Sportsbet.io and Gamdom Cash In on Hype Around Imperial Female

^{Pictured: Imperial Female roster}

One of the biggest eSports tournaments, IEM Katowice 2025 for Counter-Strike 2, kicked off on January 28, making history in the process. For the first time, a women’s team competed in an event that had previously been exclusive to men’s rosters.

That team, Imperial Female — part of the Imperial Esports organization — made their debut against Brazilian powerhouse FURIA. Despite a 0-2 loss (13-16, 1-13), they put up a strong fight, especially on the first map, where the game remained competitive until the final rounds.

However, it’s worth noting that Imperial Female wasn’t a fully all-women lineup at IEM Katowice. 

A last-minute roster issue forced one of the team’s players to withdraw, with the squad having to substitute in their male coach.

Still, that didn’t stop their popularity from skyrocketing — a surge that has been a win for their gambling sponsors, crypto-based bookies/casinos Sportsbet.io and Gamdom. The betting brands’ logos were prominently displayed on the team’s jerseys, and the exposure from the event has more than justified the partnership.

Imperial Female is no stranger to competing against men’s teams in smaller events. On January 16, they faced NAVI at BLAST Bounty — a high-profile online tournament featuring top-tier teams, though it only served as a qualifier for the BLAST Bounty Season 1 Finals.

By the way, that matchup between Imperial Female and NAVI peaked at 483,000 concurrent viewers, setting a record for viewership of a women’s esports match.