Esports Betting Apps and Sites

Esports betting is becoming a significant part of the online betting world because it’s never been easier to find odds on these matches, tourneys, and events using sports betting apps like DraftKings or Bet365. The exposure on these two platforms, in particular, has contributed significantly to the growing popularity of esports betting in the United States and worldwide.

Our review will highlight the best esports betting apps and the concept of betting on esports. We’ll even address the growing relevance of this market in today’s online betting realm. And what sports betting guide is entirely without helpful strategies for getting a leg up on betting public and making the most of your betting opportunities?

Let’s discuss esports and how to start placing your bets today!

What Is Esports Betting?

Esports are multiplayer video games played competitively by professional gamers. In several online sports betting sites, esports is an option as yet another way for bettors to make some extra money—spectators can stake money on outcomes based on how well the teams perform at the hands of the gamers at the controls.

The name can be misleading. Sometimes, esports lives up to its name—gamers will play Madden or FIFA World Cup. However, many gamers will broadcast themselves playing first-person shooter games like Counter-Strike or Apex Legends and multiplayer online battle arena games like League of Legends.

Popularity of Esports Rising

As you’ll soon find, esports isn’t a betting option available at all sports betting apps. Still, a few platforms have taken the liberty of offering these opportunities to their customers as they see a trend indicating that they’re rising in popularity. In 2021, the global esports betting market was valued at $9.75 billion, and it’s been estimated that the market will reach a value of $35.56 billion by 2031!

This comes as no surprise because online sports betting apps are becoming more widely used and are constantly offering new betting products for their customers. Never has it been easier to download an app, deposit some money into your bankroll, and bet on whatever sports market you desire. The simple accessibility of betting on esports now using our favorite online sportsbook will drive the rising popularity of this market.

Types of Esports Bets

There’s more than one way to bet on esports when you’re staking money and getting odds with your favorite online sports betting app. It’s not just betting on the winner of an event! Check out these most common esports bets that interest and excite your wagers.

• Match Winner: These wagers involve betting on the winner of a single game or matchup. It’s an outright bet on esports with two primary outcomes, making it one of the easier to predict correctly.
• Tournament Winner: These are the closest things to futures betting in esports. They can be difficult to predict. Bettors stake money on the winner of major esports events like DreamHack, the International, or the Intel Extreme Masters. The odds are available well in advance from when the events occur—you get the best odds the further out of the event you are, and you can make the most significant payout if you place your bet in the earlier stages.
• Handicap Betting: In traditional sports betting, handicaps or point spreads give underdog teams or competitors an artificial points advantage, so there’s an even number of people betting on the favorite and the dog. If the underdog loses by less than the point spread number, the bet is a win. A bet on the favorite can lose if the favorite loses to the dog or doesn’t win by more than the point spread number.
• Score: This type of esports wager is standard in traditional in-play betting. It involves correctly predicting the exact final score. This bet type is influenced somewhat by totals (over/under), but these are much harder bets to get right—score bets in esports are sometimes called “complex outrights.”
• Over/Under Bets: The bookmakers will predict what they think will be the final combined score for both players. Bettors try to correctly guess if the final score comes in over or under the book’s prediction. Over/under is a single bet, meaning you have a 50/50 chance of getting the prediction right.
• Odds/Evens Bets: Bettors can wager on the final outcome, landing on an odd or even number. This can apply to events like the number of games a single player wins or how many rounds are played. It’s a single bet like over/under or match/tourney winner bets where you have a 50/50 chance of success.
• Top Player or MVP: This is a simpler esports bet in which you try to correctly predict the official top player in an event. Though the concept of what you’re betting on is simple, the bet has more than two outcomes, making it a high-variance bet.
• In-Play Betting: Some esports odds are posted during a live event, match, or tournament. Bettors can place their wagers while the event is happening in real-time, and the bookmakers will offer multiple odds and lines for various outcomes during that time. This gives bettors multiple opportunities to stake money on a single event several times.

Best Esports Betting Apps and Sites for 2024

This time, we only have a couple of online sports betting sites that offer esports and do a decent job delivering competitive odds. As betting on esports online for real money increases in popularity, we’re confident that other sports betting apps will start offering them as a regular market on their respective platforms.

Criteria for Ranking

If you’re wondering about our methods for ranking our favorite esports betting apps, check out the criteria we used to hand-pick these gems. A lot of it comes from a functionality standpoint, but there are some other essential factors you might not otherwise think about if you’re casually getting to esports betting for the first time.

• Overall User Experience: Using a sportsbook with a user-friendly interface and design is highly important.
• Bonuses and Promotions: Choose a sportsbook that offers generous bonus funds to help you develop your bankroll.
• Licensing and Regulation: Use licensed and regulated sites that align with the laws of your state, territory, or jurisdiction.
• Betting Market Coverage: For some variety, find a wide range of esports games and tournaments as well as other sports betting markets.
• Good Customer Service: Do you have effective ways to improve customer service, such as live chat, phone, or email?
• Fast Deposits and Payouts: Choose a sportsbook with convenient deposit and withdrawal methods.
• Mobile Betting: Use a sports betting site with a mobile app that lets you bet on esports on the go!

Best Esports Betting Apps & Sites

We can imagine expanding on this list in the next few years, but for now, we have two solid choices for anyone interested in betting on esports online for real money: DraftKings and Bet365.

DraftKings Sportsbook

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Bet365 Sportsbook

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How to Choose the Best Esports Betting Site

Look back on the criteria we used to rank the best in online esports betting apps. These are the same principles you would apply to finding the right betting app that suits all your needs. We’ll go over these principles in more depth to guide you on what to look for when selecting a mobile app.

