Best eSports Betting Sites
Take a look at the best eSports betting sites and get all the information you need about this fast growing phenomenon.
| Bookmaker | Bonus | eSport Review |
|---|---|---|
 | £20 | Paddy Power eSports |
 | Claim | Bet365 eSports |
In 2018 the turnover on esports betting will be greater than ever, it already rivals games such as basketball and many believe it will soon be up there with tennis and golf.
What are eSports and what is eSports betting?
eSports is the collective name for a host of fast moving multi-player computer games. Now don’t think Space Invaders, think high speed, high octane, finger-fast skill games that are rapidly becoming part of the everyday fabric of social downtime for a significant part of the public.
In fact, one percent of the world’s population has actually played one of the games which comes under the eSports umbrella, namely ‘League of Legends’ or LOL for short.
And, not only are millions of people playing an eSports game of one variety or another, thousands of people visit eSports sites or use eSports betting apps, and even go to eSports arenas and stadiums to watch eSports games being played live.
How to bet on eSports
Like any good sports, as a spectator nothing gets your juices flowing like your favourite team winning or a team you bet on being declared the victors. Therein betting on eSports adds another dimension to an esports game or competition.
Betting on eSports is remarkably simple:
- Visit one of our endorsed online bookmakers / sportsbooks
- Betway, Skybet and Paddy Power come highly recommended in the field of eSports
- Register a new account
- Make a cash deposit in the ‘My Account’ section
- Be sure to enter any appropriate promo codes to take advantage of any eSports free bet offers
- And click one of the eSports tabs in the sports menu to start betting
Once you have located the eSports game that interests you, remembering many are broadcast live with amusing commentaries and excellent graphics, click on it to see the numerous eSports betting options that are available to you.
eSports betting is very much like tennis meaning you can not only bet on a game winner but also Set Betting (called ‘Map Betting’ in eSports), ‘Handicaps’, ‘Correct Scores, ‘Team to Win the First / Second Map’ and many more.
eSports betting is it legal?
Betting on esports is both legal and very safe. All major bookmakers take legitimacy of the betting sport / markets they offer very seriously. It is in their best interest to make sure no market could be corrupt in any way. Integrity is king.
But to give themselves and their punters complete protection the ESIC (eSports Integrity Commission) and the Gambling Commission have signed an information sharing Memorandum of Understating (MOU) that see eSports considered alongside football, cricket and other mainstream sports in the detection and prevention of betting malpractice.
The Gambling Commission was set up under the Gambling Act 2005 to regulate commercial gambling in Great Britain. The Sports Betting Intelligence Unit (SBIU) is a unit within the commission that deals with reports of betting integrity-related corruption. ESIC will now work closely with the SBIU to identify potential irregularities within eSports gambling.
Suffice to say no major online bookmaker, particularly those featuring a UK Gambling Commission licence and stock market listed, will court controversy by taking bets on eSports unless it is completely legal and where its integrity cannot be called into question. In short, the best online bookmakers will do the necessary due diligence for you.
Which are the most popular eSports games?
There are 3 eSports games which top both the ‘play stakes’ and the ‘betting stakes’. These are League Of Legends (which takes 38% of all eSports bets), CS:GO (Counter Strike Global Offensive) and DOTA 2 (Defence Of The Ancients). Call of Duty is also considered one of the top eSports games.
Unquestionably these are the headline acts albeit there are another half dozen or so eSports which you can place bets on.
The biggest eSports tournament in the world is ‘The International’ a DOTA2 competition. It takes place annually in Seattle, USA. In 2016 the 16-team event featured a prize-pool of $20 million with the winning team, China’s Wings Gaming, taking home $9.1 million. Amazingly, despite that huge cash haul, that team was later dismembered.
In 2017 the prize-pool was increased to $23.2 million and with 18 teams taking place, online eSports bookmakers will have no issue in accepting some serious ante-post bets on the competition.
eSports Promotion Offers
As with more established sports, online bookmakers are more than happy to give away free eSports bets and outstanding promotional offers to entice new customers.
In fact, they are prone to offer enhanced terms to new clients who bet on esports as this is a genre in which they want to attract as much new business as possible. That means eSports bettors are more likely to receive loyalty bet bonuses than those who are prone to betting on football and other sports.
And with eSports being a ‘mano a mano’ sport (unlike football there is no likelihood of a drawn game) there is a far better chance of converting a new customer free bet offer into a winner and hard fast cash.
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