Esports in India is a relatively new niche that is growing in popularity. It’s also one of the most lucrative emerging markets at the global level with 568 million gamers in 2023. While gaming had been extremely popular in the country, it was not until very recently that esports culture developed in India. What started with gamers coming together in gaming cafes and parlors, slowly turned into LANs that took place in gaming cafes, before eventually looking like LAN tournaments that we see happening across the country nowadays.
Soon after this, India saw an influx in the number of people using mobile devices for gaming, straying away from hefty PCs that were very difficult to carry around. This saw a very rapid growth in the mobile gaming industry, and eventually, esports, as more and more people started showing interest in this approachable market. What fuels the development of esports in India is the fact that it is being backed by the government of India in 2024.
Government backs Esports and Online Gaming in India
In 2020, the government of India banned one of the most popular mobile titles played in the country: PUBG Mobile, halting the growth of a rapidly growing mobile esports industry. But, after a lot of conversations with the government, Krafton India was able to bring back a game that was specifically made for the country and also addressed the government’s concern that the data of Indian citizens would not be stored in other countries.
Fast forward to 2022, the government officially recognized esports as a multi-title sport, which would be under the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs. Now, India has a wide variety of esports games in the country, with BGMI Esports being one of the most popular ones. This recognition had a positive impact on both mobile and PC esports.
Plus, with the advent of CS2, a lot of players took up the game and competed in third-party events organized by popular stakeholders like Skyesports, who have been working tirelessly to uplift some of the most uncommonly played titles in the country. With this, the players will not rely on just one title. What this simple recognition has done is:
- Increase the number of brands that are interested in this niche
- Increased the number of opportunities available for people
- Raised awareness about esports and gaming
Additionally, this has also helped create a clear demarcation between fantasy games such as rummy and casino. Online gaming in India is different from popular esports titles in the country: BGMI, PUBG, Call of Duty, Tekken 7, DOTA 2, and FIFA.
Prime Minister acknowledges esports
In 2024, in three individual conversations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi talked to various stakeholders and gamers about the steps they need from the government to make gaming and esports a more lucrative career and generate employment across various segments that fall under esports.
Interestingly, after the conversation, esports has become a part of the WAVES convention, which will take place in 2025. The Esports Federation of India will be hosting a series of tournaments, which will be open to all.
Esports makes a television debut
In 2022 itself, after the comeback of BGMI, Nodwin Gaming hosted its first-ever BGMI Masters Series and took BGMI esports to every house with its broadcast on Star Sports. This was just the beginning of a series of BGMI esports events that would take place on national television.
Nodwin Gaming’s association with Star Sports became the stage for young players to showcase their talents and establish themselves as promising esports athletes.
After that, Indian esports never looked the same. Many more games like CS2 have become very popular as esports titles and have given us some of the best Counter-Strike players in India. Since the game was launched, major tournament organisers have picked up the title to host competitions that give a chance to not just pro players, but also upcoming and semi-pro players a platform to showcase their skills.
Skyesports has been the front-runner in promoting a variety of new esports titles and have no stone unturned to promote other PC games like VALORANT, as well as mobile games like Pokémon Unite, and BGMI.
Representation on the global stage
Even before the Indian government recognized esports the Indian Esports team for Hearthstone took part in the exhibition esports competition of the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Tirth Mehta got home the bronze medal. That was just the beginning of India’s journey on the global level as during the unbanned phase of PUBG Mobile, Orange Rock also represented India at the global level and finished in second place in PUBG Mobile World League 2020: East.
In 2022, the Indian contingent also played DOTA 2 and came in third at the Commonwealth Games, defeating New Zealand 2-0. Not just that, the popular esports title by Riot Games, VALORANT, which has its own franchise system has given India a franchisee slot to Global Esports.
India has had its fair share of controversies on the global stage in the form of Nikhil ‘Forsaken’ Kumawat’s ban by Valve for using cheats during the ESL India Premiership. The administration caught him using hacks in the event after finding a file named word.exe on his PC, disguised to hide the hacks. Valve ended up banning him for five years and started taking strict measures to combat such situations.
Esports betting in India
Everyone who watches or enjoys esports wants a piece of the pie that is esports. Some play, while others use the means of betting to make quick cash, and yes, esports betting in India is legal. And if you’re wondering, betting on esports is legal in the country, but you will have to take the risk of your own accord. But it is one of the most untapped markets when it comes to esports.
People have been trying their luck to figure out how they can move around betting on esports in India. As a result, some key players have stepped into the scene to people with their betting needs. Popular esports you can bet on are Call of Duty, Fortnite, FIFA, NBA2K, and Rainbow Six Siege. If you have bet on any of the methods, you can withdraw your money through the following mediums:
- Google Pay
- UPI
- Paytm
- Bank transfers
- Credit/Debit Cards
- NetBanking
- PhonePe
Keep in mind that there comes a lot of risk and then a lot of reward if you’re betting. So, if you’re interested in betting in India, you should do your homework about which title to bet on and wager the risks and the rewards.
