NEW YORK CITY, July 17, 2020/ PRNewswire/ - In March 2020, the unique coronavirus swept through the U.S., requiring stay-at-home orders and service closures across the nation - consisting of all however 2 of the nation's almost 1,000 gambling establishments. Mentioned in today's commentary consists of: Wynn Resorts, Limited (NASDAQ: WYNN), Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT), Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), HUYA Inc. (NYSE: HUYA).

That very same month, New Jersey, Delaware, Nevada, and Pennsylvania - the 4 U.S. states with legal online poker sites - all reported record-high online gaming incomes. In specific, Nevada, the country's betting center, reported more than a 90% increase from the exact same month in 2015.

Even before COVID-19 struck, the online gaming industry has actually been growing tremendously for several years. In 2017, the international market was valued at around $45.8 billion. By 2024, some professionals forecast worldwide online gaming bets will strike almost $95 billion. And the worldwide market for online betting is estimated to grow by 11.5% each year till 2027.

"There is a substantial shift coming to online betting and we are completely located to make the most of that," said FansUnite CEO and co-founder Darius Eghdami in an unique interview.

While FansUnite (FANS.CN; FUNFF.PK) only went public on May 5, 2020, it's rapidly emerging as a serious gamer (pun planned) in the public online betting market.

For one thing, it has some of the most outstanding forward-facing sports betting technology in the industry. Its exclusive software application enables the company to market unique products and services, and-more importantly-provide increased transparency which enables regulative oversight in a market that desperately requires it ... all while conserving its customers money.

Also, the business's management team-which consists of some of the finest players in business, with decades of combined experience-is pursuing aggressive growth through mergers and acquisitions; in a few short months, it's already finished or signed numerous strategic deals to grow its user base and significantly expand its service offerings ... and it's actively searching for more.

Specifically, as increasingly more states legislate sports betting, FansUnite has its eye on capturing the emerging U.S. sports betting market.

A minute in history ... and a substantial capacity driver

Due to a lack of guideline and oversight, the U.S. sports wagering market has traditionally been shrouded in secret.

But in the last couple of years, that's begun to alter.

In May 2018, Delaware was the very first U.S. state to legalize sports betting following a historical Supreme Court triumph. The win set a precedent for any other state that wanted to legislate sports wagering.

Since then, other states have been fast to follow suit. As of June 2020, 18 states had legalized sports betting, while 5 more (consisting of Washington, D.C.) have recently passed costs that would permit them to do so.

In the meantime, Congress has also been considering sports betting legislation at the federal level. Although any major legislation has yet to be enacted, there's been talk: In September 2018, Congress held a hearing on traditional sports wagering for the first time in a decade.

"Sports betting is inevitable-so let's ensure it's done right," Ex-Senator OrrinHatch said in the press release.

If passed, the costs might potentially function as a substantial tailwind for the sports betting industry.

Experts believe sports wagering might be worth some $7-8 billion in the U.S. alone by 2025, up from $833 million in 2019.

The online wagering boom is so big, in truth, that even Sin City giants are getting on board. Wynn Resorts (WYNN) is a renowned Las Vegas staple. Despite some setbacks from the COVID-19 pandemic, Wynn has actually carried out well against its rivals, even after a bigger industry-level decrease. And now it's seeking to expand its online wagering footprint. Though the platform is just offered in a few U.S. states at the moment, it will likely grow as more states legalize sports betting.

Now, let's talk about the elephant in the space ...

If you've never become aware of esports ... well, you might be a little behind the curve. So let's capture up: Esports is an umbrella term for the exploding professional video gaming industry. Professional players contend, viewers watch online (and wager), and brands advertise.

While it started as a niche-and frequently disparaged-hobby area, it's evolved into a billion-dollar market in its own right. Sports organizations like the NBA, in addition to legends like Michael Jordan, have esports collaborations and endorsements, while significant networks like ESPN have actually been offering it increased direct exposure.

