Today we take a look at the world’s best esports betting sites in the world and specifically what makes them so good. Market variety and a great selection of odds are just some of the defining features of the top video game betting sites you will find out there.
Moreover, there are reputation checks, great bonuses, and the feeling that you belong. Oh, and if Reddit tells you that an esports sportsbook is good, that has to be the case. Unlike other groups of fans, esports bettors stick together and put their trust in the community.
Want to find out the top-ranked esports betting sites?
Here are our top online esports betting sites for esports:
Top Esports Betting Sites
BetOnline
- Very generous bonus payment system
- Bonus codes for every major event
- Mobile compatible and accessible
Bovada
SportsBetting.ag
BetUS
Esports are the world’s latest competition loved by millions. Whether you are a League of Legends (LoL) fan yourself or love the more ‘hardcore’ Dota 2, video gaming is probably a big part of your life. Some of you probably identify yourselves as popcorn gamers where others take on the esports action without any compromise. Amid the massive popularity of the activity, a new market has emerged – that for esports betting.
Esports Betting: Variety of Wagers & Games
One of the main reasons why esports betting gets so much attention is the availability of markets. Today, there are at least ten highly competitive titles that are featured in esports gambling sites around the world. If that tells you anything, it’s that esports are clearly in an upswing. Just look at the available titles you can wager on!
You will start with all the classics, such as LoL, Dota 2, CS:GO, and StarCraft II. As you build your confidence, your betting appetites will extend to games such as Overwatch, Call of Duty, Clash Royale, Arena of Valor, Rocket League, FIFA19, and many more.
Yet, most esports betting sites will focus on several titles exclusively. As a result, you will most commonly be able to bet on:
- LoL
- Dota 2
- CS:GO
- StarCraft 2
- Overwatch
Why? Because these games have a steadfast following with millions of dollars being poured into them. Other games to keep an eye out for include PlayerUnknown’s Battleground (PUBG), Apex Legends, and Fortnite.
Blizzard is launching Warcraft III: Reforged, which is a spruced-up version of the classic game by the same name. As a result, you will be able to see a spike in betting markets. Video game betting sites will also feature Call of Duty, as Activision/Blizzard approved a franchised league similar to the Overwatch League (OWL). What does this tell you? That it’s a good time to be interested in esports betting!
Bonuses for Esports Betting Sites
Esports bettors are unlike any herd bookmakers have dealt with so far. In 2016, Pinnacle Esports smugly reported that only 5% of all esports wagers ever turned a profit. That meant across the entire industry. Pinnacle, the bookmaker explained about itself, was among the operators to actually challenge esports fans in their own stomping ground.
With this being said, you can imagine that traditional sportsbook bonuses won’t work with esports fans. First, they are way too restrictive. As a result, most bonuses you can get as a player today come with very simple wagering requirements. No sportsbook actually wants to risk displeasing the esports betting fandom.
Wagering Requirements? Forget About It!
Sportsbooks and esports gambling sites are completely changing their traditional paradigm. Deposit bonuses are still very much the norm, but they have to come in small amounts, and possibly – small rollover requirements.
Meanwhile, innovative endemic operators, such as Rivalry, have decided to focus on a bonus system that rewards you for learning something new. There is also a $25 risk free wager. In other words, you bet on the LoL Worlds, lose your bet, and are immediately refunded to try again.
You can even change the game and place your bet on CS:GO or Overwatch instead. Providing there is an event worth betting on.
Live Betting – All the Rage for Esports Betting
Now, to help you understand how important in-play or live esports betting can in fact be, we will just point out to a simple fact: 100 million people tuned in to watch the League of Legends’ finals in 2019. Do you think this is by accident? Not in the slightest. The potential for placing live wagers on video gaming competitions is big to say the least.
Moving forward, video game betting sites will only get better at monetizing out of this. As the viewership and opportunities to watch esports increase, this shouldn’t really surprise you.
Esports Betting Guide
Eager to learn the ins and outs of esports betting in a constructive and simple way? We will make this read as informative as a Reddit sub and as easy to read as an Imgur.com meme. Why? Because we know your time is valuable. Betting on esports can be quite fun and to be truly successful and get an edge over the esports betting sites, you need only follow four simple steps. Four steps, no more!
- Have a passion for the game – Whether it is Apex Legends or CS:GO, your love for the game will help you make more informed decisions than any of the websites that offer esports betting odds. It’s that simple. Develop an appreciation for the esports title you are betting on, and results will follow.
