Brief Introduction to eSports Betting
eSports is fast becoming a great way for handicappers to score profits. What makes eSports so popular is that unlike football, basketball, or baseball, eSports like CS:GO, League of Legends, and Dota leagues exist all over the world. Check out a brief introduction along with what you must know about eSports betting.
What You Must Know About eSports Betting
Before discussing the most popular eSports and their leagues, let’s discuss what we care most about, betting options. eSports betting options are most similar to soccer bets.
Almost all eSports options offer a money line. Money line betting is the easiest to understand. If you like DRX to beat T1 in a League of Legends match, you bet on DRX.
eSports betting where participants play more than 1 game also employs Asian handicaps. Asian handicaps are different from American spread lines in the sense that with an Asian handicaps, we see spreads that aren’t just 1 or 1.5.
We often see spread lines like .25, .05, 1.25, and 1.75.
Top eSports to Bet & Top Leagues
League of Legends
The most popular eSport in the world, and it's not even close, remains League of Legends. See below for the top sports associations:
- League of Legends Korea – LCK
- League of Legends China – LPL
- League of Legends EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa – LEC
- League Championship Series (North America) – LCS
Counter-Strike CS:GO
The world’s second most popular eSport is Counter-Strike CS:GO. The ESL Pro League is the most popular.
The ESL Pro League comprises Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Oceania. So, the ESL Pro League is almost the entire world.
Dota
eSports bettors and fans used to refer to Dota as Dota 2. Now we call Dota to mean Dota 2 since nobody plays Dota anymore.
The Dota Pro Circuit and the Dota Pro Circuit North America are the two most popular leagues. The Dota Pro Circuit North America is part of the Dota Pro Circuit.
The Dota Pro Circuit contains leagues from six regions: North America, Europe, China, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), South America, and Southeast Asia.
Valorant
Valorant doesn’t have leagues. Instead, Riot Games, Valorant’s creator, developed the VALORANT Champions Tour.
The VALORANT Champions Tour is a set of tournaments with a points circuit that Riot Games hosts. The tournaments take place all over the world and are designed to promote Valorant as the next big eSport.
Overwatch
The first-person shooter isn’t as popular as League of Legends, Dota, CS:GO, or even Valorant. But if you want to get into eSports betting, you should check it out.
The league begins play in late April every year. Overwatch boasts teams from South Korea, like Seoul Dynasty, Canada, like the Toronto Defiant, China, like the Guangzhou Charge, and the United States, like the Atlanta Reign.
Call of Duty
The popular EA Sports game recently developed an eSports league. The Call of Duty League is the only one in existence. In 2023, just 12 teams, all in North America except for the Royal Ravens, play in the Call of Duty League:
- Atlanta FaZe
- Boston Breach
- Florida Mutineers
- London Royal Ravens
- Los Angeles Guerillas
- Los Angeles Thieves
- Optic Texas
- Seattle Surge
- Toronto Ultra
- Vegas Legion
The Call of Duty League has become one of the fastest growing in the world, which makes sense. Call of Duty is the United States' most popular first-person shooter video game.
Four Top eSports Events
Check out a list of four of the most popular eSports events in the world. Betting on teams that participate in the following events ensures there’s enough action for decent payouts.
- The International – Dota
- PGL Major Antwerp – Counter-Strike CS:GO
- Mid-Season Invitational – League of Legends
- League of Legends World Championships
Top-Rated Teams in CS:GO, Dota, and League of Legends
See below for the top-rated teams in the three most popular eSports. Start your eSports betting journey by backing the following squads.
Counter-Strike CS:GO
- G2 Esports
- FaZe Clan
- Heroic
- Team Vitality
- Natus Vincere
Dota
- Team Liquid
- Gaimin Gladiators
- Shopify Rebellion
- Tundra Esports
- Team Secret
League of Legends
- T1
- Gen.G
- JD Gaming
- Edward Gaming
- Dplus Kia
If you do bet, make sure you bet on the team in the correct eSport. For example, T1's League of Legends squad is terrific. But their King of Glory squad doesn’t win as often.
The rise of eSports betting is an opportunity for traditional sports handicappers to add potential profitable options. All sports handicappers should look to eSports as a great way to make profit and build their bankrolls.
Where to Bet on eSports with Bitcoin
Esports odds are available all year round here at Nitrobetting. Create a Nitrobetting account now to win tons of Bitcoin from the 2023 eSports season with our up-to-date eSports futures odds.
Feel free to browse sports betting guides. While you are at it, go ahead and check out all the latest eSports betting odds and more in our online Bitcoin sportsbook.
READ MORE: Games that Changed eSports Betting Forever
