If there’s anything that has taken over and changed the landscape of what defines traditional sports betting, and what is defined as a sport in general, it’s the seismic emergence of Esports over the last decade.
In a short period of time, the Esports betting market has absolutely exploded with the popularity of Esports, witnessing competitive gaming tournaments such as the League of Legends world championship drawing in enormous numbers that are hard to believe, and impossible to ignore.
Therefore, at CasinoCrawlers we’ve decided to dig deep and find out exactly how esports fans and punters alike can find the best sports betting markets and bookmakers for this emerging phenomenon.
As always, we’ve handpicked the sites that we know are the leaders in their field for esports odds, esports betting and improving your knowledge to get you ready for the next esports match, whether that be League of Legends (LOL) or Counter Strike Global Offensive (CSGO).
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Technology in the contemporary world is hardly something static. So naturally, Esports, a cultural and sporting phenomenon based on technological advancements and PC gaming updates are no different.
Therefore, to keep up in a sports betting market in a constant state of flux, it’s essential to know exactly how to stay updated in the most effective manner, so when it does come to the time you’re next placing bets on major tournaments in the esports world, you’ll be in a viable position to win big.
But why is this so? What makes esports betting such a dynamic and constantly evolving industry that one has to constantly be on their toes when navigating esports betting sites to lay down their next wager?
Let’s start with a bit of context about esports as a whole, and how it’s come to be one of the tours de force in the betting industry
Electronic sports, or “Esports” as it is commonly known, are competitive video games with league and tournament structures similar to those seen in traditional sports. Gamers compete in Esports either individually or in teams (multiplayer).
Professional gamers have developed as another class of celebrity in their respective scenes thanks to streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube, establishing devoted fan followings that religiously tune into their games or attend them live.
League of Legends, DOTA 2, CSGO (Counter Strike), COD (Call of Duty), Overwatch, and Fortnite are some of the most widely played and enjoyed Esports games. Other popular and influential titles include Esports include Super Smash Brothers, Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter.
It’s important to note that the world of esports, and subsequently esports betting, is primarily dominated by team sports. While there are single-player titles (FIFA, AOE, Starcraft) that command an industry in itself, they don’t compare in numbers to the influence and popularity of Esports played in a team.
One of the coolest things about the Esports industry is that while names such as “Faker” and “Doublelift” aren’t household names as of yet, esports teams and their players possess enormous social media followings online and are undoubtedly celebrities in their own right.
Who knows, maybe one day we’ll be mentioning Lionel Messi and Faker in the same sentence.
Another factor contributing to the popularity of eSports is streaming, which allows you to watch other people—including professional gamers—play on platforms like Twitch.
In 2017, 355 billion (yes, billion) minutes were seen on Twitch, which is owned by Amazon. Twitch attracted 15 million daily visitors in 2017.
Today’s gaming culture emphasises both playing games and watching others play.
According to our own internal polls, the typical gamer spends 25 hours per week playing games while also engaging in 25 hours per week of other online activities, such as viewing streams.
There are many gamers who aren’t classified as professional gamers, who have forged careers for themselves (sometimes quite lucrative) simply by playing games and recording themself playing games, often with a running commentary or humourous content.
I mean, just take a look at PewdiePie.
Once commanding the most subscribed YouTube channel in the world, he carved his fame and fortune by playing games and streaming.
As much as Esports has become a cultural force recently, it’s not exactly the new kid on the block either. In fact, on October 19, 1972, the first recognised tournament playing video games took place. The contestants played the game Spacewar, with a year’s subscription to Rolling Stone magazine as the grand prize.
However, competitive gaming has come a long way since then.
Propelling forward into the 1980s, the smash hit arcade title Space Invaders was released by Atari and become the first video game to be played in a tournament on a national level, cementing itself as one of the premier games of the high score generation.
As the arcade format of the game fostered a gaming generation along with the emergence of home console systems, the trajectory of gaming and the ubiquity of gaming tournaments only grew, birthing game formats such as the first-person shooter.
In the 90s, the platform fighting game hit its stride, and Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat were seen in gaming tournaments all over. Not to be left behind, PC and console gaming started making waves, with legendary releases such as Starcraft II and Halo steaming into the turn of the century.
It is a testament to the late 90s and early 2000s that many of these titles are still played in the esports industry today, with esports bets placed internationally on Starcraft II tournaments.
Perhaps the key date of the 2000s which signified esports significance as an industry, and that esports matches were here to stay (not to mention that prize money) was when Halo 2 marked itself in history as the first televised Esports event.
As we move onto the 2010s, the most important notch on the calendar here is the establishment of Twitch in 2011, which facilitated live streams of Esports gaming, gambling and interaction from fans and stakeholders alike.
League of Legends, one of the most popular titles of all time (if not the most popular), was responsible for making history in 2013 when the World Championship managed to sell out the Staples Centre in Los Angeles within minutes of tickets being announced for sale.
Thanks to both broadcasting and streaming, today we have a global Esports market that is anticipated to increase from $1.44 billion in 2022 to $5.48 billion in 2029. Therefore, esports betting sites are only expected to grow as the industry continues on its upwards trajectory.
