Interview: GRID CEO Moritz Maurer on the power of official esports data
Having created the first regulated esports bookmaker over a decade a go, Moritz Maurer is a pioneer in the esports betting scene. Exclusively for SiGMA News he shares how GRID is reshaping esports betting with integrity and official data at the heart of their operations.
Q. Youve become a familiar face in the esports space over the years. What were those early days like?
Ive worked at the intersection of esports, data, and betting my whole career. Thirteen years ago, I set out to create the first regulated esports bookmaker, but back then, esports wasnt mainstream, so I had to actually explain to regulators what it was: people watching others play video games. We aimed for the most esteemed UK Gambling Commission license, determined to do things right from the start. That process meant we essentially created the market: defining rule sets, objectives, and context for an entirely new category of sports betting.
Eventually, I realised my real passion was on the data and modelling side. Esports is incredibly data-rich compared to traditional sports, and I saw the potential for technological solutions to transform the space. After selling my first company to Genius Sports, I began focusing on official data rights and exclusive partnerships, which became the foundation for .
Q. What is the current size and growth of the esports betting market?
The market is substantial and growing rapidly. Last year, we saw about 12 billion in wager volume for esports betting, with 85% of bets placed on just four titles: Valorant, League of Legends, Counter-Strike, and Dota 2. From 2021 to 2024, wager volume grew at an exact CAGR of 15.7%. The sector is only getting bigger, and were in a good spot to help partners capture it, responsibly and sustainably.
Q. What is the strategic importance of official data and exclusive rights holder partnerships in esports?
Official data is at the heart of everything we do. Most importantly, we dont scrape or use unofficial sources; everything comes through exclusive relationships with rights holders. This ensures our data is fast, granular, and accurate, which is crucial for bookmakers. Our platform handles everything from extraction and organisation to distribution, layering in insights, predictions, and AI-driven analytics. This enables bookmakers to offer better odds, settle bets faster, and deliver engaging, compliant products.
Q. How do bookmakers and suppliers work with GRIDs platform?
Were the platform for anything that depends on data. Major bookmakers with in-house trading teams use our modelling output directly, while others work with partners for an outsourced solution. Our platform is modular; clients can pick the products and data feeds that fit their needs, whether its for betting, media, broadcast, or coaching. Esports fans have different expectations compared to traditional sports bettors, so flexibility is key.
Q. Esports betting has some unique integrity challenges. How does GRID address these?
Integrity is a core pillar for us. Esports presents challenges that are different from traditional sports, like the handling of time-sensitive information, preventing leaks, and dealing with new forms of exploitation. In 2016 that highlighted the market size of unregulated betting activity, which saw everything from skin gambling to match fixing. At the time we developed a tool to scan all these sites and translate the skin value into their sales price on the Steam marketplace.
As a result, weve really had an in-house integrity team from day one and we work with partners and coalitions like the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) to share information and keep matches clean. Our official data partnerships mean we can monitor and respond to incidents quickly and effectively.
Q. Youve recently secured a rights holder partnership with Riot Games who are taking a very cautious approach to the introduction of betting partners. Whats your perspective on this?
Riot is a leader in this space. Theyre taking a measured approach, ensuring betting is driven by official data and that protections are in place for players. They want betting to benefit the ecosystem, not exploit it. With the market size, 12 billion in wagers, and Riot titles making up a big chunk of that, they know the betting is happening anyway, so theyd rather see it done right and responsibly.
Q. What about the cultural side, the part of the community that may see involving betting partners as selling out?
I think whats important is the ability to distinguish between sports betting and games of chance; theyre very different. Sports betting can enhance the viewing experience. A lot of our audience grew up with both esports and traditional sports betting, so for them its just a new way to engage. Also, about 40% of viewers arent hardcore gamers; theyre there for the spectacle.
For us, its about making sure the betting is done legitimately, with regulated, official data, and the revenue going back into the ecosystem. That means investing in the tier-two scenes, coaching, player development; initiatives that can really help the community.
So anyone who’s willing to look beyond the knee-jerk reaction of all betting is bad, will see very quickly that this is not a sell-out move at all. This is governing the ecosystem properly and making sure the betting activity is positioned at something that aids its growth and contributes to its sustainability in the long term.
