By Damian Martinez, journalist at G&M News.
You are a leading brand in Esports betting. How have you managed to achieve this positioning that gives you an advantage over your competitors?
The main difference between GG.BET and our competitors is the way we interact with Esports audiences and create a unique experience for them. We have more than just a sportsbook: we’ve created an entire ecosystem, where customers can feel like they’re part of the game. Most bookmakers add Esports to their lineup just as an extra option; they only have a surface-level understanding of the industry and community, and of what the fans truly value. We take a totally different approach. We know that fans care about more than just match results; the match itself is just as important. That’s why we give them opportunities to dive deeper into the gaming world with our platform’s unique content and features. The GG.BET team has years of experience with Esports, which helps us create the high-quality sportsbooks and markets that are in demand among Esports bettors. For instance, in our pool you can bet on who will win the pistol round, whether a kill will occur with an HE grenade, or who will kill Roshan first. Besides our carefully crafted Esportsbook, we’re also aware of how important it is to make creative content for the community. By entering into partnerships with industry leaders, we can hold exclusive player interviews, present pre-match breakdowns and unique shows with Esports athletes, and much more besides. All of this elevates our brand from a simple betting platform to a part of the eSports world.
GG.BET has sponsored major Esports events, including PGL, BLAST Premier, ESL, and DreamHack, as well as the Natus Vincere and Team Vitality Esports teams. What added value have these agreements brought to the company?
When it comes to partnerships, be it Esports or traditional sports, it’s important to remember that for us it’s not just about having our logo shown during an event. These strategic collaborations benefit us, our partners, and the fans. For instance, we provide more than just financial support to Natus Vincere. We also create exclusive activities for their fans and content with players that go beyond the traditional tournaments. The Match of LeGGends showmatch series that we organized attracted millions of viewers and offered fans a creative format for their idols to go head-to-head. Partnerships with tournament operators follow the same principles. For major tournaments, we launch a comprehensive communications platform, both offline at arenas, and online. These unique opportunities that we create allow fans to get to know teams better, take part in contests and predictions, and even interact with Esports players during signing sessions at tournaments. Additionally, we run special offers, contests, and giveaways on our platform, which makes watching matches even more exciting. All of this increases engagement and brand loyalty and gives us a competitive advantage.
Can you share insights into the global market experience GG.BET plans to apply in Ukraine? What proven practices will drive success in this region?
We’ve been actively growing in Ukraine for a year now by focusing on localization and adapting to customers’ mindsets. On top of that, GG.BET was created by Ukrainians, which gives us a good understanding of the market from the inside and helps us build effective communication with customers. Partnerships with industry leaders help us integrate better into local markets. In Ukraine, our partners are FC Dynamo Kyiv, FC Zorya Luhansk, and for Esports there’s NAVI, who we’ve been working with since 2017. We also work with Ukrainian streamers, experts and commentators, which makes us an integral part of the sports and esports communities. One of GG.BET’s most effective practices is large-scale PR campaigns tied to major events, which we’ve successfully adapted for local markets. During Euro 2024, we joined the MEGOGO platform, where we launched several projects with leading sports publications, and released 12 episodes of the Eurofootball podcast on YouTube. Another high-profile event was when we sponsored the Usyk vs Fury fight, which was streamed on MEGOGO. We saw a 471% increase in first deposits on just that day. We also lead the way in esports: as one of Maincast’s partners, GGBET UA provides Ukrainian fans with regular coverage of S-tier tournaments with commentary from former professional players. Innovation is also one of our strengths. Ukrainian bettors are used to a high level of service, so we’ve improved our long-standing tech solutions, and have adapted them to local requirements. Things like fast registration, instant payouts, a gamified interface, and AI-powered personalized feeds are already standard for the GG.BET brand. We’re not stopping there since we’re going to continue implementing modern technologies to make betting safer and more convenient, and to change the market for the better.
You have built strong betting communities worldwide. How do you plan to leverage this experience in Ukraine, particularly in expanding engagement from Esports to traditional sports?
The GG.BET brand has been successful at building loyal customer communities around the world, and we’re now applying what we’ve learned to Ukraine. Although a lot of people associate GGBET UA with Esports, we’re actively expanding in terms of regular sport as well. There’s a growing interest in betting on a variety of sports on the GG.BET platforms. We’ve noticed that a lot of experienced players who are used to betting on sports are now starting to bet on Esports. These bettors are also becoming increasingly interested in traditional sports as well, especially football and boxing. In 2024, 80% of bets made in Ukraine were on sports, and 74% of CS2 and Dota 2 fans bet on soccer. The boundaries between audiences are blurring, and we bring them together on one platform where everyone can easily browse events, find great offers, and enjoy their experience, no matter what sport.
Where do you see the firm in the next five years? What are your key growth challenges?
Despite being founded by entrepreneurs from Ukraine, the brand is still very young here. Throughout its existence, it has grown in the European market and has not been fully represented in Ukraine. That’s why our priority for the coming years will be scaling GGBET UA and investing in its development.