eSports: The Next Big Thing in Betting

The eSports industry has conquered its place within the betting industry and it is not going anywhere, so you better be up to date!

If you feel like you keep coming across eSports betting opportunities but you don’t have enough information about it to bet with confidence, this article is just what you have been waiting for. 

Learn all there is to know about the growing fever of virtual sports. Don’t worry, you are definitely not late to the party! Although eSports is already a well-established industry, it keeps growing and it will keep being relevant for long. 

You have probably noticed the growth in recent years, but know that it is even bigger than you think and the trend is for it to get even bigger.

This growing success of eSports made several bookmakers from all the four corners of the world turn their attention to this sector and began to provide markets associated with various games, including CS:GO, League of Legends, Dota 2 and FIFA.

Playing video games is not just fun and games. For many, especially for those who live and love eSports, it is a serious business! Esports competitions have millions of fans around the world, with passionate audiences and athletes who became true celebrities.

Find out why this is such a successful industry and learn all about one of the biggest trends in the sports universe today.

What are eSports?

Before anything else, we need to understand what eSports are. It is a very simple and easy to understand concept. 

Basically, eSports are virtual game competitions that can be played on a computer or consoles such as PlayStation, which involve teams of professional players. However, not every electronic game can be considered an eSport. The game must allow for competition between teams, with there always being a winner at the end of a match.

Its origin dates back to the 70s in the United States, but it was only with the advent of the internet, from the 2000s, that eSports gained more strength, with the organization of several competitions.

We can divide eSports into 7 main types: First Person Shooter (FPS), Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA), Real Time Strategy (RTS), Card Games, Fighting Games, Battle Royale and Virtual Sports.Most games in these categories have regional, national and international tournaments every year.

These tournaments are broadcast live on the internet, on Twitch and even on ESPN, such is their popularity.

To give you an idea and how the industry has grown, the prize money of the main events already amounts to more than 40 million dollars. Isn’t that spectacular?

The 7 types of eSports

Did you know eSports is very diverse and can be divided into 7 main categories?

Check them out and find out which ones sparkle your curiosity:

The first category is First Person Shooter (FPS) games, where the player's perspective comes first. Examples of this type of games are: CS:GO, Rainbow Six: Siege, Crossfire and Overwatch.

Another type of eSports game is the Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA). These games mix action, strategy and Role Playing-Game (RPG) elements. The most famous examples are: League of Legends (LoL), Dota 2 and Heroes of the Storm. 

League of Legends is one of the most popular games in the world and consists of two teams that face each other and try to destroy the opponent's base. 

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, also known as CS:GO, is one of the most popular games in eSports competitions. The fourth title in the franchise produced by Valve Corporation and Hidden Path Entertainment was released in 2012 and is a well-known first-person shooter, it is a player all over the world and there are several national and international competitions in the game.

The third category is Real Time Strategy (RTS) games. The main feature of these games is that they are divided into turns. This is the case for Warcraft III and StarCraft II games.

Next, we have Card Games that function with the same principle as offline card games, but in the virtual world. Popular games with this format are the games Gwent and Hearthstone.

In addition, we have the Fighting games, in which the characters battle each other, such as in Street Fighter, Tekken and Dragon Ball Fighter Z, to name a few.

There are also Battle Royale games. These games mix elements of exploration, survival and searching for weapons. They are the well-known games of Fortnite and PUBG.

Finally, Virtual Sports games, which are online simulations of real-life sports competitions. The most famous worldwide are FIFA, PES, NBA 2K and F1 games. 

FIFA needs no introduction. Produced by Electronic Arts, it is one of the two most famous soccer simulators in the world (the other being Pro Evolution Soccer) and has been released annually since 1993. Played in several competitions, several Federations and Leagues have already created their own competitions. FIFA is one of the main eSports games and has the support of many professional football teams that also have teams in virtual tournaments.

How to bet in eSports?

The Odds

The first thing you need to understand in order to start betting on eSports is how the odds work. 

Regarding eSports odds calculation, odds makers rely on various factors such as odds compilers, traders and risk analysts to assess the real market and betting markets, especially when calculating live betting odds.

Experts give betting providers the chance for an event to occur based on every factor – injuries, current form, past performances, etc. They use all this to predict the results of a particular betting market. They also consider the money in the bets. Favorite titles tend to have more money compared to underdogs.

In eSports games, in most cases, the odds will be very different from each other. You will find these cases in smaller competitions. This is because some teams are actually much better than others.

The Markets

When accessing the eSports section, you will find that there are different markets available, many of them common to traditional sports betting. The most basic of markets concerns the choice of winner, common to any other sport. In addition, it is also possible to bet on winners per round (if applicable), as well as the first scorer, in the case of a football simulator, for example.

Handicaps are also associated with eSports, working as they do in sports, depending on the management of the margins that are removed and assigned to one or another team/player.

Plus/minus markets are also available and, in this case, are not restricted to football simulators. In some strategy matches it is possible to play with the handicaps in the number of points reached by each team, by way of example.

eSports betting tips

And now, for sticking with us until the end, you will be rewarded with our best tips on eSports betting!

Get better results in your bets with some tips that we will leave here:

Know the sport you will bet on

As they are computer games/video games, you will be able to find and play them to understand how they work. Knowing the game will definitely make your bets more coherent and thought out.

Try betting on live eSports

Watching Live eSports is a great way to follow eSports and better plan your bet. By watching the competition live, you can change your betting strategy as the odds and odds of the live betting markets change.

Wait for the best tournaments

You can play patiently and wait until the best and hottest tournaments appear and only then place your bets. This does not make betting on smaller competitions or matches a negative thing, but betting on the larger ones can bring more profits, number of bets and interactivity.

Track the eSport you bet on

It seems logical, but it is always worth remembering the importance of being up to date on the game and the betting market you are going to bet on. In addition to playing, follow tips from experts, broadcasts on social networks and also the profile of players, teams and tournaments.

Choose a reliable bookmaker

Always place your bets on reliable sites that provide good service and maintain transparency in all areas. It is important to be safe and to be able to enjoy your bets.

Best of luck!