What Is eSports Betting?

eSports betting is the process of wagering on video games through a professional gambling website. These websites predominantly consist of sportsbooks and online casinos. However, it is worth noting that not all video games make the grade here. Instead, we’re only talking about the ones that have recognized competitions and tournaments. This does put limits on the eSports betting market. Therefore, we’d say that eSports betting involves betting on professional individuals and teams competing against one another in video games across recognizable matches and tournaments.

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The Top eSports Markets Available Online

Before you can start betting on any kind of eSports, you need to know what types of betting options you have open to you. Firstly, we should look at the markets. If you were to compare eSports betting with actual betting on real-to-life sports (there are a lot of similarities between them), then the game markets would be the like-for-like equivalent of the sports you can bet on. We’ll introduce you to the main ones below. They include:

CS:GO

Counter Strike: Global Offensive (simply referred to as CS:GO) is one of the world’s leading shoot ‘em ups. This multiplier game sees two teams of five go head-to-head in a bid to win sixteen straight rounds.

DOTA 2

Defense of the Ancients 2 (DOTA 2) is a Valve designed multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game. Teams of five must defend and occupy various parts of a map in what is basically a modern, fantasy-themed version of capture the flag.

PUBG

PUBG: Battlegrounds, formerly known as PUBG and Player Unknown Battlegrounds, is a battle royale shooting game. In this game, up to 100 players take each other on in a fight for survival, mimicking the Japanese movie Battle Royale (2000).

League of Legends

League of Legends (LoL) launched in 2009 and was one of the first online battle arena games to become an eSport. Two teams of five eSports players face off with their “champions”. Victory is achieved by destroying a rival team’s base and Nexus.

StarCraft II

This science fiction-themed game was first launched in 2010. It was late to the crowd in terms of becoming an eSport and has a massive following in South Korea. Today it is one of the major RTS (real-time strategy) eSport events found at betting sites.

Overwatch

Overwatch is another first-person shooter where two teams of six players choose from rosters of heroes. The primary competition featuring this game is Blizzard Entertainment’s Overwatch League.

Hearthstone

Arguably the most competitive free-to-play digital card collecting game is Hearthstone. Also from Blizzard, this Warcraft-inspired game sees members face-off in classic trading card action during events.

Rocket League

Imagine football but using cars and vehicles, and you’ve about worked out what Rocket League is all about. What started off as a rather silly game is now one of the most played eSports competitions on the net.

If none of those markets and selections floats your boat, there are other ways to bet on eSports. Other notable eSports include Call of Duty, FIFA, Formula One, Warcraft III, World of Tanks, Magic: The Gathering Arena and many more. You won’t always see the same markets at each sportsbook or casino, but you can check out what each site has by using their “all eSports” buttons or similar options.

Top Ways to Bet on eSports Online

eSports betting sites will typically allow you to place several types of bets on competitions and matches. Basically, the way you bet on eSports is largely the same as betting on sports at bookmakers. In fact, some of the options are identical. Allow us to help you better understand what you’re looking at by showcasing some of the most common eSports bets below. They include:

Outrights

Outrights are also known as straight-up bets. These are wagers on specific matches. You are wagering that a team or player will win a round, match, group stage, knockout round, or a tournament from the off.

Tournament Winners

As discussed, tournaments are straightforward bets where you decide to wager on one player or team walking away with the top prize once all the smoke has been cleared.

Round/Match Winners

Round or match winners involve betting on a player or team to win a single round (the next one) or the match, respectively. Round betting is best achieved when making live, in-play bets, as the odds are subject to change.

Scores and Totals, Player Performance Bets

Alternatively, you can choose to place a few more lucrative and far-flung bets. Betting on scores and totals sees you wager on something far more specific. These are often team or player-performance related bets tied to something happening in a round or match. For instance, you can bet on the total number of kills in a match.

Futures

Futures consist of bets that X will happen. The X is, of course, unknown and will vary from event to event. It could be that Team A will win the tournament or that Team B will be eliminated in the first round. Anything goes with futures.

Over/Under and Spread/Handicap Betting

Over/under betting involves betting on a total and being “within range” of a betting site’s predictions. For instance, a bookmaker may say that Team A will make five total kills. You can then bet that the number will be over or under that figure. Similarly, spread or handicap betting involves Team A or Player B winning within a predetermined number of kills, rounds, points, etc.

Specialist Bets

Lastly, there may be specialist bets available at some eSports betting sites. These can include famous options such as First Blood and First Map bets. In short, you’ll be betting on the player or team to score the first kill or to win the first map (round). These can be anything and everything, really.

Other Notable eSports Betting Options

Just like when you bet on sports, you can choose to bet on doubles, triples, place accumulator bets, use system bets and enjoy many other conventional betting options at eSports betting sites. If you can place a type of bet on real-to-life sports, there is every chance that a similar bet can be made on eSports. You can always check those out before committing to wagering, though.

The How’s, Where’s and Why’s of eSports Betting

Before we leave, we think it is best to give you a heads up. Allow us to provide you with a few notes on eSports betting and give you a heads up on a few other things. Here are the things you should take to heart when betting on eSports online.

Not Every Game Counts As an eSport

You should really make sure that you understand the difference between eSports and virtual sports. They aren’t always the same thing. Most betting sites treat them differently, and so should you.

Betting on eSports with Cryptocurrencies

It is entirely possible to bet on eSports with cryptocurrencies, assuming your site accepts such options. However, which cryptocurrencies you can use may vary from site to site. Check our reviews to find out which are accepted before you bet.

Sportsbooks, Casinos, or Specialist Sites?

When it comes time to betting on eSports, you aren’t usually limited to somewhere to play. You can typically wager at sportsbooks, casino, and specialist sites alike.

Can I Strategies?

Unless you’re directly involved in the match, it is tricky to use strategies when eSports betting. Instead, we’d encourage you to use other options. There is no such thing as a guaranteed strategy, but you can learn how the eSports work, who the players and teams are, how they perform and use this knowledge bet accordingly. For instance, we always recommend that you watch live-streamed events to better understand eSports.

Compare the Odds

You shouldn’t be stupid when betting. Always compare the odds at various bookmakers and eSport-offering casinos. Try opening accounts at several sites, as this will allow you to pick the best sportsbook or casino for the occasion. After all, the best odds will often be spread across several sites.

Find the Best Venues for eSports Betting Right Here

The last step to betting on eSports is to find somewhere supporting these types of bets. This is where BTCGOSU comes in. We know most of the major sites intimately and can provide you with honest opinions and analyses of them. We do this via our reviews.

Head over to our eSports site review section to see what our unbiased team has to say about the best eSports betting sites. Some may be casinos, and others may be sportsbooks. However, they are all crypto-friendly and amongst the best licensed, most regulated, and trusted eSports crypto betting sites around.

FAQs: We Answer Your eSports Betting Questions

Before splashing the crypto-cash on eSports, take a quick look at our FAQ guide to ensure that you haven’t missed anything.