Esports Betting Guide & Tips

Welcome to our guide to making esports bets. This resource will give you everything you need to enjoy successful esports betting. We’ll show you why so many people love to bet on Dota 2, CSGO, LoL, Overwatch and much more. You’ll learn which betting sites routinely put on the best esports betting odds to help you get more from your bets. Plus there’ll be detailed explanations of all of the different kinds of esports bets that you can put down.

Video game betting may be a relatively new phenomenon. After all, esports has only been with us for less than two decades. But esports betting has already grown to become a multi-million dollar industry. Massive events like LoL Worlds, The International and ESL One regularly attract many people who bet on the action of the pro gamers.

As a result, you’ll find no shortage of ways that you can bet on esports. We are here to reveal the best ways that you can enjoy esports betting. So that whether you’re esports betting in the USA, the UK or any other nation, you’ll be able to take your esports bets to the next level.

Top esports to bet on

There are hundreds of different esports, but there are a handful that prove to be especially popular among esports betting fans. Here is a quick overview of the most popular esports for betting.

• League of Legends: This MOBA is arguably the world’s biggest esport and LoL betting is hugely popular on massive events like LoL Worlds.
• Counter-Strike: Global Offensive: A classic first-person shooter that has become a big hit in the esports betting world. All decent betting sites will offer plenty of CSGO bets.
• Dota 2: Another legendary MOBA game that’s made a big impression on esports betting fans. This is especially true with top tournaments like The International being a major fixture on the esports calendar.
• Overwatch: A relatively new title from Blizzard Entertainment that is a cross between a first-person shooter and a MOBA game. The Overwatch League offers you no shortage of top esports betting opportunities.
• Valorant: This tactical first-person shooter has become a breakthrough hit in the esports world. As a result, you’ll be given plenty of options to enjoy betting on Valorant at all good esports betting sites.

However, it’s important to note that you can enjoy video game betting on a seemingly never-ending range of titles. These include battle royale games like Fortnite, Apex Legends and Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds, along with sports simulators like FIFA and NBA2K.

Don’t forget that you’ll also enjoy bets on legendary first-person shooters like Call of Duty and Rainbow Six. Plus with the chance to bet on everything from Hearthstone to Rocket League, you’ll find no shortage of ways to enjoy esports betting.

Different types of esports gambling

When you go to esports betting sites, you’ll find many different ways to put your bets down. Here is a quick look at the most popular options.

• Traditional esports betting: This sees you betting on esports with real money in the hope of making some real money winnings.
• Skin betting & item betting: Skin betting was one of the first ways that people started betting on esports. This allows you to bet with in-game items. However betting with skins is not recommended as there are many dangers and risks associated with this kind of online gambling.
• Betting on your own gameplay: This is a pioneering approach that can be seen at Unikrn’s UMode service. The bookmaker will give you odds for your own competitive gameplay and it’s a great way to add some excitement to your gaming.
• Betting on streamers: Also known as Twitch betting, this allows you to bet on popular streamers. While they won’t be playing in regular tournaments, this kind of betting has the advantage of taking place 24/7.
• Fantasy esports: This is not considered true gambling as it’s more based on skill. But you can have plenty of fun in assembling fantasy esports teams while trying to stay under the salary cap. You can then enter your team in tournaments where they have to get more points than other people’s teams for you to win prizes.
• Jackpot and casino-style games: This is a kind of lottery-based method of online gambling. It is commonly found on skin gambling sites and again is not recommended due to safety concerns. Similar options allow you to gamble on simulations of casino games like roulette and blackjack.
• Social esports betting: This sees you placing bets directly against friends and other gamers. It’s a fairly informal way of betting on esports. While it might be fun, the fact that it is unregulated means that you could be exposed to dangers such as not getting paid any winnings that you might have made.
• Spread betting: with spread betting you will bet on whether something will happen than a number set by the bookmaker.

