesting that bettors aren’t just engaging with well-known franchises, but also rapidly adopting new betting formats. In short, esports gambling is no longer a side hustle for sportsbooks – it’s central.
Geographically, Asia led the charge with a 103% increase in esports fixture demand, while Europe passed 2 million esports fixtures offered for the second time. This shows a global appetite for digital competition, not just a regional trend. For esports betting sites, that means expanding markets, deeper live coverage, and promos tailored to CS2, Dota 2, and simulated leagues.
3 Million Fixtures and Counting: Esports Is No Longer Niche
Perhaps the most eye-popping statistic from the report is this: simulated esports (E-Football and E-Basketball) topped over 3 million fixtures ordered on LSports platforms during Q1 2025. That’s a record-breaking number, and one that underscores how deeply integrated esports has become in the sportsbook ecosystem.
In a quote from Dotan Lazar, CEO of LSports, he emphasized that ‘relying on instinct alone is no longer enough’ in today’s data-driven betting landscape. He added that esports is no longer a novelty but a core vertical that sportsbooks need to integrate to remain competitive.
His remarks highlight the growing importance of esports online betting, which has quickly evolved from a niche experiment into a pillar of modern sportsbook strategy.
For online sports betting sites, that translates into broader esports markets, faster in-play pricing, and product roadmaps that treat esports as a first-class vertical.
Table Tennis and Lower-tier Football: The Unexpected Winners
While esports dominated the headlines, two other surprising trends emerged from LSports’ Q1 data:
Table Tennis
With 4.2 million fixtures ordered, table tennis ranked as the second-most requested sport across all LSports clients. That’s not a typo.
The sport saw a 27% increase in consumption year-over-year, driven by 24/7 tournaments such as the SETKA Cup, TT Elite Series, and Masters League, which allow for continuous live betting. SETKA Cup alone logged 868,000 fixtures.
Lower-tier Football
The report also highlights an unusual spike in demand for lower-tier football leagues. For instance:
- Spain’s Tercera División RFEF (5th tier) accounted for 1.04% of football data consumption
- Italy’s Serie D (4th tier) for 1.02%, and
- Turkey’s Süper Lig for 0.97%
Combined, these niche leagues made up nearly 8% of all football betting activity. That’s a wake-up call for operators focusing solely on elite-level matches.
Moreover, demand for UEFA Champions League betting rose by a staggering 134%, with North America showing a 209% YoY increase, reflecting a growing global appetite for high-profile European fixtures.
Similar dynamics could also influence esports markets, including Dota 2 betting, CS2, and others, through broader market availability, deeper in-play options, and more consistent event coverage..
Other Notable Trends in Q1 2025
The LSports study also shows that while esports and football dominated headlines, several other sports posted significant growth in Q1 2025.
Basketball – March Madness Goes Global
Basketball fixture consumption jumped 37% YoY, from 1.6M to 2.2M, setting a new single-quarter record.
Surprisingly, NCAA tournaments, traditionally dominated by American bettors, saw 17.5% growth in Europe, while the EuroLeague saw 81.5% growth in North America. This indicates a global crossover effect, as basketball content continues to transcend regional boundaries.
Tennis – ITF and Daily Tours Climb the Ranks
Tennis saw a 29% increase in fixture consumption. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) drove most of this growth, with 570,000+ fixtures ordered – a 77% increase YoY.
Another standout was the Daily Premier Tour, which grew 478% YoY and jumped to the third most consumed tennis tour, showing how new formats are gaining traction.
What It All Means for the Future of Sports Betting
Esports grabbed the headlines, and fair enough, but look a little sideways and Q1 was full of strange, fascinating signals. College hoops quietly caught fire in Europe. A lesser-known tennis tour spiked 478%. Even the ITF, long overlooked, came roaring back. This wasn’t just noise; it was a shift.
Bettors are wandering off the beaten path, and they’re doing it fast. The smart sportsbooks aren’t chasing flash; they’re watching where curiosity leads. Because when March Madness grows in Madrid, and third-tier tennis outpaces the majors, something’s changing. And in this business, noticing that change early is half the game.
