Esports Betting
The growth of Esports in recent years has been nothing short of astounding and as a result the opportunity to gamble on the market has soared. Though ...it’s a relatively new market it’s predicted the Esports betting could exceed $1.5bn by 2020 and that figure is a conservative one when you consider that Esports as a whole is a fairly closed market at present, with most of those involved still being somewhat outside of the mainstream. Esports, or Electronic Sports, put simply is the act of betting on an individual, or Esports team, to win an encounter on a virtual/online game. That game is most commonly in the field of a battle of some sort. Popular games that US Esports betting is based around include League of Legends, DOTA (Defense of the Ancients) and Starcraft 2. Though the growth of betting on sports simulation based Esports is also rising fast.
The growth of Esports in recent years has been nothing short of astounding and as a result the opportunity to gamble on the market has soared. Though it’s a relatively new market it’s predicted the Esports betting could exceed $1.5bn by 2020 and that figure is a conservative one when you consider that Esports as a whole is a fairly closed market at present, with most of those involved still being somewhat outside of the mainstream.
Esports, or Electronic Sports, put simply is the act of betting on an individual, or Esports team, to win an encounter on a virtual/online game. That game is most commonly in the field of a battle of some sort. Popular games that US Esports betting is based around include League of Legends, DOTA (Defense of the Ancients) and Starcraft 2. Though the growth of betting on sports simulation based Esports is also rising fast.
Is Esports Betting Legal?
With the legality of sports betting with as a whole becoming more prevalent, many areas now allowing online sports gambling, some states have struck down such laws. This means that Esports is either legal in the state in which you are based, or could well be legal in the coming months.
What Is Esports Betting?
When Esports was a pastime enjoyed by a fairly small group of the gaming public most wagers and bets were between friends but now it’s a billion dollar industry that is growing at a phenomenal rate.
Esports gambling is now huge and is split into various relevant genres.
There are FPS games, or First-person shooters is you prefer, which involve combat between individuals. Games such as CS GO or Call of Duty being hugely popular.
MOBA games (MultiplayerOnlineBattleArea) games, which are also combat based but pit teams against each other. Here you’ll find games such as Dota 2, Smite, Heroes of Storm or League of legend.
Sports simulation games make up another genre, think FIFA and NBA2K, then there’s classic genre fighting video games such as StreetFighter and Tekken.
The sheer width of games types only adds to the growing nature of the Esports betting field.
How To Bet On Esports
In many ways betting on Esports is similar to general sports betting online, but clearly there are a few different niche options/bets to consider.
- Traditional Sportsbook betting
- Fantasy Sports Betting
- Item Betting
- Social betting
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Traditional Sportsbook betting
Most online bookmakers have now grown to include a form of Esports betting that is very much like a Traditional Sportsbook betting form of gambling.
Meaning that you can select who you think will win, lose or tie an encounter in whatever Esports field this occurs in. Be it a sports simulation or another Esport activity offered by the brand in question. As the popularity of Esports betting increases, so will the markets to do so.
Esports Betting Sites
Currently not every online bookie in the US offers the option to bet on eSports. We have selected below the few they do accept bets. Click on the brand and read our review about the sportsbook.
Fantasy Esports Betting
Fantasy Esports betting relates specifically to the bets placed on Fantasy sports games, i.e. team based selections made for various sports. So for instance the NFL Fantasy Football market is massive and millions of Americans, and beyond, select teams based on who they think will do well in real NFL action, and their collected points total is then what is being bet upon.
Item Betting
This betting subset related to acquiring and winning items within a set game, be it weapons or some other form of bonus that works within the realm of the relevant game.
These bets may involve thousands of players vying for a reward of some sort, the odds are long but these are generally not cash bets, more likely being picked up via credits of some kind.
Social Betting
This is the most casual form of betting on Esports and is usually just a wager or bet placed between friends in an informal setting and is widespread but by its very nature hard to calculate it’s overall value in the Esports betting market.
The Best Esports Games
- League of legends
- Dota 2
- Fortnite
- CS:GO (Counter-Strike – Global Offensive)
- Overwatch
- Starcraft II
- Hero of the storm
- Rocket League
Esports Odds
The sheer variety of Esports genres means that the number of different bets and odds types available are huge, and always growing.
Most bets relate to an Esports event where two sides compete against each other to find a winner. That could come in a team battle to win in League of Legends or Counter-Strike Global Offensive and you could potentially bet on an outright victory, just like in a traditional sports fixture.
Live ‘in-play’ betting is also very popular in Esports betting and relate to placing a bet when a game is running.
Do People Really Bet On Esports And Is It Safe?
People do indeed bet on Esports and the rate in which they do so is increasing month on month and a key to this the fact that currently the biggest viewing demographic in this field is a young one but is expanding rapidly.
Betting on Esports is very much similar to traditional sports betting in so much as you are putting your bet on a team, or individual, winning an encounter. The only real difference here is that the battle taking place is a virtual one.
In relation to whether gambling on Esports is safe some in the past may have had concerns about games being rigged but now the audience and market has grown so large and professional that such concerns are all but extinct.
The mechanics of betting and payment are the same as sports book betting and in many ways Esports should just be considered a branch of the entire betting experience, rather than a different avenue.
Most major bookmaker brands offer Esports betting now and this is a pretty safe way of knowing when things are secure.
ESports Live Updates
May 15th
Le Mans Organisers Plan 24-Hour Virtual Racing Event
April 25th
Liverpool and Wolves stars fight it out for FIFA 20 trophy, read more here
April 17th
Nevada Gaming Control approves eSports Betting in four major events, read more here
April 4th
Kevin Durant dumped out of NBA 2K Players Tournament in the first round, check out how the esports primetime event is progressing by clicking here.
March 20th
NASCAR drivers to compete in esports exhibition series as coronavirus puts driving season on hold
March 10th
EA postpones and cancels several events including Apex Legends Global Series and EA FIFA tournaments
