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The betting industry is subject to constant changes. New trends are constantly emerging,
some of which are quickly gaining popularity.

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The latter seems to be the case with esports. What began as a niche type of betting is becoming more and more popular among gamblers all around the world.

Many industry experts believe that esports will soon overtake traditional sports, such as tennis or basketball.

Below you will find all the necessary information about esports: which betting providers offer the best esports bets, which types of bets are the most popular, tips & tricks, and much more.

But what exactly are esports and esports betting? Esports games are any sort of competitive game played between individuals or teams. They are different from video games because you have to play against other players rather than the computer.

Esports come in various genres. There are lots of massive esports tournaments held every year, where superstar teams are competing in front of thousands of fans that are watching them on various platforms, like:

• Youtube;
• Twitch;
• Hitbox.

Things to Look for When Choosing an Esports Bookmaker

There are a few things to consider before choosing the right esports-dedicated sportsbook. First of all, you should decide for yourself whether you want to play at a large reputable bookmaker that offers lots of sports options, including esports, or small, fully esports-focused betting websites. 

The various esports bookies also differ in terms of their esports selection. That means they have different numbers of games and markets. Their odds and bonuses also differ.

In this article, you will find the most important aspects that you should consider and tailor to your preferences before deciding which bookie to choose. 

Licensing and Security

The first and foremost point you should consider when looking at a betting site is security. If you aren’t sure whether your funds are safe, then there is no point in looking at other features of the website.

Odds

Odds are something that you should pay attention to. It’s essential to look for bookies that offer the best odds. This will help you win in the long run.

Game Selection

The more betting options you have, the better. The depth of the betting options is also crucial. Thus, it’s best to look for a bookie that offers some special bets, like “First Blood”(which team draws the very first blood).

Deposits and Withdrawals

In this section, the offered deposit and withdrawal options as well as transaction speed play a huge role.

Customer Support

This point is often underestimated. However, in case any problems arise, you will need to get in touch with customer support, who should be able to help you quickly.

Bonuses and Promotions

From welcome bonuses to daily offers. It’s important to look for a bookie that offers generous bonuses for both new and existing clients because that will improve your chances of winning.

How Good are the Esports Odds?

The esports odds are somewhat similar to tennis odds. The favorites are around 1.4 to 1.6, while the underdogs are between 2.2 and 2.6.

When it comes to finding and calculating the betting odds, online betting sites currently still have a lot of uncertainty. The strengths of the teams cannot always be clearly determined. Betting enthusiasts who deal intensively with the subject certainly have the chance to achieve success with real value bets.

The esports sportsbooks can be beaten in many ways. While the bookies usually hit the probability of the result with pinpoint accuracy when predicting the games in the largest football leagues, esports can sometimes go haywire – and this is a terrific opportunity to make some cash.

Bonuses and Promotions Offered by Esports Betting Sites

There are different types of bonuses and promotions at esports gambling establishments. The most common ones are welcome bonuses(also known as deposit bonuses), which you can claim as soon as you have registered and made your first deposit.

Here is the full list of the most popular bonuses:

• Welcome bonuses;
• No deposit bonuses;
• Free bets;
• Loyalty bonuses.

Now let’s talk about each one of them in detail.

Welcome Bonuses

Every good bookmaker usually has a deposit bonus for new customers. This is usually a 100% bonus based on the amount you deposit. Keep in mind that each betting bonus is subject to certain bonus conditions and has to be wagered.

No Deposit Bonuses

No deposit bonuses are also pretty common. To get this bonus, you have to share your personal details with the betting site when you sign up. As a result, you will receive a decent amount of bonus cash that you can play with.

Free Bets

This one is very easy. A free bet is basically a risk-free bet that you can place without risking your own money. Many betting websites offer this type of bonus to existing punters.

Loyalty Bonuses

The best betting sites Canada also offer loyalty programs or regular bonuses that you can take advantage of as an active customer. However, these types of bonuses usually have multiple requirements, so be careful. The loyalty programs are often divided into different tiers, which differ from bookmaker to bookmaker.

