We can divide the iGaming industry into two major sections. The online casinos and sports betting sites. With time, both entities are becoming one. What we meant to say is that most operators now tend to offer both casino games and sports betting facilities on the same website.
And e-sports betting is a major part of the whole sports betting industry. It was not as prominent as it is now just a few years ago. As the popularity of e-sports titles increased, people wanted to bet more on them at online casinos.
In this post, we plan to educate you on e-sports betting. As it’s a relatively new paradigm in the gambling world, it’s our responsibility to get our readers up to date.
Without further ado, let’s get started.
1. What is E-Sports?
E-sports stands for Electronic sports. People often confuse between virtual sports and e-sports. While both are parts of the sports betting industry, they are fundamentally different. Let’s clarify them both for you.
Virtual sports are literally the virtual version of real sports. Whether your favorite sport is Football, Baseball, Basketball, Rugby, Hockey, or anything else, you can find a virtual variant. Virtual matches are simulated using RNG (Random Number Generators) software to make them unpredictable.
On the other hand, we have e-sports. E-sports are basically computer games. We can categorize almost all computer games as e-sports. But in sports betting, only a few of the games matter. Don’t bother with the games yet because we have a dedicated section for the best e-sports betting titles at online casinos coming ahead.
2. What is E-Sports Betting?
Now that you know what e-sports are, we can jump to the betting. E-sports betting simply refers to the act of wagering your money on different aspects of the games. The operators offer a wide variety of markets that you can bet on.
E-sports betting is slowly becoming the norm as more and more people are coming into the habit. Especially for newer generations, a match of e-sports is more entertaining than real sports. And they tend to be shorter in duration when compared to, for example, a football match.
There was a time when finding e-sports betting opportunities at online gambling platforms where hard. Operators focused on real sports. But now, almost all major online casinos have a sports betting section. And you are very likely to find e-sports titles in there.
3. What are Some E-Sports Betting Games at Online Casinos?
The wait is over. In this section, we’ll go over the most popular games people tend to bet on. Thanks to the popularity of these games, you can expect to find spectacularly good odds on all markets.
4. CSGO
Counter Strike: Global Offensive or shortly known as CSGO, is the most popular e-sports betting choice among punters. The game has been the pinnacle of competitive online gaming and it didn’t take long for the operators to find the potential in it.
Now, almost all online casinos will allow you to place bets on CSGO. The markets and the odds will vary from casino to casino. Your job is to find the best one for yourself.
CSGO offers a lot of unique markets that you can bet on. In sports betting, the term ‘market’ refers to the aspects of a sport that you can wager on. For example, if you are placing a bet on a player to get 10 kills in a game, that’s a market.
Or, you can bet on map-specific winners. The tournaments are comprised of series of games that take place on different maps. While the ultimate goal is to bet on the team that wins the series, you can utilize individual yet important markets like handicaps, the final score of the series, how many maps one team can win, and so on.
5. WoW
World of Warcraft is another very popular e-sports betting option for punters. Many online casinos offer a wide variety of markets on this game. It’s one of the oldest online games that stayed true to its legacy to this day.
Starting its journey back in 2004, World of Warcraft is categorized as MMORPG. If you don’t know what it means, let us help you. It stands for Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game. Can you see why it’s shortened now?
The betting markets are also very versatile in WoW. You can bet on the match winners, special bets, the handicaps, or even the outright winners. Most bets apply to the PVP mode, which is short for Player vs Player in WoW betting.
6. LOL
No, we’re not laughing out loud at you. We are referring to League of Legends. This game is extremely popular among online gaming enthusiasts for its dynamic environment and interesting characters.
This game also predates CSGO. Being a 2009 title, this e-sports title is surprisingly popular among players to this day. With age, the game has developed a unique community that focuses on e-sports betting globally.
The basic markets for LOL betting include match-winners, the total score of the game, etc. Some operators may offer special bets that you wouldn’t find anywhere else on the internet. Just go through the best online casinos to find the perfect markets for you.
7. FIFA
Talking about e-sports titles and not talk about FIFA? Impossible. This game virtually gave birth to the concept of e-sports. EA Sports released the first installment of the series called FIFA International Series way back in 1993. The legacy continues to this day with FIFA 2021 being the latest addition.
Over time, the online gaming community has become very fond of the series. And it’s the perfect opportunity for football lovers like you to brush up on your betting skills again. You can get almost all the betting markets you would find in a real football match. From outright match winners to individual goal scorers, from tournament winners to half-time results, everything is possible with FIFA betting.
8. To Wrap Up
Online casinos have added a new dimension to the world of sports betting. Before online operators stepped in, punters had to visit official bookies in their area to place bets on their favorite sports. And now you can do e-sports betting! It’s wonderful how far internet technology has come in such a short time.