A lot has changed in the world of video gaming in the past few decades. Even though the term ‘eSports’ has been used since the 1970s, this phenomenon gain real prominence in the third millennium. Statistics show that in 2014 there were already over 200 million people who actively watched eSports and the number is growing. Certain individual events attract more than 30 million viewers. Understandably, the number of people interested in eSports betting is also growing, on a regular basis.
If we take into consideration the number of people who watch eSports and the prizes that are awarded to the winners of the most renowned eSports competition we could draw a conclusion that eSports are more popular than some conventional sports. The interest in eSports betting is another indication of eSports popularity. Some have even suggested that the eSport betting market might grow to become larger than eSports gaming industry. Currently, eSports betting has a higher betting volume than tennis and golf.
If you’re eyeing eSports betting and you’re thinking of putting down your first bet, you’re at the right place. This guide will provide all the useful information that you need so that you can make the best informed choice on the matter. Betting on eSports isn’t too complicated, and you could get into it quickly, even if you haven’t placed a wager on any sport before.
By reading this eSports betting guide you will gain understanding of how eSports betting works in general, how to register at a betting site and start betting. Once you get familiar with the basics, you will be able to advance from the ‘newbie’ level to a position of a more skilled and well-informed eSports punter in no time.
First you’ll need to choose an eSports betting site. Bear in mind that you don’t have to limit yourself to just one online betting site. You can register an account with two, three or several betting sites. There’s a large number of available online bookmakers that offer eSports betting and everything may seem a bit overwhelming at first. If you are new to this we would recommend sticking to just one at first.
Opening an eSports betting account is fairly easy. Once you choose the site, you will notice ‘Sign Up’ button, located usually in the upper right corner on the main page. If you own or you intend to buy Bitcoins and you wish to bet using Bitcoins, it is worth noting that some Bitcoin eSports betting sites won’t require you to register an account and you won’t even have to provide an email address in order to be able to start betting.
At standard online bookmakers you will be asked to provide your name, email address, address and postcode, age before you can register an account. Some online betting providers will also ask you to provide scanned copies of a photographic ID, and/or a copy of a utility bill or other document which can prove that you live at a stated address. Most eSports betting sites will ask for this information at a later stage, usually when you request your first withdrawal, or if you wish to deposit a larger amount of money, so be aware of this before you get going.
You can check out a list of different eSports betting sites that we recommend here.
Once you have registered, you are free to make your first deposit and then start placing bets. Making a deposit can be done on the page usually named ‘Cashier’, where you can choose from a range of selection deposit options. Most betting sites offer at least few payment methods, although the number of supported payment options may vary greatly.
Choose the payment option that is most convenient for you. In most cases, that would be an option that is already available to you. For example, if you own a credit card, but you don’t have an e-Wallet account, it would be easier for you to use your credit card as a deposit method.
Some eSports betting operators may charge a deposit fee (either a flat amount of money or a percentage), whereas other operators don’t charge any fees. Also, a fee may only be applied to deposits made via a certain method. Needless to say, you should always aim to choose a method which can be used free of charge, because that way you can limit your expenses and get to bet with all the money that you have deposited.
When it comes to withdrawals, many eSports betting operators have a policy that requires every player to withdraw their winnings using the same method which was used to make the initial deposit, whenever that is possible, i.e. when the method is available both as a deposit and a withdrawal method. When it comes to fees, the situation is similar, some operators charge withdrawal fees, other operators will let you withdraw your winnings free of charge.
The withdrawal limits depend on the chosen method and the policy of the company. Some operators have different payout limits depending on which sport you bet on and what sort of bets you place. Generally, the maximum payouts for eSports still can’t compare to the payouts for major traditional sports, but you can win significant amounts of money, no need to worry about that.
When it comes to currency, if you’re using conventional currency, it is best if the online betting operator in question accepts the currency of your country of residence, that way there will be no need of currency conversions, so you’ll save some money and things will run smoother. If you’re using Bitcoin, it is best to look for a betting site that accepts Bitcoin deposits and allows you to make Bitcoin wagers, instead of converting your deposit into conventional currency.
Most eSports betting sites offer various bonuses and promotions. In some cases bonuses are only available to punters who use certain payment methods or a particular currency. Always check the terms and conditions to see if you can claim a bonus using your chosen payment method/currency.
In order to distinguish themselves from the competition, attract new punters and keep the existing ones satisfied, most sports betting sites offer various bonuses and promotions. The bonus offers provide every punter with an opportunity to play with extra money, which in turn improves your chances of winnings.
There are many different types of bonuses and promotion and each eSports betting site determines its own policies and the type of bonuses that are offered may vary. Some bonuses are offered always, for example to all new players, whereas other offers may be linked to a specific promotional period, or a particular event. Some bonuses are only available to residents of certain countries, whereas others can be only claimed by punters who use a specific payment method.
While claiming and using bonuses is generally good, as it boosts your winning chances, not all bonuses are equally favourable. Some have more restrictive bonus terms and conditions and if you consider things carefully, it might turn out that claiming a particular bonus might not be as favourable as first thought.