Wagering Requirements

Nearly all bonuses and promotions come with conditions that you must meet to benefit from a betting bonus. These conditions are also known as wagering requirements. They require you to wager the bonus amount a certain number of times (by betting on esports or other sports, casino games, etc). You will be able to withdraw your winnings only after you’ve met all of the stated conditions.

The Most Popular Esports Games and Bets

From the wide range of different games, favorites have to a certain extent developed in recent years, which are therefore particularly prominent among esports bettors. Of course, classics such as League of Legends with 100 million players worldwide or Counter-Strike with several million active players deserve special mention.

FIFA has also been taken to the heart by real soccer in recent years. Quite a few clubs have their own esports sections that are part of the competition organized by the football associations and leagues.

Some of the most popular games are:

• Dota 2;
• Valorant;
• Overwatch;
• Counter-Strike Global Offensive;
• Fortnite;
• FIFA;
• League of Legends.

There are usually bets on the outcome of the match. For example with a handicap or statistically ascertainable partial performances during a game. Of course, there are also long-term bets on tournament wins in esports.

MOBA is an abbreviation that keeps appearing in esports. It stands for Multiplayer Online Battle Arena. Many of the games mentioned fall into this category. Several players fight for victory on a limited playing field, known as a map.

League of Legends

Around 100 million players make LoL the most successful and popular game on the scene. It is free to play, i.e. it can be downloaded for free from the manufacturer Riot Games. The developers also made sure that there was a large and well-structured league system in place at an early stage. 

In the game, you take on a champion from the perspective of a third person. The game is played on one of three maps in teams of five players each. The aim is to destroy the opposing main building.

Dota 2

As the successor to a popular Warcraft 3 modification, Dota2 (manufacturer Valve) is also a video game title with a large fan base. This game is also part of the MOBA genre. The game principle is therefore very similar to that of League of Legends, here too an attempt is made in 5 vs 5 to destroy the opposing main building.

Counter-Strike

Counter-Strike is also a modification that developed from another game, namely Half-Life. The game falls into the category of an online tactical shooter. It is a turn-based duel between terrorists and counter-terrorists.

Valorant

This game is a first-person shooter from Epic Games, which is already responsible for a long-running hit in esports together with LoL. Those familiar with the gamer scene see Valorant as strong competition for established first-person shooters. Especially since the developers intentionally keep the system requirements as low as possible so that it can also run on old computers. The aim is to quickly create a large community of players.

The three most popular types of bets that you can place in most gambling establishments are:

1. 2-way betting: Here you bet on the winner of a game. Some esports also have a 3-way bet with a tie.
2. Tournament bets: With this type of bet, you bet on the winner of a tournament. As soon as the last game has been played, you will receive your money in case you have won.
3. Live betting: With this type of betting, the odds are constantly changing. You can still bet on the outcome and other events during an encounter. Finding the right time with the best odds is just as important here as being right with your tip.

Is Betting on Esports Legal?

The legality of esports depends on your country of residence. It’s best to read up on the legal situation in your country before proceeding. For instance, you have to be at least 19 years old to be able to gamble in betting sites Canada.

It is also important to know if you live in a country that regulates online gambling. This way you know that your funds are safe and that the betting sites comply with all the laws.

Deposits and Withdrawals at Esports-Dedicated Sportsbooks

The good thing about most betting sites is that they allow you to choose from an incredible number of payment methods. The majority of banking options at the well-known betting providers are trustworthy. These are certified and encrypted methods that are also widely used in other areas apart from sportsbooks that offer esports.

Nevertheless, there are some differences: the sportsbooks can differ greatly when it comes to transaction speed. Fees are also often different because not all payment services are free. Electronic payment methods are used by most gamblers, as the payment process is correspondingly fast, because of the convenience and speed. However, credit cards and traditional bank transfers are still quite popular.

When choosing the respective payment method, various factors play a role. On the one hand, there are of course personal preferences: those who have always preferred to make deposits via bank transfer will most stick to that payment method.  On the other hand, the framework conditions of the bookmakers also play a big role. This is especially true if a bookmaker charges an additional fee for a particular payment method.

