Esports

Overview

Esports betting has become increasingly popular over the last decade and is nowadays one of the biggest betting industries in the world. Admittedly, it still has a long way to catch up to the “traditional sports,” but that doesn’t take away from the fact that esports betting is very popular, and if done correctly, it can also be highly profitable.

Brief History

There is no clear date when esports betting began, nor can we pinpoint when it entered the mainstream. But there’s a consensus that esports betting truly took off in the mid-late 2010s and reached new heights in the early 2020s, largely thanks to the COVID pandemic, which halted most traditional sports but left the esports scene relatively untouched.

As esports became more and more popular, the bookies took notice, and most did not hesitate to start offering esports odds to cater to the esports bettors and those looking to start wagering on something new.

And even people who have been betting on esports years ago are getting something new to bet on yearly, due to the release of new esports titles and the formation of new esports leagues.

So no matter whether you’re a seasoned esports bettor or someone who has only recently figured out that bookies are offering esports betting odds, there’s always something new to learn. So check out this article, where we cover everything you need to know about esports and esports betting.

Main Events During The Year

There are over a dozen esports titles, each with its own leagues and competitions, providing esports bettors with non-stop action 365 days a year. Still, there are a few esports tournaments that are considered some of the biggest and most prestigious in the esports scene, including:

–Dota 2 The International
–CS:GO Majors
–LoL World Championship
–Call of Duty League Championship

All four of the listed events serve as a sports equivalent of the World Championship, welcoming some of the best esports teams in their respective title, competing for the ultimate glory. As such, these are some of the most-watched esports events, and the bookies often provide bettors with excellent betting coverage.

So every time a League of Legends World Championship rolls around (October-November), don’t be surprised to see your favorite sportsbook promoting it or offering special bonuses on the esports odds for the tournament.

Championship

Like each esports event has its competitions, they also have their own leagues and seasons but know that the season’s format differs from esports to esports. For example, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s season is not constructed the same way as the NBA season or the LoL season.

It does not have a league where the teams compete throughout the year. Instead, CS:GO hosts several tournaments over the year, hosted by numerous organizers.

But, there is still a system in place to track how the teams have been performing throughout the season.

Meanwhile, League of Legends has leagues held across 12 regions, featuring only the best teams from that country/continent, similarly to the soccer leagues in LaLiga, Premier League, Bundesliga…

So while some esports have a different competitive format than traditional sports, you are able to bet on the competitions the same way.

There will be esports odds on individual matches and outright bets on which team will win the league or tournament.

Finals

Esports titles with league-format competitions also have playoffs, which work the same way as traditional sports. And as you might have guessed, there will be esports odds on this part of the season as well, allowing you to bet on which team will prevail.

For example, a North American League of Legends league, the LoL Championship Series (LCS) season, is split into two parts – Spring and Summer Splits – serving as regular seasons.

The top teams from each split then earn a spot in the playoffs, where they compete in a double-elimination bracket to determine the North American champions.

The playoffs have fewer series than the regular season. Still, since it uses a best-of-three (Bo3) format, it offers more betting opportunities, which explains why LoL playoffs are highly popular among bettors.

BetUS Offer

If you’re looking to start betting on esports and are in need of a bookie that can provide you with esports betting odds, look no further than BetUS. On BetUS, you can find esports odds on all major esports titles, including Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, League of Legends, and Overwatch.

What’s more, you can also grab a $100 dollar-for-dollar match deposit for esports betting, essentially providing you with free money to bet on esports with.

Betting Strategy

Esports betting is an umbrella term that includes betting on all available esports titles. And while LoL, CS:GO, Overwatch, and Dota 2 are all video games, they’re not the same, meaning that the esports odds and available markets will differ depending on which esports title you’re betting on.

But even though the available markets will differ, the approach you should take won’t change and includes the same steps you should consider when betting on anything, including sports.

The first and most important step is to find a reputable, legal, and regulated sportsbook, that can provide you with competitive esports odds and enough market depth. And only when you have access to that, you can start considering betting on esports.

If you never have before bet on esports, it’s wise to first get familiar with the esports title you want to wager on. You can do that by watching professional games, but the quickest and best way to do so is to play the game yourself.

Know that most esports titles are free, so there is no reason for you not to at least try playing them – even if you’re not a gamer.

Besides that, the usual rules apply. You need to be knowledgeable about the game, follow the professional scene, bet with the best esports odds, and know where to find valuable information to locate value bets.

Props Bets

Proposition (or prop) bets are wagers you can make on a game and predict an event that isn’t necessarily related to who will win. Although props aren’t as commonly used as moneyline bets, they can be an excellent tool for esports bettors to win value bets.

Again, it’s important to note that prop bets will differ depending on which esports title you plan to bet on.

But they all have one thing in common – props provide an alternative way to bet on an esports match, opening up the possibilities for bettors to take advantage of and bet with generous esports odds.

Teams To Play

Almost all esports titles are team-based, so you will, more times than not, be betting on teams and how they’ll do in any given match. Still, some bookies will also offer you to bet on a specific player and their performances, namely how many points/kills the player will secure, and even some player-specific proposition bets.

These bets are usually reserved for the more experienced esports bettors since they’re tougher to predict.

Still, it’s important to know that, like in soccer or basketball, you are able to bet on both esports teams and players.

Once you are familiar with the esports title you want to bet on and have access to a solid esports bookmaker, all there is left to do is to place your bets on the betting markets you desire. Luckily, there are plenty of bet types available on esports, providing you with more than enough options to find the bet you like. Here are some of the most common and most popular bets you can make on esports.

Moneyline

Moneyline is the simplest bet you can make on esports. It’s a straightforward bet on which team or player will win any given match, and there is not much more to it. It doesn’t matter how he does it or how long it takes him – the only thing that matters is the final outcome.

Handicap Betting

Handicap betting on esports works on the same principle as handicap betting on sports. But unlike in soccer, where you will get presented with goal handicap markets, LoL or CS:GO will have kill or map (wins) handicap markets.

So while you’re betting on a different thing, the same rules apply – bookies will offer a negative handicap on a team that is perceived stronger and an imaginary advantage to the weaker team. Then you decide on whether the stronger team will manage to cover the handicap or not.

Totals

Like handicap betting, the totals esports odds work the same way as sports totals – the only exception is that you won’t be betting on goals or points. Instead, totals in esports can relate to kills, turrets destroyed, map wins, neutral objective kills, and any other statistic in that esports game.

As long as you understand how totals work in football, basketball, or any other sport, betting with totals on esports should come naturally. The only thing you will need to learn is what turrets, dragons, and other objectives are.

Props

Proposition (or prop) bets in esports are side wagers that have nothing to do with winning. Essentially, a prop bet is a bet on whether something will occur or not, and that can be anything the bookies decide it to be.

In CS:GO, you will be able to bet on whether there will be a knife kill or whether a player will score an ace. Meanwhile, in LoL, you can bet on which team will score the first blood or whether there will be a Penta kill. The options props provide are limitless and offer you an alternative way to bet on esports.