Most operators offer a welcome bonus, which can only be claimed by newly registered punters. There are several different types of welcome bonus. It might be consisted of a free bet amount which is awarded immediately after you register an account, or a free bet which matches your first real money bet, up to a certain amount. The bookmaker may also multiply the odds on your first bet in which case if your bet wins you would end up with a lot more money than you would’ve won otherwise.
The welcome bonus is offered under certain terms. In many cases there is a limit as to how low the odds can be on your initial wager. When the bonus is consisted of a free bet amount, you may have to wager that amount, once or several times before you are allowed to withdraw any potential bonus winnings. Also, bonuses are usually valid for a certain period of time, and if you fail to use your bonus during that period, it will be voided. In most cases, there will be no limitations in terms of the sports and events that you can spend your bonus on, which means that you will be able to claim your bonus if you wager on eSports.
In addition to welcome bonuses, bookmakers usually offer other types of bonuses which can be claimed by existing customers. Sometimes these bonuses are sport-specific, you can claim them only if you place a bet on a particular sport, or even a particular event, but other bonuses can be claimed by all players. Some bookmakers, especially those who exclusively offer eSports betting offer special eSports betting bonuses.
The bonus amount that each operator awards may vary. Although the amount is important it certainly isn’t the only thing that matters when you’re comparing two bonuses or simply considering whether you should claim a specific bonus or not. The specific and general terms and conditions are also very important. Sometimes the terms and conditions are too demanding and it simply doesn’t pay off to claim that bonus. Sometimes a bonus of a smaller amount might be more lucrative than a much larger bonus.
Once you make a deposit you can then proceed to placing a wager. If the betting operator in question offers both conventional sports and eSports, you should look for eSports in the full list of sports. Once you click on it, either a menu with all the available eSports will open, or you will be taken to the eSports betting page where you can see all the available eSports and eSports tournaments and other events that are available for betting.
If you opt for a betting operator that offers only eSports betting, then all individual eSports that are available will be listed on the main page. You can browse the betting offer and usually next to each event that is available for betting you will see a number which tells you how many markets are offered.
The odds for each selection can be displayed differently. Decimal (European), fractional (UK) and American (moneyline) are the three most used types of odds. Most eSports betting websites automatically set the odds, depending on the IP address of the visitor, but you will have a chance to select the odds that you prefer.
Decimal odds tell you the amount that you are going to win, including the original wager. For example, if the odds are 2.00, multiply your wager by 2 and you will get the amount that you’re going to receive if your bet wins, the wager is included in the amount. The fractional odds tell you only how much you’re going to win, not calculating the original wager.
The moneyline odds are a bit more specific. If the number is positive, then it tells you how much money you’re going to win with a $100 wager, whereas if the amount is negative, it signifies the amount that you will need to wager if you wish to win an amount of $100.
If you wish to place a bet on more than one selection, then decimal odds are definitely most suitable. When you place a bet on multiple selections, you will just need to multiply the odds for each of the selections, and then multiply their sum by the wager. The result will be the amount that you are going to receive if all selections win, including the return of the initial wager.
Adding a selection to your bet slip is quite easy, you will just need to click on the odds for the particular selection and it will be added. If you add multiple selections, you will have the chance to combine them as you please, as long as they are not selections of the same event, or there are other specific terms which restrict you from combining them.
When there are multiple selections in your bet slip, you can choose if you wish to place individual wagers on all selections, place a multiple (accumulator/parlay) bet on all or some of them, or various system bets. Accumulator bets are bets on many selections where all selections have to win in order for the bet to win as a whole. Above we explained how to calculate the cumulative odds for such bets. System bets are bets where multiple combinations are possible and you may win even if some of the selections lose.
It is possible to combine different eSports selections. For example, you can add one Dota2, one LoL and one CS: GO selection to your bet slip, but it is also possible to combine eSports with traditional sports.
Watching an eSport event is a lot more interesting when you’ve placed a wager on it, there’s a lot more at stake. Most eSports betting operator offer live streaming of the eSport events that are included in their betting offer. The events are provided live, via streaming and you can watch them in real time. Some of the operators mark the events that are available in live stream with a special icon, so that punters know which events will be available for watching.
In some cases you will be required to have a positive real money account balance, or to have made a real money wager in the last 24 hours.
Not only can you bet on events that are already taking place, but you will also be able to place wagers on events that have already started. This is called live betting or in-play betting. The betting options that are available for live betting are similar to the ones that are available for pre-match betting, but the odds depend on what has happened in the game from the beginning up to the period when you’re about to place your wager. You can add multiple live selections to the bet slip and it is also possible to combine live selections with pre-match betting selections. If you place a live bet on the outcome of the next round, for example, you will be able to get your payout as soon as that round is over, you won’t have to wait for the end of the game.
Most eSports betting operators have mobile optimised websites, which means that you can access them on your mobile device (smartphone or tablet), log in, browse the betting offer, deposit, or place wagers. Some bookmakers even offer native betting apps, which can be downloaded and installed on your mobile device and then you could bet directly in the app.
As you can see, eSports betting isn’t that complicated. If you know a thing or two about eSports and you’re an avid fan, you would be able to start betting right after you finish reading this guide. If you are looking for a full review of a particular bookmaker, or you are curious about a more specific aspect of eSports betting, browse our website, you’ll surely find what you’re looking for, as we cover everything that has to do with eSports betting.