Quite often only certain means of payment are permitted for certain promotions such as deposit bonuses or free bets. Last but not least, banks can also charge fees for transactions. 

The Most Popular Payment Options at Online Betting Sites

There are many different banking options that you can use, including:

• PayPal;
• Bank Transfer;
• Paysafecard;
• Skrill;
• Neteller;
• Credit cards;
• Cryptocurrencies.

PayPal

PayPal is one of the most popular payment service providers on the internet these days. With PayPal, you can pay quickly and securely online. In addition, PayPal has a very good reputation, which is now widespread. And more and more bookmakers are also offering deposits and withdrawals with PayPal. 

To be able to place bets with PayPal, players must open a separate account with the payment service provider. All payments are then processed via this account, so that the details of your own bank account cannot be viewed by the seller or, in this case, the bookmaker. PayPal buyer protection also protects players from fraudulent rip-off attempts.

Initially, customers only used PayPal for their online purchases. In the meantime, PayPal has become a popular payment provider for online games of chance such as esports.

Bank Transfer

The bank transfer is the classic among the payment methods and has been in the range of almost all bookmakers for years. Long before there were any alternative payment options, regular bank transfers were used to make deposits at online bookmakers. In the meantime, however, this method is becoming less and less popular, as many providers outperform the payment duration in particular. 

While a bank transfer generally takes two or more working days, the electronic payment methods, for example, can take as little as a few hours. However, for many deposit methods, a bank transfer is often the only permitted withdrawal method. 

Paysafecard

Paysafecard has firmly established itself as a payment method in many areas on the Internet and is accepted by many different bookmakers. The customer buys the Paysafecard with a certain amount of credit in supermarkets, at a kiosk, or at petrol stations. 

A numerical code is then printed on the card, which must be entered to redeem it on the Internet. As soon as the code has been entered and confirmed, the payment has already been made. This means that paying with Paysafecards is, above all, very easy and very fast. It only takes a few minutes to get the money to your betting account.

Skrill

Skrill is an online money institution based in the UK dedicated to making payments on the Internet. Skrill makes it possible to pay online, similar to PayPal. To do this, you have to create your own account, which you can use to receive and send payments. 

Here, too, the player does not have to provide the betting provider with any bank details. With Skrill, the payment sender usually has to pay a fee on their payment. Nevertheless, this method has become well-established in recent years. Since Skrill is a prepaid payment method, the account must first be topped up with real money. In addition, customers who deposit with Skrill are often excluded from certain bonus offers.

Neteller

Neteller is another online banking service provider. The company was founded in 1999 and is now one of the world’s leading companies in the field of online payments. It is currently available in over 160 countries.

As with other online payment methods, Neteller transactions are anonymous. In addition, you can deposit the money in the betting account in a matter of seconds. The only downside is that Neteller charges fees. 

Credit Cards

Credit cards have of course been around for many years. They are one of the most popular means of payment for online payments. VISA and Mastercard are certainly the largest international credit card providers and are accepted almost everywhere on the Internet.

Paying by credit card is safe and easy. Credit card payments are not always as fast as deposits via PayPal or Paysafecard, but still a lot faster than bank transfers. In the worst-case scenario, players can also get their money back.

Cryptocurrencies

Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin are becoming increasingly popular every year. The reasons are obvious: transactions can be carried out within a few seconds and your payments remain completely anonymous. 

That means that neither your bank nor the state knows about your payments. This also reduces the risk that your data will be misused by third parties for criminal activities.

The Growth of Esports

Even if esports is increasingly accepted as a sport, one must of course admit that there are fundamental differences between traditional sports and esports – you should never forget that when betting on esports.

One of the most important features is that the players can compete against each other digitally from home without any problems and do not have to meet physically. You should know, however, that the teams still often meet in real life – because it was recognized here that this is still crucial for professional team building. 

In addition, major tournaments are always held nowadays. The two teams usually sit opposite each other in sealed-off rooms. The exciting thing here is that more and more people are flocking to these tournaments live and the top teams have managed to build large fan bases. Nevertheless, as with other sports, it is of course the case that most players follow the games digitally from home.

