Updated: 2024
Esports betting explained
Just like a traditional sport will have two opposing parties or teams and events like racing will have many contenders vying for the top spot, in Esports, contenders, players or teams play against each other over the internet or LAN in multiplayer events.
Like other sports, bettors follow these events, the competing teams and players, go through the global list of professional gamers in each sport and then get ready to wager. Before we break down the odds and wagers for Esports betting in The UK, let us look at the popular Esports you may find at a bookmakers’.
Popular Esports games in The UK and where to Bet online
Following is the list of the Esports that one can bet on but this list is by no means exhaustive:
Counter-Strike: This is a classic FPS team game that requires tactical fighting and is usually played out between 2 teams.
Where to bet:
League of Legends: A relatively new offering to the market, this game, also known as LOL, is an MMORPG that is loved and bet on by many.
Where to bet:
DOTA 2: The ever-popular version of the World of Warcraft, DOTA 2 is massively popular worldwide and it is no exception when it comes to betting.
Where to bet:
Call of Duty: Considered the most sold video game of all time by many, Call of Duty or COD and most of its versions have spawned numerous leagues, tournaments and matches.
Where to bet:
Apart from the table toppers, there is a slew of other games ready to be bet on as well:
- Hearthstone
- Overwatch
- Fortnite
- Heroes of the Storm
- FIFA
- Rocket League
- Starcraft 2
- Rainbow Six Siege
– Offer available in the UK and Ireland
– Sign up using promo code C30
– Place a bet of £10 or more
– Receive 3 x £10/€10 free bets
– The free bets can be used on any sportsbook product, including Esports betting
– Offer available only to new players
Esports odds explained
Esports odds work pretty much like the traditional odds that you would expect to find while betting on a regular sporting event. In the case of Esports, more often than not, you shall be betting on teams rather than a player.
Hence you can easily expect to see odds such as:
Team A – Team B
2.5 1.55
It is exactly what it looks like, in a particular event the odds of Team A winning has been set by the bookmakers at 2.5 and the odds of Team B winning has been set at 1.55.
This is, of course, the decimal format of odds. If you were to place a stake of 10 GBP on Team A and Team A won, you can expect a payout of 25 GBP.
Wagering options and betting types
Similarly, following wagering options and betting types are available for Esports:
- Handicap Betting: In this kind of betting, a handicap is applied to the teams/players based on their performance, ratings and skills etc. The final odds scores are calculated after deducting or adding the handicap to the team that you back.
Let’s take the below scenario as an example:
Team A – Team B
2.5 1.55
(+1.5) (-1.5)
In this case, a handicap of -1.5 has been applied to Team B. Hence if you back Team B and they win the match by 2 rounds to 1, after odds are applied the score becomes 1 – 0.5.
Hence the bettor, in this case, you, actually loses the bet. In case you had backed Team A and they lost 2 rounds to 3 rounds, the effective score would become 3.5 – 3. In this case, the bettor would emerge victorious.
- Outrights: This type of bet simply means betting on which team will win the match or the tournament. The odds are applied as it is.
- Total Score: This bet covers what the total score of the match would be, combining scores from both teams and/or all players.
- Over/Under: This type of bet allows bettors to predict the total score to be over or under a certain threshold. This is a popular wagering option for other sports as well such as football and rugby.
