How ESL and 1xBet popularize esports in Asia
Asia is one of the biggest esports regions on the planet and, at first glance, it does not need additional promotion. However, in reality, everything is different. Except for two giants, China and South Korea, other Asian countries are not spoiled by hosting major tournaments. That is why the participation of such prominent operators and their partners as ESL and 1xBet in the process is so important.
ESL’s history
ESL's roots go back to the previous millennium, when (in 1997), the Deutsche Clanliga launched its own esports competition. The Cologne-based organization was doing just fine and, in 2000, it received its current name, the Electronic Sports League.
ESL organized tournaments, provided technical support and even published an esports magazine. The company was one of the first to realize the importance of media coverage and began broadcasting esports matches online with experts commentators and high-quality studios. At the same time, the esports game-streamers community began to form, which attracted an increasing number of fans to the industry.
Having started with the Counter-Strike championships, ESL gradually expanded its portfolio to Dota 2 and other esports disciplines, including Rainbow Six, StarCraft II, Battlefield 4, World of Tanks, and many others. Today, it hosts a series of major tournaments worldwide, such as ESL Pro Tour, ESL One, Intel Extreme Masters, DreamLeague, etc.
In 2020, ESL successfully merged with DreamHack, another famous esports company. In 2022, Savvy Games Group (SGG), owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, announced the acquisition of ESL and FACEIT for an impressive $1.5 billion. The combined esports giant was named ESL FACEIT GROUP and became a dominant player in the global esports market.
As a result, in 2023, ESL FACEIT GROUP reached approximately 225 million esports fans, conducted 522 million hours of live broadcasts and received over 3.8 billion interactions on social media, streaming services, and other online platforms.
ESL Counter-Strike tournaments
The first ESL One series tournament was held in the summer of 2014 in Frankfurt, so the series celebrated its tenth anniversary this year. The first significant competition was ESL One Katowice 2015 – a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive major, in collaboration with the game developer Valve. At that time, the championship became the largest event in esports history, attracting a record 100,000 visitors to the Spodek Arena in Katowice, Poland, and more than one million views on Twitch. Two years later, the company held another major, ESL One: Cologne 2016, at the legendary Lanxess-Arena in its hometown.
The next big tournament was the Intel Extreme Masters Rio Major 2022, held by ESL and Intel. It was the first ESL championship with the participation of a new partner — global betting company 1xBet. The parties announced their collaboration in March 2021 and, in November 2022, the 1xBet logo appeared for the first time in the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro stands. With 1xBet’s support, the IEM Rio Major 2022 prize pool exceeded $1 million for the first time.
However, 1xBet invested more than just money in organizing IEM Rio Major 2022 – the new partner used its indispensable experience in organizing such events and provided large-scale media support. The betting company’s army of players, who had previously bet mainly on football and other classic sports, turned their attention to esports. It didn't take long to see the result – the Jeunesse Arena stands were overcrowded and the number of online viewers broke all records.
ESL Dota 2 tournaments
The main tournament of the year, The International, in Dota 2, is traditionally held by Valve in collaboration with PGL, so ESL focused on majors and regular competitions of the ESL One Dota 2 series. In 2023, 1xBet became the series partner and again helped to attract a new audience. Together, they held two super-successful Dota 2 tournaments (ESL One Kuala Lumpur 2023 and ESL One Birmingham 2024) and announced a third one – ESL One Bangkok 2024.
It is where an exciting trend begins to emerge.
Whereas ESL's big championships were previously held primarily in Europe and America, the focus has now shifted to Asia. Of the last three ESL One Dota 2 tournaments, only one was in Europe (Birmingham) and two in Asia (Malaysia and Thailand). It would not have been possible without the growing esports audience in the region, something ESL and 1xBet have been working hard to achieve.
It is worth learning more about ESL One Bangkok 2024. The organizers will invite 12 of the world’s best Dota 2 teams, one of which will represent Asia. The tournament matches will be held from December 9 to 15, and will see the final playoffs stage games at the Royal Paragon Hall in the very center of the Thai capital.
ESL One Bangkok 2024 will be a real esports celebration. In addition to the competitive program, ESL and 1xBet have prepared several activities for fans, including a Cosplay Showcase. All visitors can dress up as their favorite Dota 2 hero and demonstrate their talent for transformation to the audience on stage.
Partnership with 1xBet
As we can see, the partnership with 1xBet has benefited not only tournament operator ESL but also ordinary esports lovers. The former has increased all important commercial and media indicators, and the latter have received an invaluable opportunity to attend major competitions.
You, too, can become a 1xBet partner and start making money online if you join the 1xBet Affiliate Program. At the moment, 1xPartners unites over 100,000 members worldwide. In turn, the 1xBet website and mobile apps are visited by more than three million passionate players every month.
The 1xBet Partners program offers participants a lifetime commission of up to 50 percent for each attracted client to the 1xBet platform. A wide line, maximum odds and generous bonuses from 1xBet lead to up to 65 percent of registered users making their first deposit. The more active your players are, the more commission you will receive within the 1xBet Affiliate Program.
We hope that after the successful ESL One Bangkok 2024, ESL and 1xBet will pave the way for other major esports tournaments in Asia. The number of esports fans here is off the charts and it is impossible to find a more appreciative audience.
