Esports Betting Guide: A New Sports Betting Market
Betting on video games is a relatively new form of sports betting that has gained in popularity exponentially over the past few years.
Gaming is a fast-growing industry that generates a lot of interest; because of this, esports betting is quickly becoming one of the most popular ways to bet on sports. If you’re interested in getting in on the action, this article will teach you everything you need to know about this fascinating betting market.
The Rise of Esports
Competitive gaming has seen a surge in popularity in recent years, with professional gamers earning big money prizes in tournaments all over the world. This has led to the rise of competitive gaming known as esports: organized video game competitions between professional players. These competitions can be played either in a stadium in front of a live audience or online, giving people around the world the opportunity to bet on esports.
The first organized competition was held in 1972 at Stanford University and featured the game Spacewar! During the ‘80s, there were several famous gaming competitions as high score lists appeared in arcades all over the country. One of the most notable was for the superpopular game Space Invaders in 1982, when 10,000 participants entered a national competition.
Today, there are dozens of popular video games played at esports tournaments around the world, including League of Legends, Dota 2, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
Betting
With the popularity of competitive gaming on the rise, betting on esports has become far more mainstream. As with traditional sports, betting on esports involves placing wagers on the outcome of competitive video gaming matches. However, there are some key differences that make this kind of betting unique.
For one, because esports is a relatively new phenomenon, there is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding the industry. This can make it difficult to find reliable information about teams and players, which can in turn make it difficult to place winning bets.
Additionally, because esports matches are mostly played online, they are particularly susceptible to cheating and match-fixing. These factors have caused some people to be wary of partaking in esports betting. However, if done carefully and responsibly with enough knowledge and good betting tips, it can be a fun and potentially profitable way to gamble.
Getting Involved in Esports Betting
If you’re interested in esports online betting, there are a few things you should keep in mind. First of all, you need to do your research. There is a lot of information available online about esports teams and players. Familiarize yourself with the most popular games and tournaments, then learn as much as you can about the teams and players competing in them.
Second, be cautious. Because this kind of betting is still relatively new, there are a lot of unscrupulous operators out there looking to take advantage of gullible bettors. Make sure you only bet with reputable bookmakers and be wary of any promises of guaranteed wins or easy money. Responsible gambling is always paramount; you should never stake more money than you can afford to part ways with.
How To Bet on Esports
When you’ve learned enough about your favorite esports teams and feel ready to test your knowledge, you can start looking for betting opportunities with a reliable sportsbook.
Placing bets on esport events is not that much different from other sports betting. You can place a bet on who will win the match or who will win the next round. As with other forms of sports betting, you can predict the exact score, or you can bet on a score being over or under a certain number of points.
With teams that aren’t evenly matched, handicap betting is popular; this allows you to predict whether or not the favorite will win by a certain margin.
Tournaments are among the most common forms of competition in the world of esports. You can bet on which team or player is going to finish first in the group stage, or you can predict the winner of the entire event.
One of the most characteristic esport bets that you won’t find elsewhere are first blood bets, where you bet on which player will make the first kill. This is a particularly popular category for games like Call of Duty: Warzone, CS:GO, and Rainbow Six Siege.
Fantasy Esports
The most popular games in esports are first-person shooters (FPS), real-time strategy (RTS), multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA), fighting games, and sports games like NBA 2K and FIFA. This isn’t to be confused with fantasy esports, a new type of esports gambling that allows players to draft teams of professional gamers and earn points based on the performance of those players.
Fantasy esports is growing in popularity because it provides fans with a new way to follow their favorite players and teams. It also offers the chance to win prizes by correctly predicting which teams will perform well in tournaments. As the popularity of esports continues to grow, it is likely that fantasy esports will become increasingly popular as well.
Payment Methods
Of course, you can bet on esports using fiat money. But the cool thing about this market is that there are some other very specific ways to place bets. Let’s take a closer look at some of them.
