Best Bookmakers for eSports Betting
by The Admiral
What is eSports?
Let’s start with eSports beginnings. Esports is a form of sport competition through video games, and it often takes the form of well organized, multiplayer competitions, in particular between professional players, that can work individually or as teams (squads). The first recorded video game competition took place in October 1972 at Stanford University for the game “Spacewar”.
We've come a long way since that first competition, and with the development of the Internet and technology in general, now we have a planetary phenomenon. Although labeling video games as sports is quite controversial, China was the first country to recognize it as a real sport in 2003. Other countries followed China and today eSports is spread on the entire globe. It’s only a matter of time when eSports becomes a part of the Olympic Games.
Esports as a serious business
Esports is the fastest-growing betting sport on the planet at the moment, and the total worldwide amount of money bet on it by the end of 2020 is expected to be more than $20 billion! So, don’t think about eSports as kids playing computer games for fun; these are professional gamers who are earning a living from playing video games.
Is betting on eSports Legal?
Betting on eSports is absolutely legal, and most sports bookmakers are now offering events and odds on the outcome of local and international eSports games. In numerous sports betting websites, you’ll find eSports listed in the sports betting menus, which is quite normal to see nowadays.
At first, betting on eSports had its own little space in the Specials betting sections. Still, considering how things are moving fast and are evolving quickly, betting sites are seeing the potential in this sector, so and it can be found as a separate sport now.
Which are the Best Bookmakers for eSports Betting?
Nearly all renowned bookmakers are following the latest trends and are offering betting on eSports. We are going to get you through the most popular and the best bookmakers for eSports betting.
- bet65
- Betfair
- PaddyPower
- Unibet
- Betway
Just like in “normal” sports events such as football, basketball, and other team and individual sports, the British bookmaker bet365 is currently a leader in eSports betting industry. With over 1800 events/markets to choose from, bet365 is a giant in eSports betting, and it blows away the competition by far. They are offering betting on match markets such as match handicaps, correct map score, to win at least one map, and so on. Also, bet365 offers betting on total maps (over/under), map winners, and outrights.
Betway is the second bookmaker on this list, and given they are offering “only” 105 events/markets for eSports betting; you can see why bet365 is so dominant in this industry. Betway does cover a massive range of events, has an exceptional range of markets, and offers In-Play eSports betting, as well as eSports Blog and great betting odds.
Unibet is the third on the list with 70 markets, Betfair follows them with 30, while PaddyPower covers 13 different eSports betting events/markets. All of these bookmakers include major eSports games such as CS:GO, League of Legends, Overwatch, StarCraft, King of Glory, Rainbow Six, and Dota 2, among others.
We’re going to talk about all the most popular games in the following articles, but for now, we hope you got the idea of what the eSports is, and which are best bookmakers for eSports betting.
