Betting on eSports

Esports betting is emerging as one of the most enjoyable hobbies. There are hundreds of matches a day and bookies tend to cover odds on every single facet of the games. Learn about the betting products and see our suggestions on the top 5 eSports markets to find the highest odds.

A Beginner’s Guide to Understanding Betting on eSports

It is safe to say that E-Sports refers to a competitive game in the software It is safe to say that E-Sports refers to a competitive game in the software Dota 2, CS 2, Valorant and perhaps a hundred more. Just like with traditional sports, there are fans who avidly follow the teams, tune into games, and stake money on the outcomes. Thanks to streaming platforms, any sports fan can easily access the broadcasts of these events.

eSports has some of the largest events ever in terms of attendance, viewership, and total prize money. Examples include the International and the IEM. As we found out, Statista predicts the volume of the eSports betting market will reach $3.3 billion by 2028.

Popularity of eSports

An increase in the number of betting sites is indicative of the expanding interest in eSports. Fawad A. Chaudhary, a Minister of Science and Technology, remarked that e-Sports will be the new attraction and there is a fascinating structure yet to come.

The market is ranked 11th in spending on eSports and there is a long list of professional players, like Sumail Hassan, Yawar Hassan, Arsalan Siddique, Qaiser Khan, and Merciless Medic.

Markets Available for Placing Bets on eSports

There are a multitude of isports as well as different types of eSports betting strategies. While it may be simple to place a bet on who will win a certain match, it is far more enticing to change one’s strategies from time to time. Some of the more popular types of stakes include:

Map Winner

You can place a bet on the outcome of a certain map within multi-map matches. For example, let’s say you are rooting for a dominant team to win the second map. However, if they happen to lose the first map, maybe you can change the outcome of the first map in your favor.

Match Winner

Just like how you can predict the outcome of a soccer match, you can place a bet on who you think is most likely going to win an eSports match as well.

Tournament Winner

This is the simplest form of betting where you choose who you think is going to win the overall tournament.

Next Kill

Try to predict who will get the next kill by placing bets during the match. You could analyze the weapons, positioning, or ultimates to ascertain which player is most likely to get the next kill.

Flawless Round

Place bets on who you think is most likely to win a round and still have every player alive. These bets have the highest rewards, however, they are more prone to losing.

Total Kills/Rounds

Bets can also be made on newly established margins such as the totals over/under of kills or rounds in the time remaining in the match.

Map-Specific Events

Wager on the result of individual maps, such as which team is the first to bomb plant in CS 2, who gets the first spike in Valorant, or first to secure a point in Overwatch.

Player Props

Bet on eSports markets like a star player’s total kills, the next player to ace the game, or whether a struggling entrant goes deathless before the match ends.

Popular eSports for Betting

Betting in eSports as a player also became popular. Since the early 1990s, computer game competitions have gained popularity with the introduction of fighting games as well as first-person shooters. Let’s have a look at the most popular five across eSports betting.

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 is a video game that combines multiplayer tactics with first-person shooting. Players are divided into two opposing teams, and each team competes to fulfill a number of objectives during each round of play. Each round is asymmetrical and there are two opposing teams in every round.

It is the duty of Team A to act out the role of the terrorists. They have the choice to kill all of the counter terrorists, or they can do both. They can also plant a bomb on one of two bomb sites and then defend the bomb site for thirty-five seconds without getting killed. Team B try outs the role of a counter terrorist. They try to kill all the terrorists without letting them plant the bomb or after the bomb is planted. They can also try to defuse it. After fifteen rounds, the teams swap role. Team A now plays counter terrorism, while Team B plays terrorism.

Some of the main Counter Strike 2 tournamnents that many people bet on include the following:

  • Valve Major Championships.
  • Intel Extreme Masters (IEM).
  • ESL Pro League.
  • BLAST Premier.
  • DreamHack Masters and EPICENTER.
  • ESL One.
  • PGL Major.
  • FACEIT Major.

Dota 2

Dota 2 is also a multiplayer game made by the company Valve. Two teams, Radiant and Dire, try to defend and attack one Ancient that is located inside of a stronghold. There is a total of five players on each team.

In Dota 2, being powerful is a science. This is why there is a definite order in which character abilities need to be upgraded, and items have to be bought. As Dota 2 is all about winning, the power of the team is extremely important.

Bettors are intrigued by interesting competitions. Here are some for you:

  • The International
  • ESL One
  • DreamLeague
  • PGL Major
  • ONE e-Sports Major
  • WePlayAniMajor
  • OGA Dota PIT Invitational
  • Dota 2 Asia Championships
  • Epicenter Major

League of Legends

League of Legends is an online multiplayer game created by Riot Games, falling under the genre ‘multiplayer online battle arena’. To win, the opposing Nexus must be destroyed, thus, destroying all opponent’s turrets is a must. Within the game, each team is provided with a set of 5 champions. A total of 170 champions makes up League of Legends, and each game starts with a ban/pick phase.

Some of the Major League of Legends tournaments are:

  • World Championship
  • Mid-Season Invitational
  • MSI
  • LCS
  • LCK
  • LEC
  • LPL

Valorant

Valorant is a first-person, tactical hero shooter game developed by Riot Games. Metacritic has awarded the game an 80% and IGN 9/10, signifying its good reception. Four game modes are available:

  • Unrated
  • Spike Rush
  • Competitive
  • Deathmatch

In Valorant, it would be best if you kept tabs on teams like:

  • G2 eSports
  • Guild eSports
  • Team Liquid
  • Sentinels
  • Cloud9
  • Envy
  • Ninjas in Pyjamas
  • XSET

Major competitions include:

  • Valorant Ignition Series (Epulze Royal SEA Cup, FTW Summer Showdown, Rise of Valour, and BLAST Twitch Invitational)
  • Valorant First Strike (North America, CIS, Europe, and Korea)
  • Valorant Master Series Cup (Rivals Women’s Cup, Charge Gaming Valorant Cup, Mildom Masters, 4Gamers War Match, and Logitech G Pacific Open+)

Overwatch

In Overwatch, created by Blizzard Entertainment, two groups of six players compete on different tasks. The game features different maps with different objectives, and the game has 4 modes:

  • Assault (2CP)
  • Hybrid
  • Escort (Payload)
  • Control (King of the Hill)

Each game starts with players picking a character, and there are 42 different options. The major Overwatch tournaments are:

  • Overwatch League (OWL)
  • Overwatch Contenders
  • Overwatch World Cup
  • Overwatch Collegiate Championship
  • Overwatch Open Division
  • Overwatch Gauntlet
  • Overwatch May Melee
  • Overwatch Summer Showdown
  • Overwatch Countdown Cup
  • OverWatch All-Stars

The most popular Overwatch betting markets include:

  • Winners of tournaments or events
  • Match winners
  • Series winners
  • Players or teams scoring the highest points