Esports Skins
Skin betting is a type of esports betting that uses virtual items – known as “skins” – in place of currency. Skins are earned through game play or purchased with real money, and they can be used to bet on the outcome of esports matches.
Skin betting is popular because it allows players to gamble without risking any real money, even though these items often have real-world value.
However, there are concerns that skin betting may be linked to underage gambling and money laundering. In addition, some skins may be worth more than others, creating an uneven playing field for those who are using them to bet.
As a result, skin betting has come under scrutiny from law enforcement and gaming regulators. Despite these concerns, skin betting remains a popular way of gambling on esports matches.
Esports Crypto
One of the most popular ways to enjoy betting on your favorite games is with cryptocurrencies. The advantage is that crypto bets are processed instantaneously, which counts for a lot in the rapid-fire esports arena.
There are many sportsbooks that already accept payments in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, and with the esports industry on the rise, we expect more crypto options to emerge in this field over the coming years.
Esport Gambling Bonus
Sportsbooks have always tried to entice new players with free gambling money, but not all bonuses are made the same. The two main options are no-deposit bonuses and deposit bonuses.
A no-deposit bonus is a bonus that doesn’t require the player to make a deposit at the sportsbook before accessing it. Such bonuses usually don’t require you to share your credit card information, or even have a credit card for that matter. You may be granted a couple of free bets to place on an array of esports games.
If you’re looking to gamble on esports, you’re most likely to find a deposit bonus at your sportsbook of choice. To unlock this offer, a player must first make a deposit of a certain amount. The sportsbook will then grant the player a percentage of what they deposited as a bonus. That bonus could be 50%, 100%, or even 200% of the initial sum.
Make sure to read the fine print, as most bonuses come with a limit and some pretty heavy restrictions. For example, if the bonus is a 100% match up to $100 and you deposit $200, you’ll only receive $100 in bonus funds, not the full $200.
What’s more, such bonuses almost always come with a wagering requirement; you might need to wager the deposited amount and/or the bonus funds 20, 30, or even 40 times before you can withdraw the bonus.
There are also cashback bonuses, which give you a chance to save a percentage of the money you place on esports bets in case you lose.
In addition to this, sportsbooks may offer free bets that function just like a deposit bonus, only instead of getting an extra amount in bonus funds, you receive an opportunity to place some bets for free. These can be a great alternative, but they still always come with various terms and conditions.
Bottom Line
Esports is still a new industry, and there are many different ways to approach it. You might have a soft spot for a certain player or team, but to be a successful esports bettor, you’ll need to take a much more analytical approach.
Online esports betting can be a fun and potentially profitable way to enjoy your favorite games. However, it’s important to remain cautious and do your research before placing any bets.
FAQ
Is esports betting online legal?
At least for now, betting on esports is legal in the United States, although not in every state.
The legality of this type of betting has been a hotly contested issue in recent years. Some countries have taken a firm stance against it, while others have taken a more relaxed approach. The United States is one of the latter, and as a result, many websites have cropped up allowing people to bet on esports matches.
While the debate over its legality is still unresolved, esports betting seems to be here to stay.
Can you bet on esports online?
You can absolutely place bets on esports online! In fact, there are a number of different ways to do so.
For starters, you can bet on the outcome of a particular match. You can also bet on things like how many kills a player will get in a match, or which team will make the first kill. There are tons of various options when it comes to betting on these matches. You can also bet on tournaments, which allows you to pick which team you think will win the entire event.
Are esports considered gambling?
Esports in itself isn’t gambling; it’s a competitive form of gaming. However, fans can place bets on esports just like they would on any other sport.
What does esport mean in betting?
Esports is short for electronic sports, also known as competitive video gaming. Today, esports is a multi-million dollar industry, with professional gamers competing in front of live audiences around the world.
And as the sport has grown in popularity, so too has esports betting. Just like traditional sports betting, it allows fans to wager on the outcome of competitive matches.
