2020 was a strange year for so many, but for one industry in particular it was a boom year.
The esports betting industry was perfectly positioned to take advantage of the unusual circumstances throughout that year and as a result, interest in the industry (and the amount of money changing hands within it) skyrocketed.
However, for those with an interest in esports, this wasn’t a surprise. In fact, the feeling was that this was bound to happen as the esports industry grew in size and scope. It was simply the weird situation of 2020 that accelerated that growth.
Now a multi-billion-dollar global industry, esports is perhaps the best way for traditional sports book services to target the difficult to reach millennial and generation-z demographic. Little wonder then that so many top sports betting sites are now offering extensive coverage of the industry.
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If you are based in the United States, then the situation is a little more complicated as esports betting is not allowed in many states as yet, even those that allow some forms of sports betting. So for all the latest news on this and breaking information as and when esports betting does become available, check out the details on the exciting new site bestbetusa.com.
Let’s begin with a simple explanation of what esports and esports betting are. How they have developed and why they are now becoming an integral part of so many betting sites. We’ll also look at some of the big games you can bet on and the big tournaments coming up this year.
We’ll also not shy away from answering some of the more difficult questions about this emerging betting industry.
What Exactly Is Esports Betting?
For the avoidance of any doubt, esports betting is a bet made on the outcome (or another
market) based on a computer game played between either two or more individuals, or two or more teams of players against each other.
In the same way that a horse racing bet is based on the outcome of a race comprising of several horses and riders, or a football match bet is based on a real game between two teams, esports betting is the same, just based on computer game performance, rather than physical world contests.
What Are The Esports That People Like To Bet On The Most?
While there are potentially thousands of different computer and console games that you could loosely define as esports, the truth is that when it comes to professional esports and the matches that you will find betting on, there are a much smaller number of titles played at this level.
These are the most popular esports titles and you can number those that play these games and view the streams of contests online, in millions all over the globe.
Some of the most common games you will find to bet on at sites like bet365 include:
- League of Legends (LoL)
- Defense of the Ancients 2 (Dota 2)
- Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO)
- Overwatch
- Player Unknown Battlegrounds (PUBG)
- Fortnite
- StarCraft II (SCII)
- FIFA Football
- Call of Duty
- Rocket League
- VALORANT
- Rainbow Six Siege
- Hearthstone
You may well find at times that other esports are made available to bet on. This can be because a game has become popular, big tournaments have been arranged for an event that attracts the interest of punters, or simply that a new game has been released that is aimed at the esports market (such as VALORANT being released last year).
How Is Betting On These Esports Organised?
The important thing to remember is that you are not betting simply on two people playing on
their console at home on an ad-hoc basis, when it comes to esports betting. Each esports at the highest level has a tournament schedule throughout the calendar year, which lists the different tournaments the top level players and teams will compete in.
It is these big, well organised, structured and well-governed events that you will bet on.
It is worth noting that some of these events have massive amounts of prize money to be won. The International is the richest esports tournament in the world and has had prize money of over $20 million to be won at its most recent tournaments.
Some of the top esports tournaments you can bet on each year include:
- League of Legends World Championships
- League of Legends Spring/Summer Splits
- League of Legends Mid Season Invitational
- The International (Dota 2)
- Dota Pro Circuit
- CS:GO BLAST Premier Global Finals
- CS:GO Intel Extreme Masters (& Other CS:GO Major Championships)
- CS:GO ESL Pro League
- FIFA eWorld Cup
- FIFA Global Series
- Overwatch League
- Call of Duty World League
The types of markets you can find on these esports depends on the esports and the types of matches taking place. In truth, there are a huge number of differences in the types of bets available in esports betting. You won’t find the same betting markets at a CS:GO tournament for example, compared to those at a FIFA tournament, however for some markets (such as the outright winner) you tend to find these available for most esports contests.
Surely It Is Very Easy To Fix An Esports Match?
Many sports punters think that esports is not a great option for betting as the chance for fraud seems to be so high. In actual fact, the esports markets you bet on are some of the most stringently policed tournaments you can find in any industry.
As well as tournament organisers insisting their tournaments are free from fraud, organisations such as ESIC ensure that matches are played with full integrity, as the punishments for deliberately losing or cheating are very severe.
Many sports now even insist on drugs test for players to ensure all are playing on a level playing field.
In short, esports contests are as safe to bet on as any sporting contest you would care to mention.
Where Can I Watch Esports Events?
You can watch plenty of great esports action direct from sites like bet365 Sport through its
live streaming service. You can often Live Bet on esports there too which is another exciting option for esports punters.
Remember, viewing live streams at bet365 is free if you have a credit balance in your account, or if you have made a bet inside the previous 24-hours.
You can also tune in to other streaming services, such as Twitch or Facebook Live, to watch other streams of matches if they are not available on bet365.
Furthermore, esports is growing so much in popularity that some events are now being shown live on television or satellite TV channels too. Sky Sports for example shows FIFA tournaments during the summer, while ESPN has been showing esports programming for a while.
Do I Place An Esports Bet Differently To A Standard Sports Bet?
No, you place your esports bet with bet365 Sport in the same way as you would make a sports bet. You click on the odds for the bet you want to make and that adds the bet to your bet slip. You can then decide on how much to stake on the bet and place it with the company by clicking the Place Bet button.
The fact that the difficult to reach generations of millennials and generation z are so into gaming, is partly what has made esports so popular with sports betting sites. That and the rapid growth of the multi-billion dollar industry means it is a source of revenue and new customers that any betting site cannot truly ignore any longer.
That’s good news for punters of all kinds as it means a fresh, new industry for punters to explore and additional betting options on your choice of site.