The gaming industry as a whole is enormous, and we are now at a stage where if a game can be played online against other players, it’s most likely going to have an esports betting site somewhere with odds listed for it.
Esports betting is widely available for many esports such as League of Legends, Rocket League, fantasy esports and many more. It’s no longer just a niche industry for the top esports anymore, esports wagering is now something to be found on many betting sites.
This is great news as a punter, as the possibilities are virtually endless.
Follow your favourite esports teams in fantasy esports betting, or perhaps research some esports betting tips and apply that knowledge to generate some serious returns.
The handy thing is, Esports generally follows the same rules as traditional sports betting, meaning you won’t have to completely relearn how to lay down a sports bet.
If you’re already familiar with how leading sportsbooks work, how to get the best odds, how to carry out live betting and other essential points of information required to bet effectively on other games, then you’re already on the right track.
You may wager on the esports odds for which side will win a game of anything from a MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) game like DOTA, or a first-person shooter like Doom, just like you might wager on the winner of a football game. Because esports has luckily gotten more professionalised, you can get to know prominent teams in esports such as Fnatic and SK Telecom T1 to boost your betting confidence.
When you bet on esports, you need to use the odds that the bookie provides. The esports odds reflect the possibility that a specific event will occur, just like in sports betting.
Therefore, despite the apparent distinctions between traditional sports and esports, there are many similarities between the two when it comes to betting.
As this is a widespread practice within the esports betting industry, we thought to take a second to explain the concept of skin gambling.
If you find yourself on a betting site placing an esports bet often, you’ll have probably come across skin gambling, or one of the skin betting sites.
Put simply, skin gambling is the practice of using virtual goods you’ll find in-game (such as player skins) as virtual currency, which can be used for traditional gambling processes of betting these virtual goods on the outcome of an esports match.
While this was popularised by Counter Strike Global Offensive, it has been seen in use in other popular titles such as FIFA.
The appeal of skin betting sites is that often these virtual goods can be exchanged for real-world currency, drawing in countless participants looking to make a quick buck.
Valve, the developer of Counter Strike Global Offensive, has largely condemned this practice as it violates their terms of service.
However, skin betting sites aren’t going anywhere, and are definitely here to stay.
As mentioned before, the good thing about esports betting is that it draws many parallels with regular sports betting sites.
In saying this, there are particular things one should look for when considering where to place their next esports bet.
Of course, to begin we’d always recommend checking out our list of betting sites, as we’ve taken time to carefully ensure that every one of the betting sites listed on CasinoCrawlers has passed out quality checks and is certified as a safe, enjoyable place to bet on Esports.
Without further ado, here are some esports betting tips to find the place that’s right for you and your preferences as a punter.
Something that we all value when we’re spending our money somewhere, is the security that our hard-earned dollars are going where we expect them to go.
One way to ensure this when you bet on esports at a gambling site is ensuring the website is licensed by an internationally recognised gaming or betting authority.
As Europe is a hotspot for gambling and casino games, one of the premier institutions that license sports betting sites and casinos is the Malta Gaming Authority. If a betting site has a certification from somewhere like this, recognised and verified, you can be assured that your experience will be safe.
We make sure that every single Esports betting site we list has been verified by a trusted gaming authority.
The best bookmakers run their esports betting sites by ensuring that esports fans can place esports bets on a wide range of games.
What you’ll want to look for is much the same as you would at a traditional sports betting site, not only a comprehensive list of sports betting options, but also in-depth information and advice about placing bets and ensuring that you’re getting access to the best esports matches.
If an esports betting platform has little to no options available, or only focuses on traditional sports, it may be a sign that it is either a website that doesn’t cater for esports bets or is not a high-quality betting site.
When engaging in esports bettings, always keep an eye out for any deals and bonuses that bookmakers may offer, as these can heighten your experience as a esports better.
If they offer competitive free bets, great prize money, allow you to gamble with currencies such as bitcoin cash (in addition to verified and recognised legal payment methods), and these promotions are specific to betting on esports, then it’s a good sign that you’ve got a good deal.
Granted, this is assuming that the platform is licensed and regulated (which if you go through CasinoCrawlers it’s guaranteed)
So, before you make your first deposit with your chosen payment method, shop around and find if there are any promotions that will serve your needs best.
While there exist quite a lot of similarities between the process of sports betting and esports betting, there are also many differences and researching before you start esports betting is always a good idea. In saying this, the fundamentals of sports betting and esports betting are essentially the same (eg the use of odds)
Like conventional sports wagering, to increase your chances of winning, the process is more or less the same. Do your research, learn as much as you can about the game, follow the teams, specialise and most importantly, make calculated and logical decisions. Betting with emotion or instincts is almost never better than gambling with logic and reason.
The most popular Esports titles for Esports betting would include League of Legends, CSGO, DOTA, Fortnite and many more among their ranks. The climate and culture is shifting everyday though as new games and trends cause the landscape to shift, so it's always best to stay updated on the newest trends and movements in the Esports world.
Noah Adams has been working as a Senior Editor at Casinocrawlers.com since 2022. Here, he has gained first-hand experience with the iGaming industry and how he can help readers find top NZ casinos. Previously, Noah held positio... Read more about the author
