Esports sportsbook Rivalry has launched a new game called Thunderdome where users are tasked with predicting winners of esports competitions for the chance to win weekly cash prizes. If a user correctly predicts the winners of 10 esports matches in the same week, they can win up to $1,000.
Thunderdome is a free-to-play prediction contest open globally to anyone age 18 or over. After a user locks their picks for the week, they can watch the live matches on Rivalry’s website to see how their picks are performing in real-time. Rivalry’s website also includes a live leaderboard so that Thunderdome participants can see how they stack up against one another.
“Rivalry is the leading sportsbook for esports betting, but not everyone has the opportunity to wager on matches due to country specific laws and regulation,” said Kevin Wimer, Co-Founder & CMO at Rivalry, in a press release. “Thunderdome allows these fans to engage in the fun of esports betting without actually having to risk their own money, but still earn real money.”
Founded in 2017, Rivalry is a Toronto-based company that received its gambling license from the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission. Popular video game titles that Thunderdome users can cast predictions on include Call of Duty, Counter Strike, Dota 2, Hearthstone, League of Legends, Overwatch, and Starcraft.
“[Thunderdome] makes for a more exciting esports viewing experience where fans can show off their knowledge of various esports teams and experience the feeling of skin in the game,” Wimer added.
SportTechie Takeaway
This past August, Rivalry announced a partnership with esports team Fnatic to educate fans about responsible betting in esports. Given sports betting is still illegal in most U.S. states, Thunderdome’s prediction-based gaming structure is a way for Rivalry to offer American esports fans the next closest thing to placing wagers on live esports matches.
Rival esports betting platform Unikrn also received its gambling licence from the Isle of Man. Unikrn CEO Rahul Sood told the Associated Press that he believes the U.S. market for esports betting could potentially develop into a $9 billion industry by 2020.