As a viable way to build out the betting board at online sportsbooks this year, eSports has caught the attention of the betting public. Competitions for all the top iGames are held on a regular basis. Most of those competitions have posted betting odds covering a number of different options. Of course, the top betting option is wagering on the winning team or player in individual eSports events.
Scores and Stats Brings eSports Coverage
As the premier sports betting and online gambling resource, ScoresAndStats.com has been covering eSports all year long. In recent months, the site has expanded its coverage to keep its loyal customers informed of everything going on in the realm of eSports.
In a recent post on Forbes.com, the subject of just how much money eSports players have made this year was covered in greater detail. The actual research was performed by Unikrn. This is a Seattle-based eSports bookmaker.
The total prize money for eSports events this year alone has already reached $32.5 million with six full months to go.
Insane Numbers
The total figure for 2019, as a whole, reached a staggering $227 million. More than a few eSports events had to be cancelled or postponed this year due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Nonetheless, almost $33 million is nothing to sneeze at.
Top eSports Players
At the top of the list for individual players is Paulo Damo Da Rosa from Brazil. He is better known to diehard eSports fans as PVDDR. Most of his winnings came in one event, Magic: The Gathering Arena’s Magic World Championship XXVI back in February. This was right before actual events with a live audience started getting shutdown.
Magic World Championship XXVI Recap & Best Moments
When it comes to the top eSports team in terms of prize money, Spacestation Gaming tops the list. The five-person team’s big win of the year was playing Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege. The team posted previous victories in Pro League Season 11 and the Six Invitational 2020. The five team members are Bosco, Fultz, Canadian, Rampy and Thinkingnade. Each one is $210,000 richer with this year’s play.
Three players also high on the list are Wolfiez, Furious and JannisZ. They are also among the youngest eSports players with a combined age of 47. Their claim to fame was success in the game Fortnite.
Wolfiez, whose real name is Jaden Ashman of the UK, earned $130,000 for his duel second-place finishes in the European FNCS Invitationals. At the tender age of 15, Germany’s JannisZ won one of those tournaments to boost the total money won. US gamer Furious is 16 and this gamer earned $121,500 by winning the FNCS Grand Finals in North America.
A bit further down the list are Hikaru Nakamura and Magnus Carlsen. What makes this pair interesting is how they made their money playing Chess24. Each player has crossed the $100,000 mark for the year.
One notable player missing from the 2020 rankings is Denmark’s Johan Sundstein. He is the highest-earning eSports player in the history of competition for his efforts playing Dota 2. Five other Danish players have filled the void with their success playing Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
A few of the most interesting stats surround eSports competitions in 2020 include:
> The average age of players is 24
> The USA has earned the most eSports prize money at $6 million
> Jordan is the best performing country on a per player basis
> JannisZ is the youngest player in the Top 25 at 15.
