Analyzing Google Trends data over a 12-month period, BonusFinder.com, America’s leading casino bonus and online casino review site uncovered which US states and cities are home to the nation’s biggest gaming enthusiasts.
What is Esports?
Electronic sports, most commonly known as Esports, is a form of gaming that involves professional gamers and teams who compete in organized competitions.
As of 2022, more than 532 million people were following Esports worldwide – a figure that is expected to reach over 640 million by 2025.
The global Esports market revenue is expected to grow up to a whopping 1.87 billion US dollars in 2025. In terms of revenue, North America and Asia are the biggest markets.
What is the Esports World Cup 2024?
Held for the first time ever, the Esports World Cup 2024 is one of the largest events in Esports history. The eight-week tournament, which is currently ongoing, will see an estimated 1,500 gamers and 30 world-renowned teams battle it out in 22 events. The EWC consists of both team and solo competitions and features games such as Dota 2, League of Legends, Call of Duty, Counter-Strike, Apex Legends, and more.
The EWC has the largest combined prize pool in the history of Esports with over $60 million. The tournament, which is held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, runs from July 4th all the way until August 24th. The organizers have announced that this year’s tournament is just the first of many and the competition will be held annually at the country’s capital.
How Can I Watch the Esports World Cup 2024?
US Esports fans can watch all the action live through DAZN.
What Are the Olympic Esports Games?
The creation of the Olympic Esports Games was announced by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on July 23rd following an unanimous vote. The first competition will be held in Saudi Arabia in 2025.
However, while the details are yet to be made public, it is highly likely that the tournament will not include some of the most popular video games. IOC president Thomas Bach has made it clear in the past that including violent games such as first-person shooter games is a “red line that we will never cross”.
This could mean that games such as Counter-Strike 2, League of Legends, Valorant, Dota 2, Overwatch and Call of Duty would not be part of the Olympic Esports Games.
If the Olympic Esports Week 2023 is of any indication, the tournament would concentrate on sports-related titles such as Gran Turismo and WBSC eBASEBALL.
Which US States Are the Most Obsessed with Esports?
According to Google Trends data, California emerges as the most passionate state about esports in the US, with an average score of 84.5 out of 100.
Californians are also revealed to be the most interested in the ongoing eSports World Cup, with the state topping the list for search term “eSports World Cup” and the topic “2024 Esports World Cup”.
Californian cities also dominate the list of Esports hotspots, with the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Diego and Sacramento revealed to be among the Top 10 cities with the most Esports-related searches.
In addition, a data study examining which teams have the most followers in social media reveals that five out of 20 of the most popular Esports teams in the world are from California.
Hawaii is revealed to be the second most Esports obsessed state, with an average search score of 79.6 out of 100. Hawaiians are revealed to have searched for the topic “eSports”, as well as “League of Legends World Championship” and “2023 League of Legends World Championship” more than residents of any other state.
Third place on the list went to Washington with a score of 77.6 out of 100. The residents of the Evergreen State are revealed to be the most interested in the annual Dota 2 tournament called The International.
Fourth and fifth place went to Nevada and New Jersey, with scores of 59.8 and 54.5 out of 100, respectively. The top 10 was completed by Massachusetts, District of Columbia, Minnesota, Texas and New York.
At the other end of the spectrum, Vermont is revealed to be the state least interested in Esports (25.3 out of 100). It was followed by Montana, Mississippi, Louisiana and Maine.
Which US Cities Are the Most Obsessed with Esports?
The residents of Lafayette, Indiana are revealed to be the biggest Esports fans in the country with an average search score of 77.5 out of 100.
Compared to other cities across the country, Lafayette topped the list of searches for the for four different topics, including “eSports”, “League of Legends World Championship”, “2023 League of Legends World Championship” and “Valorant Champions Tour”.
Lafayette was followed by two Californian gaming hotspots – the San Francisco Bay Area and the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Their average search scores were 64.8 and 62.3 out of 100, respectively.
Esports was fourth most searched for in the Seattle-Tacoma area (58.4), while Honolulu took fifth place (52).
The top 10 was concluded by San Diego, Austin, Las Vegas, Dallas-Ft. Worth and the Sacramento metropolitan area.
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Methodology
To determine the most passionate Esports states and cities in the US, BonusFinder.com used Google Trends data from the past 12 months. We then compared the search volume of eight different Esports-related keywords in each state and metropolitan area to calculate the average search score.