How to choose the best esports betting site

There are now hundreds of betting sites that allow you to bet on esports. These range from traditional sports bookmakers to dedicated esports betting sites. We have created a shortlist of the top 10 esports betting sites. Any of these betting sites will give you a legal, safe and fun way to put your bets down on a variety of different esports. But here are the key ingredients that all decent esports betting sites should have.

• Great odds: All decent bookmakers should serve up competitive odds for all of the biggest esports.
• Licensing and security: We won’t recommend any betting site unless it is licensed and able to keep your data safe.
• Safe payment methods: You should be able to make deposits and withdrawals with trusted payment brands like Visa, MasterCard, PayPal, Skrill and Neteller. Plus some sites let you enjoy betting with Bitcoin.
• Helpful customer support: We like those sites that feature 24/7 customer support that’s available via live chat, email and telephone.
• Top bonuses: All good betting sites will put on plenty of bonuses for new and existing customers.

Esports betting markets available – Esports specials bets

Most gaming fans will tend to put down their bets on the winner of an esports match. But there are plenty more betting markets available for most major esports contests. Here are some of the most popular.

• Outright bets: This refers to betting on the overall winner of an esports tournament like LoL Worlds or The International.
• Map winner: This lets you bet on which team will win each individual map.
• Correct score: You might find that you can bet on the correct score of an esports match.
• Game specific bets: Some bookmakers allow you to bet on anything from which team will get the first kill to which team will slay the first dragon.
• Handicap bets: This uses a point system to put a team at an advantage or disadvantage. A great way to get better value for your bets through levelling the playing field.

Differences between Esports betting and Sports betting

Anybody with any experience of sports betting will easily be able to get started with their bets on esports. After all, top esports like CSGO and LoL are team-based events where you just have to bet on the match winner.

Plus top esports tournaments like the Overwatch League are set up in a similar way to the NFL, so you should have an easy time understanding how the teams are performing. So don’t let the in-game jargon of dragons and barons put you off, as it’s easy to get involved in betting on competitive gaming.

Is betting on esports online safe?

You should be able to enjoy betting on esports in a way that is safe and completely legal. However, it’s worth noting that there are a few factors to consider before you sign up to an esports betting site.

• Licensing: Check that the betting site has a license from an online gambling authority like the UK Gambling Commission, the Malta Gaming Authority or the Government of Curacao. This will show that the site is able to give you a safe and fair betting service.
• Encryption: We’d expect that each betting site has minimum 128-bit SSL encryption. This would ensure that all of your data and deposits are kept safe.
• Age requirements: All good bookmakers will have an age verification and know-your-customer procedure to make sure that only those of legal age get to gamble on their sites.
• Fairplay: Many esports betting sites will show that they are committed to fighting match-fixing in esports. They will do this by displaying a certificate that shows that they are part of the European Gaming and Betting Association or another similar organisation.

Conclusion & final esports betting tips

By now you should be perfectly prepared to enjoy betting on esports. We’ve revealed what esports you can bet on, what you should be looking for in esports betting sites, and what kinds of odds you’ll be betting on. But before we let you go, we thought we should give you five simple tips that you can use to take your esports bets to the next level.

Don’t forget the bonuses: There’s an amazing range of esports betting bonus offers out there, and these can all turn a decent win into a spectacular win. You’ll find many great matched deposit bonuses, but there are also some decent losing bet refunds too.

• Use different bookmakers: There’s nothing stopping you from signing up to lots of different esports betting sites. Doing so gives you an easy way to shop around to make sure that you’re getting the best esports odds. Plus you’ll be able to get lots of different bonuses too.
• Try various betting markets: Don’t get stuck in the trap of only trying match winner bets. After all, there could be more value in betting on alternative betting markets like first kill, first map winner and so on.
• Give live betting a try: Esports betting and in-play betting are perfectly suited to each other. Not only is live esports betting great fun, but you might be able to find better value odds too.
• Focus your bets: Finally it’s always a good idea to bet on the esports teams and players you know best. This will help you spot what some esports odds are too good to ignore. Just don’t fall into the trap of thinking that your favourite esports team is better than they really are.