The 8 best esports titles to bet on
Betting on sports is a huge business and there is nothing that gets you more involved in backing your favourite teams than placing a bet on them at the bookies. But did you know that most popular betting companies are now expanding to esports?
Esports has become so big that sponsors and outside companies can no longer ignore it. With a projected growth of 3 times its current revenue within the next 2 years, Investing money into esports is no longer a question. Now is the best time for this, especially as top esports broadcaster Twitch continues to revamp its platform through revenue, Amazon advertising and sponsorship. But just as someone who is new to betting would get lost with all the numbers and fractions, someone who is not aware of esports will similarly be confused by what the best games are for betting. In this article, we will be listing the top games with the most competitive environments, and show you some of the teams you should be backing.
So let’s begin:
1 – League of Legends
There is no doubt about it that when it comes to big matches, crowded stadiums, loud screaming fans and a global esports phenomenon. League of Legends is at the heart of it, Whether you are in North America, Europe or elsewhere, Fans worldwide have big name teams in all the regions who love to go head to head for the regional championships. But when it comes to World Championship tournaments, League of Legends is definitely the biggest in terms of viewers. This means viewers love to bet on their favourite teams, be it fan favourites Team Solomid, Fnatic, SKT T1 and more. You can bet on individual matches, entire league finishes, or the biggest Knockout trophies. All of these events reach millions of viewers.
2 – CS:GO
There are a lot of esports that are bigger than Counter Strike Global Offensive, but in terms of betting…This esport is up there with the best. This is a fast paced, action packed first person shooter game with a ton of sponsors and teams going head to head every month. If there is one thing that keeps the viewers coming back, it’s the major sponsored tournaments such as Esports Championship Series Season 3, Dreamhack or ESL One that keep the viewers watching. CS:GO has been extremely fortunate as far as funding is concerned, and it looks like it will still be at the top of esports for years to come. If you are new to CS:GO, some of the biggest teams involved include: SK Gaming, FaZe Clan, G2 Esports, and North American favourites: Cloud 9.
3 – DOTA 2
There is a generation old war of MOBAs (Multiplayer online battle arena games) between League of Legends and DOTA 2. But one thing DOTA 2 holds the biggest candle for is its lucrative “Dota Internationals”. Last year’s prize pool was an incredible $20 Million — that’s 4x more than any other Esports tournament. DOTA is a game where Chinese teams seem to dominate the 1st place spots. But with such big prize pools, this means that betting is always going to be hot on the trail. Western betters will be glad to know that the gap between the Chinese teams and the west is actually very close and an upset could be in the cards in 2017. You can expect to see some worldwide knwon teams in DOTA that are great to bet on including: Fnatic, Evil Geniuses (last year’s winners) and Natus Vincere.
4 – Hearthstone
Hearthstone is a card game with a relatively bright future. It is one of the newer esports on this list but it has already cemented its place in esports history. Hearthstone is one of the top 5 most watched games on Twitch of all time, and with very good reason. The game itself is very light hearted and easy to get into, but difficult to master. Players from all over the world can battle each other online, and local tournaments in every city means the game is accessible for even the average gamer. In 2017 Hearthstone has seen a new tournament format called “Global Games” where players from over 60 countries get to participate. This, along with big tournaments hosted by the likes of ESL, Starladder and independent tournaments on lowkey websites means this game is perfect for betting and will continue to rise in popularity as esports gets bigger in general.
If you are lost on which players to back, make sure you lookout for some of the big esports teams as they also back individual players giving you an easy road into who to bet for.
5 – Overwatch
Blizzard’s Overwatch definitely the newest game in the list. But it has rapidly become a fan favourite throughout the streaming and esports community. It is very fast paced, colourful, and bright. It also combines the strategy of a MOBA with a first person shooter game. Being the rapid hit that it is, sponsors have scrambled to get involved, and with this game guaranteed a spot every year at Blizzcon, you can rest assured that it will actually climb this list in the years to come. Overwatch now has its own league and a world championships that are being prepared for 2017. Everyone’s favourite big teams are also involved: NRG, Fnatic, Cloud 9, Team Dignitas and many more names esports fans will know.
6 – Call of Duty
Call of Duty has always been a success, since back when it was released as the first modern shooter on the PS3/Xbox 360. This game took the gaming world by storm. Today the franchise is still running even stronger than ever, and there is a world league sponsored by PS4 and a world championship series that is perfect for those video game betting fanatics out there. With a small team pool, you can pick your favourite and follow along. Viewing rights to the COD championships are highly sought after by companies. Popular teams to bet on include: Luminosity Gaming, Splyce, FaZe Clan and more.
7 – Starcraft 2
Dubbed “The Original Esport”, Starcraft 2 is now 10 years old. It has had a controversial life span, but not always in a bad way. Starcraft 2 is South Korea’s national pastime and when Blizzcon comes around every year, you can expect everyone to get excited for a Starcraft 2 championship. This is really when the betting aspect gets popular. But throughout the year, Starcraft is a tougher esport to bet on as it is losing popularity outside of South Korea. The game itself is showing its age and as new exciting games get released, it will fall down in its high place. But for now, you have to respect what this game has done for esports as a whole and why it is still ranked among the best.
8 – World of Tanks
This is an interesting one because the game itself isn’t actually too popular compared to a lot of others. But when it comes to esports and betting, this game is fantastic. Big in mostly Europe and North America, World of Tanks is all about tactics and strategy. Not only that but followers of this game know the ins and outs of almost every tank in the game. The actual competitive side was launched just 1 year ago in 2016 but has received a lot of positive feedback. The game broke the Guinness world record for Most Players Online Simultaneously on one MOG Server back in January 2013 and 2017 looks to be an equally stronger year for this game.
There are definitely other games you could argue to be in this list. But aside from SC2, these games all have growing audiences and lots of room for betting throughout the year. Not only that but big name esports brands will feature teams and players across all of the big games and you can even follow along with your favourites.
As esports continues to grow bigger and bigger, Betting will also be a booming business. For more on the best esports betting sites, check out https://www.online-betting.org/esports-betting for the best odds, biggest matches and some sneaky tips to multiply your odds!