Darang Candra, director of South East Asia for Niko Partners says that there have been moves in Japan and Korea to regulate esports betting. 

BETBY, a pioneering provider of top-tier B2B sportsbook solutions, has unveiled a strategic alliance with Cactus Gaming, a prominent iGaming platform renowned for its strong foothold in the Latin American market.

Hong Kong-listed Asia Pioneer Entertainment Holdings Ltd (APE) has inked a three-year agreement to become the sole distributor in Macau and South Korea of Europe-based TITO ticket manufacturer Moniko.

Darang Candra, director of Southeast Asia for Niko Partners speaks with Asia Gaming Brief asia editor Felix Ng about interesting trends seen across esports, PC, and mobile gaming in 2020 - with insights drawn from their 2020 Asia Games Market Report.

There has been a general belief that Mainland China toughened restrictions on underage video gaming could undermine the growth of the fast-growing esports industry, though some experts say otherwise. 

India is viewed as one of the most promising markets in Asia for the skill-based online gambling industry and recent court rulings have helped cement the legality of the practice.

Esports, as popular as it is across Asia, still currently has no legal avenue for betting in the region. Part of this is due to the conservative approach to gambling in general, but part of this is also a major lack of understanding from regulators about what it’s all about.

Asia’s legalized esports betting scene is still lightyears away from the likes of Europe and the U.S., though there is an acknowledgment that groundwork is being laid for its future growth. 

Analysts at Morgan Stanley are upbeat about the future of Macau post covid, saying the gambling hub will come back stronger than before due to lower expenses and a better operating mix. Though that future is a little hard to imagine at this moment, as Macau has just announced a further tightening of restrictions of travellers coming from China by air.

Darang is the Director of Southeast Asia for Niko Partners. He has worked with an array of research institutions including ASEAN Study Center of...