You have probably understood by now that esports has long ceased to be a marginal phenomenon. Esports is already of great importance for many young people and the trend is rapidly increasing. Increasing professionalism has resulted in the strongest teams now receiving better and better support and having professional trainers and nutritionists at their side. Esports has proven that good nutrition and proper training can lead to success.

Another thing that you should know is that esports is developing very quickly – in contrast to traditional sports such as football, which have been more or less the same for years, and only small changes are made within the leagues with regard to the qualification system. 

In esports games, new features are introduced all the time, some of which fundamentally change the game and require a high degree of flexibility and rethinking from the players.

It is also exciting that established sports clubs such as FC Bayern Munich have increasingly launched their own esports teams. The clubs hope that this will improve their image and the big clubs do not want to lose touch with a rapidly growing market. 

Equipped with a lot of money, these teams can afford to sign good players or existing teams. However, the clubs have so far reached their limits and still have a lot to learn in this new area. The same goes for you if you are serious about getting into esports gambling.

South Korea is a great example of how popular esports has become. There, pro gamers are almost as popular as soccer stars. Their 40,000-seat Seoul World Cup Stadium fills up without any problems and the fans cheer for their favorite League of Legends teams. 

They are also into games like:

• Overwatch;
• FIFA;
• Starcraft;
• PUBG.

The esports matches in South Korea are also broadcast on television and streamed on countless websites. Politicians even have their own esports section and Naver, South Korea’s search engine has introduced its own tab for esports, under which you can find all the important news and links to events.

Where to Watch Esports Competitions?

Esports enjoy great popularity and similar to traditional team sports, have a correspondingly large audience. This is especially the case with Asia, where live tournaments are held in front of tens of thousands of spectators.

The majority of games are broadcasted on popular platforms, like Twitch. On the one hand, all of this makes esports a transparent matter. On the other hand, this also opens up the possibility of live betting on esports.

How to Bet on Esports?

To become a successful bettor, you should focus on one game and learn everything about it. Familiarize yourself with the game mechanics and watch professional games over and over again. On the one hand, you can learn something for your own game and you will also understand the actions of the professionals better and better through your own play.

Once you understand the basic principles of the game, you will get to know the individual players and teams as well as their strengths and weaknesses.

If you are armed with this basic knowledge and can begin to follow games consistently and correctly assess the current level of performance of the teams, you will be able to win big thanks to esports. 

Don’t hesitate to take advantage and outsmart the bookmakers when it comes to esports bets. With in-depth insider knowledge, you will surpass the bookmakers’ forecasts and with a few well-placed value bets you can dust off money quickly and safely.

However, you should by no means be impatient and start making big bets right from the start, because you might lose a lot of money.

When betting on esports, you should always take a look at the up-and-coming talents. Should one of your favorites make it to qualify for a world championship, you can benefit from good odds and bet on them and, with a little luck, win big. 

Another thing that you can do is bet on streamers. This is a great idea if you know everything about the streamers that are going face-to-face. If you feel like one of them is clearly better than the other, you can use it to your advantage.

Types of Bets That are Gaining Popularity

The three popular types of bets that have been popular among players recently are:

• Skin betting;
• Social betting;
• Fantasy betting

Skin Betting

Skin betting has become very popular with many betting companies such as CSGO Lounge, CS-GO Jackpot, and others. The interesting thing about skin gambling is that there are slot games for CS: GO. 

However, there has been a lot of controversy and scandals regarding some of these sites as they were not particularly well regulated. 

Recently, a new form of skin betting has made its way into the betting community. It’s called SkinPay and enables you as a customer to deposit skins into your player account instead of wagering real money. The skins are converted into real money by a bot (if you accept the proposed trade).

Social Betting

Social betting is something that has been established recently but has already become quite popular. It’s a form of betting where you and your friends or family members place informal wagers on the outcome of the matches between yourselves.

Fantasy Betting

As for fantasy competitions, they are very similar to poker tournaments. You pay an entry fee to enter a competition with a specific payout scheme for the entire prize pool. This type of betting is especially popular in the United States and Canada.