Esports Betting Sites
First of all, we need to understand what esports is before you can bet on esports. Esports stands for electronic sports, but this term actually means professional video gaming or pro gaming. So it is competitive playing of video games such as League of Legends, Dota 2, Counter Strike Go, Call of Duty, Fortnite and Starcraft 2. Just like traditional sports, esports also involves different leagues, leagues and matches. So you can bet on these matches. Betting on esports is still relatively new, but the market is growing tremendously every year. On this page, we will explain all about Esports gambling and more.
Top Esports Betting Sites (2023)
- Best Odds Available
- Wide range of Betting Markets
- Best Odds Available
- Wide range of Betting Markets
- Excellent live betting platform
- Esports & virtual sports markets
- Variety of ongoing promotions
- Excellent live betting platform
- Esports & virtual sports markets
- Variety of ongoing promotions
- Two different Welcome offers
- New well-designed sportsbook
- Two different Welcome offers
- New well-designed sportsbook
- Excellent customer service package
- Good selection of sports and bets
- Top Winners section provides a fun element of competition
- Excellent customer service package
- Good selection of sports and bets
- Top Winners section provides a fun element of competition
- Odds are announced early
- Match predictions are reliable
- Neat and functional mobile app
- Odds are announced early
- Match predictions are reliable
- Neat and functional mobile app
Betting on esports explained
Esports gambling is fairly new, but if you are familiar with gambling on traditional sports, you will quickly become familiar with this new phenomenon. However, to have a better chance of winning, you need to have a better understanding of the game and the competitive scene. Below, we will provide some more information on different aspects of Esports betting.
What are esports and how can you bet on esports?
Betting on esports? Esports are video games that are played competitively, often with cash prizes. This can be done privately or alone so or in groups. In the latter case, several teams, often with compositions from all over the world, compete against each other. The game can then be followed by millions of people. There are also large LAN events where live spectators are present. Esport actually started back in the 1990s, but has become increasingly popular since around 2010. Like normal sporting events, here you can bet on the winner of the matches and more.
The most popular game genre in esports at the moment is Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA). This is a game genre where two teams compete against each other in a battlefield. Each player controls an individual character and the goal is to defeat the other team. Popular titles under the MOBA genre include League of Legends and Dota 2.
How does betting on esports work?
When betting on esports, you can bet on different aspects just like traditional sports. For example, you can bet on the winner of a match, the winner of the whole tournament or the score of the series. What makes Esports gambling special are the numerous bets you can place. You can bet on almost every aspect of a match. For example, you can bet on the first kill, first dragon, first tower and much more.
Betting on mobile esports
Besides the vast competitive scene of computer video games, the mobile esports scene is also growing fast. For mobile games, there are not so many established leagues yet, but for many tournaments of one or more days. The mobile esports scene is especially popular in countries where computers are less accessible or popular such as south-east Asia, India and China. In these regions, the mobile esports scene is very popular and often even more popular than those on computers.
Bookmakers Esports and popular games
How to bet and where to bet on Esports? There are currently 4 major games you can bet on online at bookmakers. These are LoL (League of Legends), Dota 2 (Defense of the Ancients), CS:GO (Counterstrike) and Starcraft 2.
The somewhat smaller games you can already bet on at some bookmakers are Hearthstone, Smite, Heroes of the Storm and Overwatch.
With most of our online bookmakers, it is possible to bet on the big 4 games anyway. Almost all tournaments and leagues are offered as options to bet on.
Watching these tournaments or leagues is usually via a stream on Twitch.tv or via a dedicated website, and are commented on live by well-known presenters from Esport.
We at sportgokken.eu have a gaming background ourselves and see huge potential in betting on Esports, which is why we also check with each bookmaker to see how big the offer is, the welcome bonus and other rewards. We also offer background articles, news and betting tips for upcoming Esports tournaments.
Real Money Esports Betting
It’s important to ensure you are betting on a well established, real money site when betting on esports. Sites that allow users to bet with in-game skins and other non-currency items are often unregulated. This can mean that your money (or your items) aren’t always safe as there is no governing body to moderate the sites activities.
Always make sure the betting site you use has the required gambling license and has genuinely good reviews. We have recommended some bookmakers on our site that we trust to help you get started.
Deposit and withdrawal systems are now faster than ever with most major sites offering transactions with e-wallets such as PayPal, Neteller and Skrill. This makes it much faster to withdraw your funds as it can sometimes take less than an hour.
