The esports betting industry has continued to grow over the last few years and titles such as Counter-Strike, Dota 2, League of Legends, etc., have brought action-packed tournaments and leagues. Due to this, many esports betting sites offer markets on these events to allow bettors to place esports bets.
To choose the best esports betting sites in 2024, you’ll have to compare the variety of markets and betting features it offers to its users as well as the integrated security features that users’ information and money are safe on the platform.
But you don’t have to do all of these by yourself because we’ve conducted a thorough review of esports betting sites that match up to our high standards to create a comprehensive list of the best esports betting sites in 2024. Read our review about the best esports betting sites here.
Table of Contents
What is esports betting?
Just like sports betting sites, esports betting sites offer similar services. The only difference in esports betting is you place bettings on video games instead of real-time sports events.
The esports betting industry has grown in popularity over the years and is projected to grow by 9.22% from 2023 to 2028 resulting in a market volume of US$3.3bn in 2028 — according to Statista. Due to this, bookmakers are trying to leverage the opportunity it provides thereby taking advantage of it by offering esports gambling to their users.
While there are bookmakers dedicated to providing esports gambling, many casino and sports betting sites such as Stake and Duelbits have started offering esports gambling too. Esports betting sites have interesting odds and a wide range of markets which includes betting on match winners, correct scores, and many more.
How to bet on esports: different betting options, strategy & tips
Before betting on esports, you’ll need to create an account on a bookmarker that supports, esports betting. These platforms are similar to other online betting sites where you only need to fill in your personal information, verify your account information, make a deposit, and start playing.
Betting on esports is easy and more like spinning a roulette. Once you’re familiar with the esports game, you can easily bet on the match winner, correct score, or other markets.
Here are different esports betting options, you should know:
Betting with real money
While there are other ways to bet on esports, betting with real money is one of the most popular and simplest ways to bet on esports events. Betting on esports with real money is similar to betting on sports events because you only need to pick the event you are familiar with and bet on your favorite market.
Fantasy betting
Just as you can bet on virtual or fantasy sports events, you can also bet on fantasy esports events. On an esports site, you only need to choose your favorite esports team or player and wager your money on a certain outcome.
Betting on streamers
You can bet directly on streamers who are playing a specific game and streaming it live on Twitch, YouTube, or any other streaming platform on sites such as Unikrn.
Item or skin betting
Skin betting is betting on esports competitions using virtual currencies which can be in the form of in-game items such as game characters. These in-game outcomes can also be sold or exchanged on certain websites.
Pool betting
Pool betting involves all bets on a particular market pooled together and the total (minus any fee) divided up amongst the winners.
Esports betting strategies & tips
Nowadays, esports has many interesting titles, however, it is important to always make use of lucrative strategies and tips. Below, you can see all the things you need to keep in mind while betting on esports.
Always bet only on the events you know
This applies to other type of bettings and not just esports. It’s important to only bet on events you are familiar with, as you’ll have a high chance of winning it. Esports betting is not a lottery that you play and wait for a certain number to be announced later. These events are played by teams and players. So, be sure that you are familiar with an esports event before betting on it.
Study the event you bet on
While most people have the habit of betting on any esports events they set their eyes on, professional bettors always take their time to study each event properly, including the esports teams and players’ conditions before placing a bet.
These professional bettors believe that these teams and players’ condition influences the game outcome and can help them in making the right decisions to win their bet. So, always take your time in learning about specific teams and players’ conditions before placing a bet to minimize the risk of losing.
Try to bet esports live betting
Sometimes betting on live events is more amazing than betting on pre-match events. This is because a live event gives you the time to observe the match when it’s going on to predict a possible outcome which has a high probability of resulting in a win.
Bet only what you can afford to lose
One thing to keep in mind as a gambler is to always set a budget and bet only what you can afford to lose. Also, don’t borrow to gamble, always stop when the fun stops.
Payment methods on esports betting sites
Esports betting sites offer a wide range of payment methods to their users which are similar to what casino and sports betting sites provide such as Netteller, Skrill, Doge, Bitcoin, etc.
Some esports sites support deposits via fiats and cryptocurrencies while others support only fiats or cryptocurrencies, so, it’s important to choose what works best for you!
Among other payment methods, cryptocurrency is currently the best payment method because they are easy to use and fast, whether you are depositing or withdrawing. Some esports betting sites may even have in-house currencies which can only be used to bet on events in the platform.
Fiat deposits and withdrawals take a while to be processed, which is something to keep in mind if you plan on making use of it. However, some betting sites that support E-wallet options like Neteller and Skrill, may process fiat deposits and withdrawals a bit quicker.
Licensing, reputation, and security of esports betting sites
Similar to sports betting platforms, before you can place a bet on any online esports site, you’ll need to make a certain amount of deposit. However, it’s important to conduct research about a specific esports betting site before making use of it because a majority of these esports betting sites are operating without a license.
It’s easy to check whether a bookmaker is regulated by an authorized gambling authority by just viewing their license information at the bottom of their website page. In most cases, the license certificate can be viewed from the esports betting site by clicking directly on the logo of the authorized gambling body at the body of the betting site.
For your safety, you’ve to ensure that the esports betting site is recognized by gambling regulators such as the UK Gambling Commission, the Malta Gaming Authority, or another authorized gambling body that can ensure the legitimacy of the website.
If possible take a look at the reviews left by other users of a specific esports betting site to get an idea of what they think about that site. When a betting site has a lot of unresolved negative feedback, it indicates that the betting site doesn’t care about their players — so, it’s important to stay away from those sites.
Most of the time, it’s often a new betting site offering an offer that’s too good to be true, thereby shifting the attending of bettors from actually conducting a thorough on the website, which leads to them getting scammed in the end.
So, in our opinion, always conduct research about a betting site you intend to use and only make use of it when you are satisfied with what they do!
Esports betting sites: Different betting markets and games
Esports betting sites work the same way other betting site works, just as a specific site may provide certain games or markets on its platform, others may not.
While bookies like Stake, Cloudbet, and Duelbits offer a wide range of esports titles such as Counter-Strike, Dota 2, League of Legends, etc., Unikrn may offer these games including other classic titles with competitive odds.
So, just because a specific esports site offers certain games, other sites may offer different titles far greater with a wide range of betting markets. This always happens in sports betting and online casinos, where every site has something that makes it unique — which can be the choice of games or the markets it offers.
Esports betting may indeed be new to the gambling arena, however, it has become the choice of gamblers around the world.
Esports betting: The future for bookmakers
Esports betting has evolved at a rapid rate with a promising sign of being the future for bookmakers. The esports industry is changing the overall gambling market, thereby providing a lot of potential opportunities to gamblers.
Nowadays, sportsbooks on betting sites have started introducing esports betting markets on their sites, including in-play betting and live streaming of these games. Unlike any other type of betting, fantasy esports is filled with action-packed activities that will interest any bettor.
It’s amazing how players can play interesting video games such as StarCraft II, Dota 2, and Counter-Strike — while we have the opportunity to bet on these events. These esports events are streamed by players 24/7, which means that there’s always an event to bet on every time.
Conclusion
Esports betting has taken the video game industry to another level by giving bettors access to another form of entertainment, where they can wager money on the outcome of players or teams playing competitive video games. Most importantly, esports has grown to the extent that esports betting sites offer a wide range of markets and interesting odds for these events.