- Spend time playing – Unlike many sports fans, gamers can spend a hefty chunk of their time playing the game. You can even come very close to being a semi-professional yourself. It’s this immediate accessibility that makes esports so fun. So long as you keep playing and informing yourself, you will always be a step ahead of the esports sportsbooks.
- Enjoy the meta – Esports tend to change quickly. Whether it’s new teams taking over the competitive scene or the core of the game transforming, change is inevitable. Yet, by learning to embrace that change, you are in for a very rewarding ride. Your esports betting will bring you a good amount of profit so long as you keep your ear to the ground and sense these important changes in the meta.
- Pick great video game betting sites – Lastly, picking a website that you can trust is just as equally important. The best websites will always be praised by the community and this is where it gets easier for you to have a blast. Check with your favorite communities to find the best betting options for you, or just check out our list of recommended offshore bookmakers.
Top Offshore Esports Betting Sites
When you are eager to get your hands on some quick action, you will want to only stick with the best esports venues out there. We have managed to thoroughly review a bunch of esports-friendly websites that run some great odds and lines. Want to see for yourself? Sure! When you pick an esports betting site from our list, you are effectively going to benefit from:
- Quick payouts
- Variety of events
- Great selection of games
- Straightforward bonuses
- Good profit margin
Optimize Your Esports Betting Game
A way to optimize how much you make from esports betting is to register at two or three esports bookmakers and compare their odds. Stick with the best value and make sure to turn a profit. Remember how we told you how most esports sportsbooks end up messing up their predictions in a big time? This is the perfect time to boost your own bankroll. Aside from the top 3 Esports betting sites above, here are a number of honorable mentions for sportsbooks offering Esports betting that we also would recommend checking out:
- Bovada – Bovada is a stickler for esports markets. They run a decent coverage on League of Legends, Dota 2, Overwatch, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), and StarCraft. LoL gets the most markets and possibly the most bets. Bovada has reliable cashing out facilities and if you are a fan of Bitcoin, you will appreciate this tech-savvy payment option.
- BetOnline – We appreciate BetOnline because it is a proper esports betting site. BetOnline in fact has a dedicated esports sportsbook, and guess what – it’s available in both English and Chinese. Say what you will, this bookmaker knows how to anticipate trends. You will find three markets here, and specifically, LoL, Dota 2 and CS:GO, but the offer tends to be very comprehensive. You get early markets, outright winners, and you can even verify the results. Looking to bet live on esports? BetOnline is your place!
- Bookmaker – If you are eager on more CS:GO markets, you may want to consider Bookmaker. The offer here is very straightforward and you can place bets on line, total and money line. Just pick one of the available options and make your wager right away. All changes will display automatically in your betting slip.
- GTBets – GTBets covers a good variety of esports and more importantly, some cool betting options along the way. They feature their esports betting as part of the sportsbook where you will find wagers on CS:GO Starladder Berlin Major, League of Legends CBLOL Winter Season and other cool options.
Types of Esports Bets You Can Make
Esports fans don’t really care about the terminology as much, not the betting terminology in the very least. However, knowing what to expect is usually very helpful. We won’t trouble you with terms such as “teasers” and “parlays,” because frankly – those are very unlikely to appear during a regular betting game insofar as video gaming contests go. What are the types of esports bets you can make?
- Match winner – It’s always easier to just have to choose your match winner and be done with it. Just click on the esports betting odds for the team you side with and enter the sum you want to wager.
- 1st game winner – In esports, you get a few games or rounds per event between teams. The format depends on the event, but you have various competitions, from direct elimination to Best of 2 (BO2), BO3, BO5 and even more if the event is more significant.
- 2nd game winner – You are betting on the outcome of a specific game. The word “game” could be replaced by rounds if we are talking games such as Call of Duty, CS:GO, and Overwatch, for example.
- Proposition bets – These are very common and the best esports betting sites will probably offer them. Now, a prop bet – as it’s known – simply creates a condition to bet on. Are Team Liquid going to win the International with less than 4 lost games overall? Are OG going to win the finals but still have fewer kills than their opponents? All of these are propositions and they are a little more conjectural than regular types of wagers.
Esports Betting Tips & Tricks
Esports betting can be very lucrative, but you will need to keep a few things in mind to make that happen. First off, you need to truly enjoy video gaming – not in the way you have heard or dabbled into it, but as a matter of an all-out fan who wouldn’t miss the LoL Worlds or FACEIT: London (although admittedly that was hosted for the first time in 2019).
