The rapid growth in the popularity of eSports on a global scale has not left the Australian continent behind. As in the rest of the world, this trend quickly grew from a youth hobby into a large-scale and highly profitable industry. In the early 2000s, computer games were considered mainly entertainment for teenagers. Now they have become an integral part of the country’s sports culture. The eSports market in Australia is projected to reach $146.7 million in revenue by 2025, demonstrating its growing influence and popularity. This article discusses the rise of the popular trend in Down Under.
Gambling Industry and eSports
One indicator of how quickly and steadily eSports is growing in Australia is its integration with the betting and casino industry. Top gambling projects such as Ripper Casino are showing increasing interest in Dota 2, CS:GO, Valorant and other popular games. Betting on eSports is consistently present in the top 5 most popular types in most Sportsbooks. Punters of Ripper casino Australia have constant access to The International, Majors and other popular tournaments.
Betting on the greatest world tournaments is complemented by betting on local leagues. Punters with active Ripper casino login Australia keep a close eye on matches involving Renegades, FlyQuest, Rooster and other teams representing countries. The increased interest of the Ripper Casino app and site bookmakers was particularly influenced by the emergence of the Oceanic Pro League in 2015. This league, which brings together Australian League of Legends teams, has gone international, and betting on games involving its leader, Chief eSports Club has at some points become competitive with betting among punters with Ripper Casino login on major soccer, tennis and cricket tournaments.
By 2025 betting had become the most profitable area of Australian eSports. Ripper Casino review states that the market turnover in this area has reached $125 mln. This indicates significant development prospects of the industry.
Stages of Development of eSports in Australia
Now we have come to the main topic of this article. So, the still short, but already quite full of interesting events history of Australian eSports can be conditionally divided into several stages. Let’s talk briefly about each of them:
- First steps (late 1990s – early 2000s). During this period, the first localised tournaments on computer games began to be held. They were localised and limited to amateur team competitions in Internet cafes and universities. At this stage, eSports was still more of a hobby than a serious competition.
- The emergence of professional teams and leagues (mid-2000s). In 2002, the first Australian World Cyber Games took place. After their completion, professional Team Immunity and Chiefs Esports Club began participating in international competitions, representing Australia on the world stage.
- Investor and sponsor activity (late 2000s – early 2010s). During this period, large companies took notice of the potential of eSports, starting to invest in teams and tournaments of top athletes (MrFreshAsian, Justin “jks” Savage). This led to an increase in prize pools and the industry’s professionalisation.
- The emergence of specialised arenas and infrastructure (2010s). In 2017, ESL Studios Sydney was opened in Sydney. It became the first specialised cybersports arena in Australia that meets the requirements for hosting international level tournaments.
- Growth of viewership and media coverage (late 2010s). At this stage, Twitch and YouTube began to be actively used to promote the industry. In 2019, more than 1.5 million Aussies regularly watched cybersports broadcasts.
- State-level recognition (early 2020s). At the beginning of the third decade, the Australian government began to recognise eSports as an official sport, providing grants and support for its development.
- COVID-19 pandemic and accelerating growth (2020s). Paradoxically, a universal calamity played a positive role in the development of eSports. During the pandemic, many traditional sporting competitions were cancelled, leading to increased interest in eSports.
At the moment, the Australian market revenues from eSports exceeded $146 million. The number of users involved in the industry in various ways is about 23%. And the fact that most of them are representatives of young people indicates further growth.
Thus, eSports in Australia has gone from small local tournaments to a large industry with multi-million dollar turnovers, and its future looks very promising. In particular, experts predict that by 2029 the number of Aussies, somehow connected with eSports, will exceed 7 million.
