Esports Betting Market: The Bettors’ Must-Know Guide

The last decade has seen a dramatic breakthrough by esports into the mainstream. Most notably in the last two years with the pandemic situation around the globe. LOL, Counter-Strike, GTA, and other world-famous video games are massive hits in esports betting.

The immense popularity of video games, terrific investments, and abundance of live-streaming opportunities are just some of the many reasons beyond the growing popularity of Esports.

With the emergence of mobile gambling, the global esports games market accelerated even more making it a central form of entertainment for millions worldwide.

Being a massively popular industry, betting on esports is definitely worth experiencing for yourself. Before venturing into esports betting you should get a grasp of the main markets that are on offer. 

Esports Betting Markets 

Betting markets and odds vary from bookie to bookie. But worry not a jot as here is a walkthrough of some common betting markets available. 

These are some of the most popular markets but some sportsbooks go beyond these and offer loads of exciting betting opportunities. Many video games even have their specific markets. If you are interested, you can get more details about Dota 2 betting, LOL betting or other games specific betting guidelines online. 

  • Match Winner: In any sport or game the outcome can go either way. And one of the most basic ways to bet is to wager who will win the game. Match winner or Moneyline is a widespread market and those who are into betting will encounter this market quite often.
  • Outright Winner – You simply try to predict which player or team will win the whole tournament. There are several global tournaments flocking millions of fans. For example, the International for Dota 2, League of Legends World Championship, or the Majors provide a good chance to try this betting type.
  • Round/Map Winner – There are first-person shooter, and multiplayer battle royale games like Counter-Strike, Dota 2 or LOL. All of these allow fans to predict which team will win a certain map or the round of a video game.  
  • Over/Under – Another betting market that can be familiar to you is Over/Under also known as Totals. Here bookies put forward a set threshold and you need to guess if the overall score of the game will be over/higher or under/lower the set line. 
  • Time – This is a unique type of market. If the game has a time limitation this bet can be used to bring more excitement into the competition. So you just guess if the game will pass the usual finishing time or not. 
  • Handicap Bet – This is another very popular betting market in any sport. The bookies use this to spice up the game. They give the obvious underdog an advantage by handicapping the favoured team. The favoured team has to beat the handicap odds in order to win. The favoured player will get negative odds, while the handicapped will get positive. 
  • First Blood – This is another unique betting market seen in esports. In bloodthirsty games like Call of Duty, punters can wager on who will score the first kill. 

Just having the hunch and knowledge about the market won’t help you to succeed. Make sure you do your research and have a strategy before placing your esports bets.

Esports Game Plan

Having a certain strategy in your pocket is always handy, especially in a competitive betting world like esports. With this knowledge at hand, you will boost your betting experience. 

  • Shop for the best esports odds –  Take your time and find bookies that have the best odds. To achieve this you need to compare several sportsbooks and find markets and odds that resonate with you. Make sure your choice is backed with research and you can budget your betting stake to a limit you are comfortable with. 
  • Find a betting site – Finding a legal and safe betting site is the top priority for each gambler. Have a shortlist of trusted bookies. Also, check the sportsbook’s bonus system and insurance policy.  
  • Follow the statistics and news – While gut feeling can help you to win, to have stable profit in esports betting you need to be aware of the latest statistics. Follow the teams and their form. Understand the game by watching streams on Twitch or other available platforms. Stay tuned and always remember that knowledge is the key to long-term success. 
  • Stay within your financial limits – Having a set budget for betting will ensure your betting remains a fun form of entertainment. This is probably the most important strategy in any sports betting. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement especially if you aren’t just a punter but also a passionate fan. To stabilize your bankroll, keep track of your bets and never cross your limits. For the beginning keep your bet amounts low. Use available bonuses offered by bookies.

Now that you have insight into the betting market and necessary strategies, the next step is to find the esports games to follow and bet on. Some of the games you may have heard about others can be not that popular. Presenting you with some of the giants in the global esports industry worth following are:

  • League of Legends/LOL – This is a multiplayer battle arena game. The game was developed by the Riot Games in 2009.
  • Dota 2 – This is a multiplayer battle arena game like League developed by Valve. 
  • Fortnite – This is a battle royale game by Epic Games that was released in 2017. 
  • Counter-Strike: Global Offensive – This one is a first-person shooter game presented by Valve and Hidden Path Entertainment.
  • PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds – And the last one in the list is PUBG. This is another multiplayer battle royale game. It was published by PUBG Studios in 2017. 

These video games have gone viral leaving the gaming industry awestruck after presenting terrific prize pools. Due to this, more and more people got attracted to esports.

Taking all this knowledge and putting it into practice will result in a successful betting experience. Stay up to date with the latest esports news for new insight and enjoy the gameplay.


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