Popular Esports Games to Bet On

Are you curious about which esports games are available at our favorite sports betting sites? Let’s run through some of the most common first-person shooter and battle royale games.

Esports Betting Strategies

Although you’re betting on the outcome of video game competitions and tournaments, many of the same strategies that sports bettors use can be applied to these betting opportunities. Your success lies in a steady, methodical approach where you back your picks with statistics or professional analysis and remain consistent in your bankroll management.

• Research and Analysis – As much as you can, research how the games are played, the rules, and the players’ track record. Because this is a smaller betting market, there aren’t any official statistics, analysis, or historical data. However, you can consult Reddit discussions to get clued into any stories or gossip on upcoming tournaments or matches.
• Bankroll Management – Load your online sports betting account only with money you can afford to lose. We advise using bank options that separate your funds from your bank account to reduce temptations to overspend. Establish a betting unit as well (1-2% of your bankroll) and keep this proportion the same across all esports bets.
• Live Betting – If it’s available, live betting allows you to check team and player statistics to inform your bets during a match. Be sure to act quickly and lock down odds when you see them because they can change rapidly. If you’re playing on your computer or phone, shut down unnecessary tabs to improve your speed. Keep your operating system up to date as well. Speed is everything in live betting!
• Market Value – Based on your research and following what people who follow esports say on Reddit, you can view odds on esports events and spot places where selections are undervalued or overvalued. This can help find upset opportunities. If there’s a clear favorite to win, you can bet earlier to get a better price on your odds before the book begins discounting odds for the dog. Or if you know an upset is imminent, you can’t wait to see where the public money goes and then get a deal on the underdog when the book attempts to balance the action.
• Staying Informed – We alluded to this when discussing Reddit forums. Keeping up with the latest news and trends in esports is another excellent way to get valuable insights that can help inform your betting decisions. Gaming forums, social media, watch streams, and other avenues of community engagement help you learn more about the players and games you’ll be staking money on.

Legal Considerations

There are a few things to remember about betting on esports from a legal standpoint. This includes age and territorial restrictions. Let’s talk about where esports betting is legal in the US and how old you must be to bet on matches or tournaments between gamers.

Legality of Esports Betting

Esports betting isn’t legal everywhere in the United States. Like regulated sports betting, there are certain states and jurisdictions where you can participate and others where you can. Esports betting is 100% legal in Nevada, New Jersey, Tennessee, and West Virginia. There are also several states where the activity is regulated:

• Arkansas
• Delaware
• Illinois
• Iowa
• Michigan
• Montana
• New Mexico
• New York
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island

Age Restrictions

No centralized authority or governing body sets age restrictions on esports tournaments—each game is responsible for establishing its own age restrictions. Some games don’t have any.

• DOTA 2: Mostly 13, 18 in some leagues & venues
• Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO): 13, 18 in many leagues & venues (because of PEGI-18 rating)
• Fortnite: 13
• League of Legends: 17 everywhere except China & Korea – China / Korea are set by the league or venue
• Starcraft 2: 16
• Overwatch: 18 for top overwatch league, 13 for lower contenders league
• PlayerUnknown’s BattleGrounds (PUBG): 18
• Hearthstone: 13
• Heroes of the Storm: 13
• Counter-Strike: 18
• Rainbow Six Siege: 18
• Rocket League Championship: 15
• PlayerUnknown’s BattleGrounds Mobile (PUBG mobile): 18
• SMITE: 13
• Starcraft Brood War / Remastered: 16
• Halo 5: North America 13, Latin America 18, Australia 15, New Zealand 13, Europe 16
• Call of Duty Modern Warfare: 18
• Call of Duty Black Ops 4: 18
• Crossfire: 16
• Magic the Gathering Arena: 18
• Warcraft III: 16
• Apex Legends: Japan 17, Russia 18, South Korea 18, everywhere else 16
• World of Warcraft: 13
• FIFA 21 / All EA Sports games: 16
• iRacing (eNASCAR – Cocal-Cola iRacing Series, Heat Pro League, Ignite Series): 13

Responsible Gambling

Always remember to employ responsible gambling practices if you’re trying your hand at esports betting or any other kind of sports wagering. Setting up limits for yourself and knowing the red flags associated with a gambling problem can be very powerful. Strike a balance between earning some money, staying disciplined in your approach, and having some fun along the way.

Recognizing Problem Gambling

Know the signs of problem gambling. You can begin dealing with potential problems or addictions much sooner if you know what the red flags and warning signs are. Though you might not experience each of these symptoms all at once, dealing with even one might indicate that you should seek help.

• You attempt to conceal your gambling habits or activities from the people in your life.
• You turn to sports betting or casino game gambling to deal with anger, boredom, frustration, or loneliness.
• You start going beyond your money limits, using resources that you need for things like housing, food, or clothing.
• You borrow money or take out loans to fund your gambling endeavors. This could happen even if you’re sticking with a gambling budget.
• You chase losses, which means you up your stakes to recoup losses.
• All you can think about is gambling, and it’s all you do in your free time.
• You neglect your friends or family to gamble.
• Your job or relationships are at risk because of your gambling habits.
• You find yourself being irritable or experiencing anxiety and other stress-related symptoms when you’re not gambling.

Resources for Help

To get help to deal with gambling problems or addictions, you can access these national resources—join a support group or talk with a professional via phone or live chat.

Esports Betting Apps FAQ

Check out the answers to frequently asked questions about esports betting. You can get the key highlights of our review right here without having to read everything about esports mobile betting apps.