How well you perform in terms of esports wagers will solely depend on how well you know the game. Yet, even advanced players can benefit from a few practical considerations. Here’s a list of the esports betting tips we believe important in determining your future success as a bettor:
- Learn player names, know what to expect – The single most important condition for your success as an esports bettor is of course your ability to always be in the know. Follow the game and team rotations and more importantly – understand them. If a player dropping out of a team means nothing to you, then you are perhaps not really paying enough attention. Player names matter, so focus on them.
- Compare odds between video gaming betting sites – Regardless of the website you have chosen, endemic and non-endemic esports bookies have a lot to offer. To be able to tell whether their esports betting odds are worth it, you will need to focus on the odds available. Play with two or three esports betting sites regularly so that you may always choose the best odds.
- Heed the community’s advice – The community in esports knows which way the wind blows. While basing your bets off what other people think may not be your favorite, you can get a very good idea about why certain trends exist. Listen to what the community thinks and study individual esports betting options.
- Read all important esports sources – This could he HLTV.org, Reddit, GosuGamers, or LoL’s discussion boards. In each case, these are portals that provide you with a lot of information about the current developments. Many players often end up facing visa issues when travelling to play. This is particularly the case in Dota 2, which hosts its major events all over the world.
- Make it fun – Lastly, the most successful bettors are those who love esports from the bottom of their soul and take pride and pleasure in calling the successful outcome of events. If you are in it to just turn a profit, your chances of success will probably not be very high.
- Keep realistic about your profit margin – Even the best esports bettors seldom can turn up to hefty 30% on their investment. If you intend to spend $750 on bets this year you could rake back around $225. Not too much, but not too bad either. The bolder you become with your investment money, the higher your chances of success are. Yet, this shouldn’t be your guiding principle.
Betting on the Go
Already half of all gaming happens on a mobile device, thanks to esports titles as Honor of Kings, Arena of Valor, Clash Royale, Clan of Wars, and quite a few others. Is it any surprising that the same trend is repeating itself in esports betting? Placing your next wager while in transit is no big deal at all, and most players choose to wager from a mobile device in the first place.
Therefore, esports betting sites must provide fans and bettors with sufficient mobile options. A lot of the new endemic bookmakers, including Pinnacle Esports and Rivalry.gg will end up designing a website that is fully accessible from a mobile device.
Biggest Esports Events to Bet On
And this brings us to one of the most important stops in our journey. The events that provide you with the most opportunities to bet on esports. You see, a few years ago, these events were all the rage. You wanted to participate in esports betting, you waited until August for the International or January for the League of Legends Worlds.
This has changed though, thanks to the franchising model which means that we have tons of games to bet on every day! Yet, the big draws for the community remain things like TI9, Worlds, Starladder, CS:GO Majors and others. To help you find what to bet on and when, we will break down events for you.
Regular Esports Betting Events/Leagues
- CS:GO Majors
- Dota 2 Majors
- League of Legends Championships (LCS)
- Overwatch League (OWL)
- Fortnite Twitch Challenges
- Apex Legends Twitch Challenges
The year is full of esports competitions, and they are duly covered by the best esports betting sites out there. Some events have a little more structure, such as the LCS and the OWL. They offer weekly games on a clear schedule that is posted at the beginning of each season. This makes it easy for smart esports bettors to plan ahead.
Meanwhile, events such as CS:GO Majors and Dota 2 Majors are planned on the fly. There are venues that will almost certainly be featured, of course. For CS:GO that’s Berlin and Cologne as well as Los Angeles. Yet the Majors and Minors events, for that matter, are announced gradually and throughout the year. In honesty, nearly all events are available a few months after the first one has been revealed.
Esports Betting Tournaments You Don’t Want to Miss Out
Other than the run-of-the-mill action that takes during the regular seasons, there are tons of major esports events that you will be interested in. These events have a massive viewership of over 100 million people each and esports betting sites are well aware of the potential there. Looking to place a wager? Why not do so on one of the most exciting tournaments on video games out there – or on all of them for that matter. They include:
- The International (Dota 2’s largest event)
- LoL Worlds
- Fortnite World Cup
- IEM Katowice (covers CS:GO, Dota 2, StarCraft, and Fortnite)
- Call of Duty World League (CWL)
- The Overwartch World League (OWL)
- PUBG Global Championship
- HALO World Championship
Most of these markets will be covered by all major video gaming betting sites, which gives you an opportunity to compare a lot of odds. For some specific games such as Halo and StarCraft, or even PUBG and Warcraft, the betting markets may be slightly smaller, which is understandable.