Total esports viewership hit 454 million in 2019 ... and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9% to strike 646 million in 2023. The industry is also seeing major growth in sponsorship. Investments in 2017 were at about $490 million ... while in 2018, they hit around $4.5 billion-marking a mindblowing 837% YoY increase.

This is why Amazon (AMZN) paid almost $1 billion to get streaming huge Twitch. Amazon's Twitch.tv, as the de facto leader in the space, with over 15 million special visitors daily, has become so engrained in the market that brand-new video game consoles even have the platform's streaming performance built in. It's so dominant, in reality, that it represents 1.8 percent of peak internet traffic.

Wanting to follow in Twitch's steps, nevertheless, Chinese streaming giant Huya (HUYA)is wanting to sculpt out its location in the esports industry. As a part of its enthusiastic and aggressive strategy to dive into Western markets, Huya is aiming to partner with a few of the leading groups in the business, and it's got a significant war chest to assist its cause.

Even tech giant Microsoft (MSFT) is getting on board. The maker of the Xbox and publisher behind such innovative titles as Halo and Destiny, Microsoft all of a sudden became a heavy-hitter in the gaming industry in the early 2000s. More just recently, the company's video game division has actually struck a couple of snags - like the rest of the industry, earnings were kept back by spiraling costs. Despite this, however, Microsoft has actually grown, and might even end up being the world's first $2 trillion business.

And it would be impossible to overlook the hardware manufacturers in this market. Intel Corporation (INTC) is a leader in several fields of innovation. The forward-thinking industry giant is the foundation of many laptop computers and PCs running the Windows operating system. The business has actually been so successful in its deal-making and marketing that it is impossible to leave its influence. Without Intel, esports and even online betting may not exist in the method we know it now. The chipmaker is all over, and while there is some emerging competition, it remains the de facto leader in its field.

And FansUnite simply made a game-winning acquisition into the esports market ...

At the end of June, simply over a month after going public, FansUnite (FANS.CN; FUNFF.PK) announced that it signed an offer to acquire Askott Entertainment, Inc., a gambling software company based out of Vancouver. Askott is a recognized leader of the esports betting market, supplying betting software for multiple fantasy sports leagues, casino-style video games, and numerous other esports.

The Askott acquisition needs to offer FansUnite the best entry point into esports betting. And as more U.S. mentions legislate the practice, opening the marketplace for business to move in, FansUnite could quickly end up being a substantial beneficiary of this rapidly taking off development trend.

A tried and true growth technique & industry-leading tech

Back in March, FansUnite (FANS.CN; FUNFF.PK) officially acquired McBookie-a white-label virtual sportsbook that largely serves the Scottish market. The acquisition was a wise strategic relocation by the company. The purchase came with an integrated active user base of 10,000 individuals, as well as $100 million in collective turnover over the previous 3 years.

Aside from its obtained properties, FansUnite boasts its own exclusive innovation. In addition to its own business-to-customer (B2C) sportsbook, set to launch later this year, appropriately branded Sportsbook, the business will offer its "white label" innovation to business-to-business (B2B) consumers (i.e., business that wish to establish their own gambling platforms). In return, FansUnite would get a part of their consumers' "home" profits.

The bottom line

Online betting is currently booming-and it's set to explode even greater in years to come.

Recently IPOed FansUnite has actually been operating in the market for several years. It's got a recognized user base and industry-recognized innovation ... it's scaling its B2B and B2C business segments ... and it's focused on an aggressive M&A development technique. It's got a management group with decades of experience, and monetary support from significant financiers.

As sports wagering ends up being legalized across the U.S., FansUnite has a strategy to move into the market. And even as we question about the status of our preferred professional sports leagues in a post-COVID-19 world ... and how that may impact the sports betting industry ... the company has actually got that covered, with an eye on the growing esports market.

FansUnite (FANS.CN; FUNFF.PK) currently has a market cap of just $30. Given what we're seeing in the market, it's difficult to inform where that might go. But with its announced corporate technique, FansUnite might provide the best early stage entry point to a market anticipated to grow much larger in just a few short years.

By. Chloe Hawthorne