Where To Bet
Everyday, more and more bookmakers are adding esports sections to their sites. Some have been around longer than others and some have better features than others. It’s important to find a bookmaker that genuinely cares about esports and offers great odds for a large number of games. Most of the recommended bookmakers will also offer you a welcome bonus to new members. This is usually in the form of a free bet upon signing up for the first time.
Betway are one of the biggest bookmakers in the esports world, even going as far as to sponsor the CS:GO team, Ninjas in Pyjamas. Not only do they have a great introductory offer, but they also release exclusive odds for certain games that no other bookmaker will have.
Other bookmakers of note are Betspawn, GG.Bet, Netbet and Ladbrokes. All of these are well established, reputable bookmakers that have great odds for multiple esports games and tournaments.
It’s recommended that you shop around to find the best odds for the game that you would like to bet on. Some bookmakers can have great odds on certain events and not-so great odds on others.
Betting on CSGO
In Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, or CS:GO, two teams (terrorists and counter-terrorists) consisting of five players compete against each other in 30 2-minute rounds. The terrorists must place a bomb at one of the designated spots, while the counter-terrorists must prevent it from happening. You can bet on the outcome, Map Winners, Pistol Round Winner and so on at the bookies. You can also bet during the rounds with handicaps. Vitality, Heroic, Astralis and Natus Vincere are some well-performing CS:GO teams at the time of writing.
Betting on League of Legends
The video game League of Legends, or LoL, falls into the battle arena category. Two teams of five players play in Summoner’s Rift with the aim of destroying the opponent’s Nexus while defending their own. Generally, the game lasts between 20 and 60 minutes. Bookmakers have several League of Legends bets per game available but you can also make predictions for the major qualifying tournaments and you can predict future champions. E-Sports teams performing well include Damwon, Top eSports, JD Gaming, Suning. Gen.G and G2eSports.
Betting on Dota 2
Dota stands for Defence of the Ancients and is also between two teams of five and, like LoL, also falls into the battle arena category. Dota 2 is, according to some, a more tactical game. This video game is all about destroying each other’s base, The Ancient. Dota is very popular among eSporters and there are numerous leagues in which the game is played.
Esports Betting On Mobile
All of our recommended bookmakers are easily accessible via mobile devices. Some sites may also have a mobile app that you can download straight to your phone. This can make placing your bets much easier and faster. Other sites may have a mobile version of their site which is easier to load on your mobile device than the usual desktop version.
Depositing and withdrawing on mobile devices is just as fast and easy as on a desktop. You can use all of the same payment methods.
Most popular types of esports betting
There are many different ways to make esports bets. This also varies depending on the type of esports or video game you are betting on. We will highlight below some of the most common types of esports betting.
Money Line
This is probably the most popular form of esports betting. A Money Line bet allows you to bet on the winner of a match. There are no special conditions or exceptions. You simply choose whether Team A or Team B wins.
Match result
With a match result bet, you bet on the final result of the match. For example, you try to predict the correct score of a series. For example, in a best of five series, you bet that the score will be 3-1.
Correct score
In esports like CS GO, you have several rounds in a match. With a correct score bet, you can bet on the number of rounds a team has won at the end of a match.
Over/under bets
This is essentially a bet where you gamble on whether the final score is over or under a certain number. So, for example, you can bet that a best of five series has more or less than 3 games.
Tournament winner/group winner
This bet allows you to bet on who the winner will be before a tournament or group starts. This bet is also called an outright bet.
In-play bet
The in-play bet is also known as live betting. This is the process of placing a bet during an event. You can decide during the match when you want to bet on something.
Roster Changes
Whether you are experienced in esports betting or a complete beginner, you need to be cautious when placing bets on esports fixtures. As the industry is still quite young, things aren’t always as stable as other traditional sports. For example, the most common area to take into consideration is that of roster changes.
Players are frequently transferred between teams and new players are sprouting up from all over the world. It’s even been known that teams have changed their name or all members of one team have moved to another. This is sometimes for sponsorship or management reasons. Always be sure to double check the roster you are betting on hasn’t changed recently. You can do this by searching for the team news online and checking to see if any player has moved. The most extreme single roster change would be that of the in-game leader. These players will usually be the one to call out commands over the microphone to the rest of the team and decide on a course of action during the game.
Coaches and other close colleagues of the players can make a big difference to how the team performs on any given day. It would be dangerous to bet on a team that is entering a big tournament after releasing their team coach or strategist.
The biggest esports tournaments
For most esports, there are several tournaments that are held. For most esports, there is some kind of world championship. This is a tournament that is held every year or every few months. We will highlight the biggest esports tournaments below with some more information.
