When we talk about esports betting the conversation is dominated by CS:GO, followed by League of Legends and Dota 2. Tracking bet volume over the course of 2020, there was solid competition between the likes of Rocket League, Rainbow 6 Siege and Overwatch.

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The end of 2020 and early months of 2021 has seen Rocket League’s new professional circuit for RLCS Season X serve as a springboard for punters looking to bet on esports. It’s one of the many reasons why we think Rocket League has the potential to solidify it’s place as a top 4 esports betting product.

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🚪 Ease of entry

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As far as barrier to entry goes, Rocket League is one of the easiest esports for new or experienced punters to pick up. It’s football (or soccer) with cars. Very simple recipe with a frame of reference most people are familiar with. Compared to MOBAs like League of Legends and Dota 2 or shooters like CS:GO, Call of Duty or Rainbow Six Siege, it’s relatively easy for punters to establish a baseline level of literacy in Rocket League. Rocket League’s shift to a free-to-play model in September 2020 has also aided the growth of its player and audience base.

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👀 Viewership numbers

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In terms of viewership numbers, professional Rocket League has been absolutely smashing it. Average concurrent viewership for the EU and NA Majors of the Rocket League Champion Series (RLCS) Season X has consistently hit 6 figures. For comparison, these viewership numbers are on par with Riot Games’ North American League of Legends Championship Series, and about half the size of CS:GO institutions such as IEM Katowice and the BLAST Premier Series.

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🔧 New structure, more games, more opportunities

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A wholesale reformatting of Rocket League competitive structure has been a big driver in its growth as an esport and a betting product. In previous seasons teams largely competed in a few matches each weekend which led to a single championship. Punters had about 10 matches a week to bet on.

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For Season X, the RLCS is now divided into 3 splits: Fall, Winter and Spring. Each split includes a group stage where teams play roughly 5 matches a week for 8–9 weeks before progressing to playoffs. Within each of these splits there are 3 regional events and a Major.

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Additionally, the RLCS has integrated a weekly tournament circuit called The Grid to run parallel to the competitive Splits. In what is a very clever fan engagement initiative, matches for The Grid have been opened up for each team to individually broadcast. Organisations are able to hire their own casters and build their own streaming communities through The Grid, fostering closer, more engaged networks of Rocket League fans.

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Put simply, professional Rocket League’s main circuit has gone from 10 matches a week to 8–9 a day for 4 days. And that’s not including the weekly matches through The Grid.

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📊 Spike in holiday season betting

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When it comes to betting performance, Rocket League was a top 4 performer for PandaScore in terms of bet volume last year. Throughout the latter half of 2020 Rocket League saw month on month growth with a spike in December yielding more than double the volume of November, and a doubling again in January 2021.

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🐼 What do the Pandas think?

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It’s as close to a football match as you’ll get in esports — attracting dedicated fans and casual punters alike.

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Rocket League’s low barrier to entry, easy ramp up time to game literacy and number of matches and markets make it an invaluable betting product, especially as an additive revenue source. These jumps in bet volume over the holiday and new year period is indicative of how Rocket League serves as additive content and a placeholder esport when other competitions are on break.

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Just by the sheer increase in matches, there are so many more matches for punters to bet on. A greater variety of options, interests and teams to be on offers engaged fans the opportunity to place bets on their favourite teams more often. The quantity of matches can also capture esports bettors looking for something different or in the absence of their go-to markets.

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With interest in and support for Overwatch waning, VALORANT still in its early stages, Rocket League's inherent accessibility to new viewers and punters, Rocket League has all the tools to solidify it’s top 4 position in betting turnover.

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Stay tuned for the next instalment of our 5-part 2021 PandaScore Predictions series later this week.