Rohini Sardana, Founder and CEO of WiseWager Consultancy, says esports betting is unlike anything the gambling industry has seen before.
Speaking on GR8 Tech’s Bet It Drives Show hosted by Chief Sales Officer Yevhen Krazhan, Sardana explained why the esports betting vertical requires its own playbook rather than borrowing from traditional sports betting.
With more than two decades of experience across esports, sports, media, and technology, Sardana has been at the cutting edge of iGaming innovation.
She was instrumental in introducing Competitive Gaming at SIS and later spearheaded Pinnacle Solution’s EsportsEvolved platform. At WiseWager, she now advises operators and suppliers on the strategic, technical, and commercial realities of building esports betting products.
Rohini Sardana talks about the difference between esports and sports betting
Sardana was quick to emphasize that esports betting is not simply sports wagering with a digital twist. She pointed out that traditional sports such as football have remained relatively unchanged for decades, making it possible to build reliable pricing models around their fixed rules and formats.
Esports, on the other hand, evolves constantly. Publishers frequently release updates that change gameplay, or in some cases, retire entire titles.
Referring to the transition from Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) to CS2 in 2023 to explain the uniqueness of esports betting, she said: “Overnight they (developer) deprecated that version of the game, came out with a new version, which changed the format of the game, which means existing algorithms didn’t work. So, it’s a completely different beast when you try to approach it.”
Beyond the games themselves, Sardana noted that esports audiences are not the same as traditional sports bettors, further complicating the picture. “They don’t necessarily consume content the same way,” she said, underscoring the need for tailored engagement strategies.
For operators, the differences translate into a higher degree of complexity when creating esports betting products. “The number of components involved in a video game are very different and a lot more (compared) to any sport that exists out there,” Sardana explained.
She stressed that building sustainable products requires more than sophisticated trading models. It also involves educating executives and decision-makers who may not see the intricate dynamics behind esports. “When you’re building products, you have to understand these little nuances from an overview which is what stakeholders see. They don’t get these details, and it’s about educating them in a way that resonates with them, i.e. in cost and revenues.”
One of the unique challenges, Sardana added, is that esports titles often combine multiple elements of traditional sports into a single format. “Esports as a betting product is still being built out because it’s all about the game, strategy, and skill. Rocket League is a great example where you have ice hockey, football, and car racing in the same game, so these elements are in one game.”
Sardana continued: “That’s three sports in one. How do you build your trading models around that? ‘Cause it’s not (only) about the sport, it’s about the skill in the game, it’s very technical.”
Through WiseWager, Sardana is working to close the gap between how stakeholders perceive esports and the technical realities of building viable betting markets. With rapid shifts in game formats and consumer behavior, she believes ongoing education and innovation are critical to establishing esports as a mature and profitable vertical.