The International
This is the concluding tournament of the Dota Pro Circuit held annually. The International was first held in 2011 in Cologne. There is a point system based on the regional leagues and Majors (other tournaments). This point system is used to determine which teams are invited to The International.
Intel Extreme Masters
This is an event held annually since 2006 and sponsored by Intel. This is an event where tournaments for multiple esports titles are held. Some esports where a tournament is held in the Intel Extreme Masters include CSGO, Warcraft 3, Dota, Starcraft 2, League of Legends and more.
CS:GO Major Tournaments
There are several tournaments sponsored by Valve, the company behind CSGO. The tournaments held by Valve are called Majors. To enter these Majors, teams and players must first qualify through the preliminary rounds. After winning the first preliminary rounds, they are allowed to advance to the group stage. Once they have survived the group stage, they are allowed to compete in the Majors.
Overwatch World Cup
The Overwatch World Cup (OWWC) is an annual international Overwatch tournament held by Blizzard Entertainment. The first OWWC was held in 2016. This tournament had several qualifying rounds to ensure that the best teams entered the tournament. As this is a relatively new tournament, the format of the tournament is not yet fixed. Generally, the best teams are invited to compete in the qualifying rounds.
Fortnite World Cup Finals
The Fortnite World Cup Finals was held in 2019 by its creator, Epic Games. In this event, there are both solo and team competitions. Several qualifying rounds are held in which any player can participate. Only the top 100 solo players and the top 50 duos are invited to compete in the Fortnite World Cup Finals.
Evolution Championship Series
The Evolution Championship Series, better known as Evo is an annual esports event that focuses exclusively on fighting games. This event has been around since 1996 and more and more fighting games have been added since then. In this event, tournaments are held for various fighting games such as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Tekken 7, Street Fighter V and BlazBlue.
Esports live streaming
These days, betting on esports live streaming is rising very much in popularity. While there is nothing wrong with betting on the matches before they start, more and more players still find it more exciting to gamble on matches live. You can also sometimes take advantage of the ever-changing odds and grab a much bigger win yourself.
Like live betting on sporting events, esports live streaming allows you to gamble on matches while they are in progress. For example, when a team gets the upper hand during a match, the odds of winning will change.
The biggest advantage to betting on a live match is that you can decide afterwards what you want to bet on. You can follow the match and place bets based on the team’s performance. One disadvantage of this is that the odds of winning may be lower than if you place a bet before the match. Keep in mind that live betting varies from country to country due to each country’s regulations.
Tips for betting on esports
If you want to bet on esports, you obviously need to keep your wits about you. Manage your money wisely and don’t chase your losses. This will prevent you from going all tilt. Here are some sensible tips.
- Use statistics! Initially, go by the already known statistics of a particular team or gamer. Logically, someone who wins often has a higher chance of winning again next time. Keep an eye on the development, though. In this sense, gambling on esports is not much different from gambling on live sports such as in football in the Champions League.
- Know what you are betting on! The second tip we would like to pass on is that you need to know what you are betting on. There are plenty of special bets you can take advantage of, and you wouldn’t be the first person to not know what exactly he bet on.
- Compare odds! Not all bookmakers offer the same odds for the same events. So check carefully which bookmaker offers the best value.
- Follow your favourite players! You need to know what you are betting on, but also who you are betting on. Players are human and therefore often unpredictable. Check everything on social media or other media so you are perfectly up to date with everything to do with your favourite players.
- Look for value! In terms of smart betting, it is not always the best idea to bet on a player or team just because you think they will win. It’s best to also look at the odds on offer. Are the quotes accurate, or is a player perhaps being overvalued by the bookies?
Frequently asked questions about betting on esports
Below you can find some frequently asked questions about betting on esports and more.
Can I bet on esports?
Yes. You can bet on various esports matches. There is a betting market for the biggest esports titles such as Dota 2, League of Legends, CSGO, Overwatch and Starcraft 2.
Is esports gambling legal?
So gambling on esports in the UK is perfectly legal provided you are over 18 years old.
How can you gamble on esports?
Just like gambling on traditional sports, you first need to find a reliable bookmaker. A legal bookmaker in the Netherlands must be licensed by the KSA. After you find a bookmaker, you can choose which esports you want to gamble on. Then you can choose from one of several types of bets.
How do I know esports matches are not rigged?
As with traditional sports, you can never be sure, but if you choose to gamble, it is wise to know what kind of match you will be betting on. When you are betting on one of the major tournaments, you can be sure that they are not rigged.
Can you bet on esports at the big online bookmakers?
Yes you certainly can. You can bet on various esports matches and tournaments at the big bookmakers like bet365.