Many people think of esports betting as one of the hottest new ways to gamble online. In reality, though, betting (in some form) on what are essentially video games has been around for thirty-plus years. Going online and competing in championships has been a reality since the early days of the Cyberathlete Professional League in the 1990s. Where competitions flourish, you can bet what gambling will follow. What is esports gambling, is it legal to have a punt on it, and how do you go about doing that. These are all questions we will answer as we take you on an adventure with our GambleHero guide to esports gambling.
Is It Legal to Bet on Esports Online?
Betting on esports betting is perfectly legal, assuming you live in a country where sports betting is deemed legal. In most countries, wagering on conventional sports games and esports go hand-in-hand. Most wagers take place at the same venues, too, namely sportsbooks. Of course, the market is narrower than conventional sports betting, but there are options out there if you know where to look.
Where to Bet on Esports
If you are interested in betting on esports, then look no further than a typical online sportsbook. These betting sites were quick to jump on the action and provide wagering options to esports fans. Their competitors caught on quickly. In fact, it is rare to see a leading online bookmaker that does not offer at least a few esports selections to their punters in 2021.
Top Esports Betting Markets
As you probably know, an esport is a competitive tournament between the best video players playing a specific game. Every esport is a video game, but not every video game has an esport competition. It is typically only the most successful and prestigious events that you can bet on. With that in mind, let us look at a few of them.
- Call of Duty: The famous shoot ‘em up run by Activision and Infinity Ward is one of the leading multiplier games you can find online with millions of competitors.
- CS-GO: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is another shooting game where terrorist and counter-terrorist teams go head to head in deathmatches.
- DOTA 2: DOTA 2 sees two teams of five players apiece go head-to-head in a map-based game from Valve, the creators of CS-GO.
- Fortnite: This game should need little explaining. Debuting in 2017, the Fortnight craze is still going strong, seeing cooperative battles taking place in Battle Royale matches.
- League of Legends: If fantasy games are your forte, then LoL could be for you. This capture-the-flag style contest is a roleplaying strategy game and popular worldwide.
- PUBG: Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds is loosely based on the Japanese film, Battle Royale, and can up to 100 players duke it out until only one remains.
- Starcraft 2: A space-themed strategy game from Blizzard, Starcraft 2 is the sequel to one of the very first multiplayer online games and is often tournament-based.
- Other Options: There are plenty of alternatives for you to explore too, including FIFA, F1, World of Tanks, Rocket League, Halo, Hearthstone, and Battlefield.
Options to Bet On
Now that you know a few of the games you can wager on let us look at the types of bets you can make. Most bookmakers will typically permit the following wagers:
- Deathmatch: Also known as outrights, this is a bet on which team will win a match.
- First Kill: A straightforward bet on which team (or player) will be the first to land a confirmed kill on the opposition.
- First Map: In matches that span multiple rounds (maps), this is a wager on which team will win the first map.
- Tournament Winners: Tournaments vary in terms of size, requirements, and conditions. Major ones include the Call of Duty Championship, LoL World Championships, and International DOTA2 Championships. This type of bet is an Outright Bet on who will win the tournament.
Types of Betting Options
Not all types of esports betting take place at sportsbooks. If you are more of a player than a true gambler, there may be other options you wish to look at. Let us run the rule over these next…
- Real Money Wagers: These bets are designed to appeal to members of online sportsbooks – the general gamblers. You will deposit real money and wager that cash for the potential to win even more money, based on the outcome of competitions.
- Skin Betting: This type of bet is only available for game players. Skin Betting essentially involves gambling, buying, or trading gear, upgrades, and products, known as skins for your in-game character. This cannot be done at a sportsbook, but there are plenty of skin markets and exchanges for you to explore.
- Social Bets: What else could social bets be but informal stakes between friends. This could include skins or real money wagers. However, any transactions made are strictly off the books, as far as legality is concerned.
Top Tips for Esports Betting
We would not let you get involved in esports betting without first giving you a heads up on a few top tips to improve your experience. Before wagering on esports, you should always consider the following things:
- If you are a player or someone who likes to watch esports but not a regular gambler, take your time. Make sure you learn about gambling. It is far more complicated to be a successful gambler than a successful gamer, and you have a lot more to lose.
- Manage your finances carefully. Do not throw down all your cash on a far-flung outsider and never wager more than you can afford.
- Do your research. Watch tournaments, watch esports and learn about the players on each team, as well as teams themselves. This way, you can identify patterns in how they play and find weaknesses in their strategy.
- Understand the games that you are going to be betting on. If you do not know what a Deathmatch is or what Last Man Standing means, do not wager on them until you do.
- Use tipsters (free ones, ideally) to get advice about what are the best wagers to make when it comes to esports tournaments and matches.
- Compare the odds at multiple bookmakers. It cannot hurt signing up for more than one sportsbook. This way, you will learn to see the value in the odds and improve your chances of getting favourable odds when betting.
Get Started with Esports Betting Today
That is for our guide to esports betting. With all the information above, you should be well-placed to start wagering on e-sports. Of course, we strongly urge you to start learning about the games you want to bet on and the competitors in those esports. Once you have done that, you will be ready to find a leading bookmaker with GambleHero and start betting on esports today.
