We take a look at the esports most popular with online wagering.
Esports is more than a hobby for millions of people worldwide. It’s the sport through which thousands of people make a living. It’s also a lifestyle and a sport worthy of the same attention as football, basketball, soccer and hockey. And sure enough, esports now has a slot at many sports networks.
What’s more, it will be played competitively in the upcoming Asian Winter Games and there are plans to add it to the Olympics. Vitally, you can also bet on major video game competitions. But before you get into it, discover the best electronic sports for betting.
League of Legends (LoL)
Like many video games, League of Legends is a free online multiplayer game. It pits together two teams whose goal is to destroy the opponent’s nexus (base). In the game, you control a champion with different strengths and weaknesses.
League of Legends is arguably the largest esports in the world, with 13 global leagues and annual championships that attract up to 100 million viewers. To provide some context, the Super Bowl, America’s largest sports event, attracts more or less the same number of viewers.
Being such a big sport, LoL events are offered at nearly all established betting websites, including the brands listed at bettingsites.info. The sportsbooks also give you bonuses and free bets to boost your bankroll. Take time to compare these offers and bet where you get the best rewards.
Although League of Legends is a massively popular video game, wagering on its events is straightforward. Betting markets are easy to understand too. You can wager on event winners, predicting which team destroys the opponent’s nexus first. Or you can wager on these things:
- Time taken to destroy nexus
- Team to destroy first inhibitor
- Championship winner
- Props
Counter Strike: Global Offensive
Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO) is one of the most popular video games in the world. It’s a team-based game that pits terrorists against counter-terrorists. Each team’s goal is to out the opponents while also completing additional tasks like planting or diffusing a bomb.
With over 50 million fans worldwide, it’s only fair that bookies provide betting markets for CS: GO tournaments. Like Rocket League, some bet types for CS: GO are pretty simple. Predict which team wins a match and you can win money.
Other bet types, though, require an in-depth knowledge of the game. For example, you should know the game’s nine game modes so that wagering on Deathmatch, Danger Zone or Demolition becomes easy. It also helps to be a fan of the game. That way, you can gauge how long it takes to diffuse bombs or how many kills popular esports teams make on average.
Dota 2
Dota 2 is a multiplayer online battle arena game (MOBA) from Valve. It’s a team-based game consisting of five players in each side. Like LOL, each player in Dota 2 controls a super hero with unique skills. During a match, everyone controls their hero to defeat the opponents and destroy their base.
The game is freely available, which is one of the reasons it’s so popular. Like LOL, again, Dota 2 has countless championships around the world. In fact, it has some events with prize pools exceeding $30 million, making it one of the most lucrative video games for professional gamers.
Because of its huge success, Dota 2 is a great video game to bet on. You can be assured of a competitive event every several weeks. And since some of the tournaments attract successful franchises and players, there’s always data to help you make correct predictions.
Rocket League
Rocket League is an unusual sport—fleets of rocket-powered cars team up to play soccer. Each team has eight cars controlled by one or more players. The cars can fly, dodge, propel forward and change their orientation to make the game as realistic as possible.
Because Rocket League works out like soccer, betting on this sport is pretty simple. You can pick one side to win. And you can predict the number of goals scored. On the flip side, you can wager on whether both teams score and which specific car scores.
This makes Rocket League the most ideal esports to bet on if you’re a beginner. The game might look over the top as cars fly and smash one another in the field. But it attracts many bet types used in football, most of which are simple to grasp.
Sports Simulation Games—FIFA, NBA 2K, Madden Football
Forget about Rocket League. If you’re an ardent sports fan, the best esports games to bet on are simulation video games like Madden Football, NBA 2K and FIFA 21. These games involve simulating your favorite sports, meaning you understand the rules and bet types involved.
For FIFA21, the objective is to win a game within 90 minutes or 120 minutes in some cases. That means you can wager on match winners, totals, both teams to score, and props like the number of cards showed or the first player to score.
For the NBA 2K, the bets involved are pretty much what every NBA punter wagers on—match winners, handicaps, totals and props. The only unique thing about wagering on sports simulation games is that your research is centered on gamers and not actual athletes and their franchises.
Hearthstone
Played by over 30 million players, Hearthstone is a turn-based game played between two opponents. It also features two heroes with unique skills and a deck of 30 cards. The objective is to use your cards to defeat your opponent’s hero and win gold and other prizes in return.
There are four main game modes in Hearthstone: Arena, Tavern Brawls, Battlegrounds and duels. Each mode is different from the other. And that means if you want to bet on the game, take time to understand its different modes.
With Arena, for example, the objective is to use a deck of thirty cards to defeat your opponent’s hero. In Battlegrounds, there are eight competitors who play in rounds until there’s one winner.
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