If you love watching top gamers on their live streams and are interested in making money through esports without actually competing yourself, an easy way to do so is through esports betting.
And it’s wonderful fun, too. It certainly makes the tournaments more interesting to watch when you have money riding on it.
But, if you’ve never done so before, you may not know quite where to begin. But fear not, in this article we’re going to cover everything you need to know to get started.
And answer some of your most frequently asked questions on the subject along the way. And, with any luck, we’ll get you on a winning streak to boot!
Please feel free to scroll ahead to any section that jumps out at you. Here goes!
Is Esports Betting Like Traditional Sports Betting?
If you’re already familiar with regular sports betting, you’ll be pleased to hear that esports betting works very much the same way.
The only real difference is that esports betting is far more interactive than regular betting, with a lively community, live-streaming, social media followings and more.
How To Bet On Esports For The First Time
The most convenient way to bet on esports is to do so online. There are many betting websites to choose from, or you could bet on several.
Most betting websites are quite easy to get the hang of. You will have to register with them and supply your bank details.
Always do some research beforehand, so you’re not going in blind to increase your chances of a win.
Once you’ve found the game or tournament you’re interested in, you will be able to browse through the candidates.
Most betting sites will let you toggle between fractional and decimal odds, so choose whichever you’re most comfortable using.
Once you have chosen your preferred candidate, the betting slip will usually calculate your potential winnings for you based on the odds for that candidate. Then it’s as simple as clicking “Place Bet”.
Types Of Betting
There are two main types of betting. Regular sports betting is when you’re in direct competition with the bookmaker.
And fantasy sports betting is when you’re competing against multiple players, and you pick a fantasy team out of a pool of esport professionals.
Where Can I Bet On Esports? How To Pick An Esports Betting Site
There are a great many sites that will let you make esports bets. These include more traditional bookmakers, such as the likes of Betway and Bet365. Or, if you prefer, you can go to dedicated esports gambling sites such as GG.Bet or ArcaneBet.
There are some key things to check before you can go ahead. You have to check whether the betting site covers the particular game or tournament that you want to bet on, and choose one that serves your particular local gambling authority.
Types Of Bets In Esports
There are several different types of bets you can play in esports. Let’s walk you through some of the main ones.
Outright Bet
This is the simplest type of esports bet. You’re simply betting on which individual or team will win the competition or tournament.
The great thing about this type of bet is that in addition to betting before the game starts, you can often make this type of bet as the tournament progresses.
Match Winner Bet
This is when you bet on the winner of a specific matchup. You can also bet on the match ending as a tie.
Score Bet
In this type of bet, you are betting on the match score. You can bet on how many points each candidate will score, or on whether the score will be above or below a specific number.
Handicap Bet
If two competing teams do not appear to be evenly matched, one team is given a “handicap” to overcome in order to win, so you place the bet at longer odds.
Special Bet
You can also bet on other aspects of the competition or tournament that you are interested in. For example, you can bet on which team might be eliminated from a game first, or for a shoot-em-up.
You can bet on how many kills a team might score, which team makes the first kill, or you can bet on how many rounds there will be before a game is won.
Proposition Bet
A proposition bet is basically a bet on a particular occurrence taking place during a match relating to a specific game.
Look at multiple sites before you place your bets – some sites will offer better odds or better rewards
Delve into esports stats – look into which professionals and teams have made the most previous wins, and how they are ranked
Know the game – judging what bets to make is much easier when you actually know how the game is played. This is especially important for the special bets I touched on earlier
Focus on just one esport at a time – it’s better to be an expert in just one esport rather than trying to learn about several. Knowing the nuances can be invaluable, and thinking about more than one game simply confuses matters.
Make use of the gaming community – playing a particular game is not by any means the only way to get more familiar with it, or with the tournament candidates. Find out what the other enthusiasts have to say about the abilities and strategies of the candidates.
Don’t restrict your bets to only major tournaments – there’s a world of smaller sports events to bet on outside the major international ones, make the most of them!
Wrap Up
So there you have it. All your esport betting options laid out for you. Now, it’s for you to do further research, and decide which platform to bet from, and what bets you want to place. Best of luck!
My name is Ashley Newby and I want to put integrity back into esports and get the hype surrounding them paramount once more. During my teenage years, I happened to stumble across a Street Fighter tournament online and I was hooked.
From that day, I have kept up with and watched many tournaments including Valorant, Super Smash Bros, and League of Legends. I even got to compete in my first one earlier this year!
