Betting on Esports - a modern variation of sports betting

Esports is probably the most modern market that has crept into the realm of betting. It is all based on video gaming at a professional level. There are some major Esports franchises around taking part in global tournaments.

A lot of bookmakers have dedicated sections for Esports betting now and the discipline is on the rise. Even the likes of Premier League clubs are getting in on the action, setting up teams to go and compete in EA FIFA Soccer tournaments.

There are franchised teams backed by big financial backers and these involve players being put on salaries as they compete, while taking a share of the team’s winning. There are contracts involved, player trades and so on and home and away fixtures in league formats.

Esports is quite simply huge and growing rapidly. Along with the popularity of the gaming action itself, so too are the options for Esports betting.

Differences between regular sports and Esports betting

At the core of things, there are similarities between regular sports betting and Esports betting. For example, you can back teams in regular sports to win events like individual matches, leagues and tournament. The same can be done in Esports.

It is even possible to find live in-play betting on Esports as well, just as you can in regular sports wagering. The only nuances in terms of differences between regular sports betting and Esports betting are going to be on the markets on offer.

Currently there is not the wide variety of markets on an Esports match that there is going to be on a Premier League football match. The variety and backing between the regular sports and Esports is still a fair distance apart.

The other major notable difference between the two is statistics. It’s easy to get buried in a wealth of statistics when sizing up a football or cricket match for betting purposes. It is a crucial part of forming bet selections and betting strategies in fact.

However, that’s not something that you are going to be able to do as much of when it comes to Esports betting.

Betting on Esports 

Popular games that the bookmakers generally focus on for Esports are League of Legends, Counter-Strike, DOTA 2, King of Glory and Starcraft II. Those will be covered by most bookmakers who cover Esports betting.

But there are so many different games available, out of which leagues and competitions have been formed, that tournaments will come under the spotlight as they happen.

So what markets can you find in Esports betting?

The most common types of bets in Esports betting are straight forward match outright picks, league and tournament winners. There are leagues in Esports, such as the ESL Pro League for DOTA 2.

Within the course of the season, there will be rounds of matches, one team against another. You can simply back the winner of that match as you would in a regular football match.

Depending on the Esports game in question, you can find alternative markets such as handicaps, correct score and over/under within a match. There are markets such as Team to Score a Penta Kill and Team to Score a Quadra Kill in matches between teams in League of Legends.

Big Esports tournaments

More and more money is being invested into the world of Esports and some of the biggest and most popular are the Overwatch League, the Call of Duty League, The International, Battle.net World Championship Series, the Capcom Cup, Evolution Championships Siers, Apex Legends Global Series, eGames, Electronic Sports League and Electronic Sports World Cup. The list quite frankly, goes on and on with a range of country-based competitions and international competitions.

Bookmakers for Esports betting

More and more bookmakers are providing markets for Esports. Unibet and BetVictor both have extensive Esports coverage within their sportsbook, taking in, as you would expect, a lot of the global markets from the USA LCS to the Nordic Championship.

William Hill delivers a lot of high-quality in-play Esports betting and offers live streams as well on certain events. William Hill also has an acca bet boost where bets of three or more selections can receive an odds-boost. The maximum stake that can be boosted is £20.

Bet365 are another online betting site with great Esports coverage and they do provide punters with a lot of special markets such as who gets “First Blood” in a League of Legends match up.

There are always welcome bonuses that can be earned through bookmakers like William Hill and Bet365. That’s because you only need to register for a regular sports betting account to play Esports markets.

Is betting on Esports legal?

Betting on Esports is legal. It’s no different from heading to a bookmaker website and striking a bet on England to win the Rugby World Cup. As long as you are doing your wagering with a bookmaker that is fully licensed, like those we have mentioned above, then you are good to go.

Esports betting summary

It is still a fairly new discipline when it comes to betting, but Esports is one of the hottest, fastest-growing markets in the world. That is from the actual gaming experience itself to its support base and to how many markets are being made available at online betting sites.

New games and upgrades, bigger competitions, more prize money and a greater degree of professionalism are really behind this big Esports drive. At the end of the day, don’t just jump blindly in to Esports betting.

Do a little bit of research to see what teams consistently do well and if you can pair up your betting with any of your own knowledge of the games to help with specialists markets, that will enhance the experience.

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