Gambling and fantasy are the ‘biggest esports investment opportunities’

SAN FRANCISCO — Esports is a growing market that’s marching toward $1 billion in revenue, but some of the top investors in the space don’t think the opportunity is with funding game developers or video platforms.

When venture capitalists look at professional gaming, they see most of the chance to earn cash from gambling and fantasy esports. Onstage at our GamesBeat 2015 conference today, Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences president Martin Rae spoke with a panel of VCs. IDG Ventures managing director Phil Sanderson, Signia Venture Partners principal Sunny Dhillon, and AID Partners’ Jason Kay all agreed that gambling has the biggest upside.