Last week we brought you a guide to some sports events that are still taking place at the present moment, and for this follow up article, we are going to expand on one of the more niche and newer betting markets available for customers, the often misunderstood realm of esports betting.
While popular with Generation X and Millennials, Esports Betting is still something of a mystery to people of a certain vintage, many of whom have grown up with more standardised forms of sports betting as their preferred choice of wager. To them, and until a few years ago, I would have included myself in this group, the notion of esports betting can feel somewhat alien.
However, the good news is that, as is the case with betting on any traditional sport, esports betting is relatively easy to pick up and it is relatively easy to begin to understand the games and markets that you are betting on, even if you have never picked up a games console controller in anger.
So in this article, we are going to learn a little more about esports and esports betting, how they developed, where they are most popular and just how popular they are. We will also look at some of the most popular esports available to bet on at bet365 Sports.
It is also worth remembering that if you are based in the United States, esports betting is slowly starting to be rolled out across states that offer sports betting to customers and while not every state has access just yet, if you are a member of a sports betting site in a state like Indiana (and the latest BetRivers Affiliate Code is your friend if you want to join up now), then this means you will be likely to be amongst the first to be able to try esports betting, if it is not available in your state.
The Esports Boom
Thereās no doubt that the esports boom can be traced back to the massive surge in popularity of gaming, which coincided with the release of games consoles like the PlayStation and xBox. Successive generations of consoles have brought about an increasing number of more complex, individual and team games that, along with the improvement of internet speed and capability, the chance to play these games online against other players around the world.
From those seeds, the esports industry was born with the most popular games attracting millions of players. Soon tournaments were organised for the best to compete against each other and over time, the number of games and the number of tournaments increased. Sponsors quickly began to understand this burgeoning new arena for competition and thus the esports industry came into being.
Not only were players involved in these games, but fans could also tune in over the internet to watch games being contested via live streaming services. Soon fans wanted to start betting on the outcome of these games and from this, the first seeds of esports betting were sown.
Years later, both these industries have a symbiotic relationship, and both are in extraordinarily good health, turning over billions of dollars in turnover a year and expanding greatly in recent years. So much so that esports betting is now ranked alongside all other forms of sports betting on almost every top online bookmaking site.
What are the most popular esports to bet on?
While any online game could become an esport, at the moment there are a relatively small number of games that enjoy such widespread popularity and the support of sponsorship from major businesses and brands, that they can legitimately be called esports.
These games can pit individuals against each other, or teams of players against each other depending on the type of game.
What you will find is that it is these popular esports that are the ones that you will find betting on at sites like bet365 Sport, as well as many other online betting sites. A list of some of the most commonly available esports to bet on is outlined below:
- Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO or CS:GO)
- League of Legends (LoL)
- Defense of the Ancients 2 (Dota2)
- Overwatch
- Rocket League
- Call of Duty (COD)
- FIFA 20
- Rainbow Six Siege (R6)
- StarCraft II (SCII)
- Hearthstone
- Player Unknown Battle Grounds (PUBG)
- Fortnite
- Streetfighter
- World of Tanks
Where an esport is known by a shortened version of its name, we have also included the acronym used for the esport in brackets above.
How do bookmakers know how to price up markets for these esports?
The answer to this is simple, they use industry knowledge together with complex calculations as they do for any standard sports betting market to decide their odds.
In the early days of the esports industry, this knowledge was not commonplace, and it was much more difficult for bookies to price up markets. However, now esports has huge coverage worldwide and there are many experts available that tune in to these events, it has become much easier for bookies to gain access to the knowledge they need to price up markets.
So, you can be sure that the prices you get offered on an esports market are as well researched and fair as you would find for any standard sports betting market.
So, what markets can I typically bet on in esports?
As esports are generally based on āgameā situations (rather than āraceā although there are some race-based esports games, notably in F1 Esports) then the markets you will find for esports betting will generally resemble the markets you would find when betting on a sporting game, such as football.
By that we mean you may be able to bet on a team to win their match against another team. You can also bet on a team performing certain tasks in a game (for example, in CS:GO, you can bet on the number of kills a team or individual will land in that game).
Of course, esports betting is a little more complex if you are not used to the esports, so it is a good idea to perhaps learn a little about a game before you bet on it, simply so you can understand exactly what the different markets mean and to be able to put them more into context.
Better still, many esports, such as Dota 2, are free to download and play for yourself, so you can see what the game is about.
Where can I watch esports?
Esports are available on a number of live streaming services such as Twitch TV or YouTube. Sites like bet365 Sport also stream some live esports events each day too and if you have placed a bet inside the past 24 hours, or have a credit balance in your account, then you can tune in to watch these events direct on the site.
Worried about your gambling?