From Newbie to Pro: Twitch Tools for Esports Betting Operators

Twitch has been pivotal in popularizing esports, transforming it from a niche hobby to a mainstream entertainment option. The platform offers a convenient and accessible way for fans to watch their favorite players and teams compete globally without relying on traditional broadcasting. This accessibility has not only increased the visibility of esports but has also fostered community growth around it. On Twitch, you're not just a passive viewer, you can actually interact with the streamer by leaving comments, taking part in discussions, and even influencing the gameplay if the streamer provides such an option. 

🔎 If you are new to esports betting operations, our guide, From Headshots to Marketing: Exploring the Esports Betting Basics, provides more details.

The numbers on Twitch viewership underscore its critical role in the esports industry. As of the latest reports, Twitch boasts over 15 million daily active users, with peaks of more than 3 million concurrent viewers. Esports events, in particular, tend to see significant viewership spikes. For instance, major tournaments like the League of Legends World Championship or The International for Dota 2 often attract hundreds of thousands of viewers per stream. Some part of these users are your target audience if you are going to provide esports betting.

Types of Content on Twitch

Of course, Twitch has become far more than just a streaming platform for gamers, as ASMR content or even drinking buddies found their audience there, but we cover only the betting context.

• Casual Streams: Twitch thrives on individual streamers playing games, from amateurs sharing their play to esports athletes practicing or competing. When it comes to creating content, some prefer to focus on engaging with their community and building their brand. To achieve this, they integrate interactive elements to enhance viewer participation.
• Broadcasts: Broadcasting is a form of streaming that both broadcasters and streamers can do. However, broadcasters tend to offer more professional and structured content, with better commentary on esports tournaments. They have a more profound knowledge of strategies and use more sophisticated production values. Additionally, they follow a formal programming schedule, much like traditional sports broadcasting.
• Esports Tournaments: Live esports events, from small community contests to large international tournaments, are professionally produced to offer high-quality viewing experiences like traditional sports tournaments.
• Talk Shows: Esports programs discuss game strategies, news, and trends. They feature personalities from the community and provide unique in-game insights and fun. Such content could be a part of big tournaments or professional broadcasts. 

4 Ways Betting Operators Integrate Twitch

1. Embedding Twitch Streams

Some betting platforms can show Twitch live streams right on their websites. This means that you can watch live esports games and place bets without even leaving the site. Plus, the stream is usually shown with live betting odds, so you can keep up with the latest game developments and adjust your bets in real-time.

💡 The GR8 Sportsbook has an interesting feature called Watch & Bet. With this feature, players can place bets directly on the video feed, which increases the number of bets placed on an event. Over 500 tournaments across various sports are covered by Watch & Bet. This feature also sets restrictions on specific player groups or segments, individual channels, and access to live streams for players with insufficient account balances.

2. Sponsored Tournaments and Events

Operators sponsor tournaments and gaming events that are broadcast on Twitch. This sponsorship can include exclusive betting rights where the operator provides betting services for the event. Such sponsorships are usually accompanied by comprehensive brand placements during the broadcast, including logos, banners, and other promotional materials. 

💡 Moreover, operators encourage viewers to register on their platform and pair their Twitch account with a betting account for additional bonuses.

3. Real-Time Data Integration

Integrating real-time data from Twitch streams into the betting interface is crucial for platforms that offer live betting. This can involve using APIs that track live game states and statistics from Twitch streams to update betting odds instantaneously. Real-time data integration ensures that the betting odds accurately reflect the current state of play, which is essential for in-play betting.

4. Influencers—the Most Common Way of Betting Integration

On Twitch, betting operators mostly rely on influencer marketing. They select influencers (streamers) whose audience aligns with their target audience. This selection is based on the types of games they stream, their audience size, engagement rates, professional achievements, and how well their style matches the brand spirit.

Often, pro gamers have their channels on Twitch, where they communicate with their fans and develop their careers as streamers. Even after they end their professional careers, they continue to stream for fun or additional income.

Partnerships between operators and influencers can vary but typically include:

➡️ Sponsored Streams: The influencer integrates the betting operator’s services into their regular streaming schedule, either by placing bets live, discussing betting strategies, or showcasing special features of the operator’s platform.

➡️ Brand Placements: This can include wearing branded apparel, using branded overlays during streams, or setting up branded backgrounds.

➡️ Exclusive Promotions: Influencers can offer exclusive promo codes or special betting offers that provide benefits to both new and existing users when they sign up or place bets.

➡️ Content Creation: Influencers create content that natively integrates betting services into their streams. For instance, a streamer might discuss how to use the betting site, the odds on upcoming esports tournaments, share on whom he bets, or how to bet during a stream.

To put it briefly, streamers engage their audience through live demonstrations, Q&A sessions, and challenges. By showcasing the use of the betting platform, answering questions, and organizing competitions, influencers create a sense of community that promotes the brand.

To measure the streamer's effectiveness, operators use tracking links, promo codes, analytics tools to monitor the number of viewers converting into bettors and first time deposits (FTD). These metrics help understand the return on investment (ROI) and refine future marketing strategies.

Diving Deeper Into the Twitch Marketing Tools

To effectively implement Twitch marketing, operators require specialized tools and platform features. That is why we have developed Twitch marketing tools to help our clients attract and retain their esports audience, as well as engage with the community. These tools allow you to offer promotions to viewers during broadcasts and send live push notifications for matches your players watch on Twitch.

Platforms that have expertise in esports provide advanced levels of interaction with streamers. We do this through a centralized setting and automated display of promotional content on streamer channels, using a back-office system that allows the operator's CRM manager to manually control the display of content through a simple user interface during the broadcast.

Collaborating with the audience in the chat is an effective way to engage with them during a live stream. By doing so, betting operators increase brand awareness and acquire new players for their platforms. 

Offering bonuses in the chat can serve as an additional form of advertisement when it comes to brand awareness. Moreover, it indicates to other viewers that your brand values player satisfaction and frequently rewards its audience. This ultimately helps in building brand loyalty among the Twitch community.

For user acquisition, this creates additional excitement for the audience to experience the thrill of betting.

To communicate effectively with the Twitch audience in chat, operators need additional tools like chatbots to manage partnered channels, send messages, and gather statistics to measure results.

Operators can use advanced GR8 Twitch tools to:

• Engage more esports audiences to their betting platforms
• Create segments of Twitch users to promote their activities
• Encourage Twitch users to bet on esports by giving free bets during streams
• Send more personalized live push notifications to users who watch a specific stream
• Using one convenient back office, show promotional videos about a new brand ambassador on all Twitch channels of streamer-partners
• Control streamer display for branded odds and promo assets through a simple UI, especially when casting for significant esports events like Dota2 The International or League of Legends World Championship.

In a Nutshell

The esports betting sector is sometimes viewed as a controversial idea that may not be profitable. However, this is typically due to a lack of expertise from operators and platform providers in this niche. 

To succeed in esports betting, it's essential to understand the audience and have experience in the field. Obtaining this expertise is only possible with prior involvement in esports. 

Despite that, the global audience for esports has grown to 474 million in 2021 and is predicted to reach 577 million by 2024. As a result, the esports market is expected to reach an impressive USD 3.2 billion by 2027, making it difficult for operators to ignore this niche. 

Hence, the challenge is to either develop in-house expertise or seek services from a provider with an esports background and tools for successful user acquisition and retention.