ESports and betting seem like a natural combination and finding the best esport betting sites is not that hard if you want to try it. With the rise in online gambling practices, it has been observed that there is a lack of information about how and which bets to be placed on eSports websites. Additionally, there are no guides available to direct eSports betting enthusiasts to the platforms where such practices are held. This write up will serve as a basic guide you could always turn to when contemplating a bet on any ESport platform.
What are eSports?
Let’s begin with a brief introduction to eSports. ESports are organized video gaming challenges. They are created and played by various at-home gamers. In each eSport game, various teams are formed which later faceoff each other in competitions or the game’s climax. Players from all over the world can request to be a part of such gaming communities where eSporting teams are formed and join them. Some of the most popular genres of eSports include football games, role-playing shooter games, card games, and real-time strategy games.
How do eSports differ from Traditional Sports?
ESports, as mentioned above, are basically played via video gaming platforms and consoles. Even though some of the sports might be based on real-life team and players, they are virtually played with the help of team members located at far off places. It’s like the players take on roles of the players or characters involved. Traditional sports, on the other hand, are real-life sporting events that actually take place on the ground. Such as football, cricket and baseball are actually played between two teams. They do not involve role-playing or any virtual feature for that matter.
Betting on eSports
Though there are differences in how the traditional sports and eSports are played, there are no differences at all in the ways you can place bets on them. Over the years, eSporting has become immensely popular which has led the International Olympics Committee to recognize it as a sport. Every year, there are eSports events held globally. With such mass fame, it can only be expected that bettors and gamblers might want to place their wagers on eSporting events just as they do on traditional sports events.
There are various kinds of bets which can be placed on eSports. These include money line bets, head to head bets, straight bets, etc. Money line bets are also called match winner bets. There are other forms of eSports bets, depending on the type of eSport game you are planning to bet on, the eSport currency you intend to use, that is, real money or skins and the skill level you have. According to the skill levels, there are further two types of betting options, the basic and the special types of bets. The ones that have been mentioned in this article namely are the most common ones.
Bettors can deposit their money for placing bets by using platforms such as bank cards (Visa and Master card) and electronic transfer mediums such as PayPal, Skrill, and AstroPay, etc. Bettors can also use Bitcoin to make their deposits. The payment method you select must work well with the laws of your country and currency.
The main purpose of placing a bet is to maximize value out of it. The only way to do this is by making informed decisions. This basically means that before you jump on the bandwagon of betting, you must educate yourself a little bit about the background of the industry, rules of the games you wish to place bets on, betting websites and platforms, etc. If you wish to find out about the most popular ESports on the web then read on.
Leading eSports Games
The following are the leading eSports games available on the web.
DOTA 2
DOTA 2 is one of the most famous eSports played across the web. It was developed and published by Valve Corporation in 2013. The game falls under the Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) genre of video games and involves two teams of five players each combating each other. One is called the ‘Ancient’ which is supposed to be guarding a large structure and the other is the opponents’ team which is charged with the responsibility to destroy it. The game’s aesthetics have pulled in many players from around the world and DOTA 2 rose to huge internet fame. Valve Corporation holds annual eSporting events for this game owing to its success.
League of Legends
The second spot goes to League of Legends. The classic eSports game which almost every video game enthusiast knows about. Developed by Riot Games, League of Legends was first published in 2009 and to date, it has over 100 million fans worldwide. The game gathered so much appreciation that it has been adopted into a franchise with toys and other forms of merchandise based on it. League of Legends is the second hottest eSport game bettors must watch out for.
CS: GO
CSGO, popularly known as Counter-Strike Global Offensive, is the third major eSports game out there. It is highly popular among all age groups and is categorized as a first-person shooter game. Counter-Strike Global Offensive is played by approximately 11 million players every month which makes it the third-largest eSport game bettors must keep their eyes on.
Overwatch
Developed and published in 2019 by Blizzard Entertainment, Overwatch is a multiplayer first-person shooter game. The game has more than 50 million players worldwide and is classified as one of the greatest games of all time. Blizzard Entertainment has established a league for Overwatch players called Overwatch League which holds events and competitions for fans of the game annually.
Conclusion
ESports are gaining popularity with the passage of time. Part of this can be credited to the fame of online services such as game development etc. However, observing these trends reveal that the future will belong to eSports and its fans. Therefore, online bettors must gain enough knowledge about these games and their leagues so that they are able to place informed wagers on them.