Esports Betting sites

The history of Esports

Playing “video games” (as they were known) competitively can be traced right back to the 1970s, where both Stamford University in America and the Sega company in Japan lay claim to being the first to run an Esports contest. It was the Space Invaders Championship held by Atari in 1980 that attracted more than 10,000 participants which really made competitive gaming as a mainstream hobby. The sports development grew exponentially with the advent of the internet when multiplayer gaming became something everyone could do from their own home. Some countries define Esports as an official sport but others view it as a competition, and this reflective of the massive difference in popularity between nations around the world.

The Olympic organisers have considered adding Esports as an event but have been troubled by the association with violence that the majority of the main games possess. Regardless things are moving forward and in February 2022, the Commonwealth Games Federation announced that Esports would be included in the 2022 Commonwealth Games, initially as a pilot event but with the possibility of it being a medal event in the 2026 Games.

Our top Esports betting sites

#1 22Bet

22Bet is a site you are sure to have heard of, and when it comes to Esports betting they sure deliver. They had at the time of this review over 250 matches to bet on, spread over CS:GO, Leagues of Legend, Valorant, King of Glory, and Overwatch 2. They have detailed form statistics available on all the teams, and you can livestream every game as long as you are logged into your account. They have a decent range of markets for you to bet on each match beyond simply who will win, and the odds are competitive.

#2 Megapari

Megapari covers all the major Esports disciplines, namely CS:GO, League of Legends, and Dota 2, as well as several others. They offer a nice set of research tools and upcoming matches have a countdown timer to the scheduled start so you know how long you have to get your bets on. There are no specific Esports bonuses but the general Welcome offer and all existing user bonuses we saw can be used with Esports bets. They have a large range of payment methods so depositing should not be a problem and their 5* customer service is one of the reasons for their good online reputation.

#3 20Bet

20Bet has individual sections for each Esports game making them betting specialists in each discipline. The odds are good, certainly above average and they cover most matches “in-play” so you can bet during as well as before the action starts.  There are existing user promotions and redeposit bonus offers that are not exclusively for but can be used with Esports bets.

#4 1xbet

1xbet is known for its quality product offering a huge number of sports and good coverage on every single one, so of course this includes Esports. Live streaming is available on certain games, when we were reviewing this included football, ice hockey, and basketball, as well as the major first person shooter games. All major leagues from CS:GO, League of Legends, and Dota2 are covered in-play and most have a good number of betting options to choose from. 1xbet has Esports compatible bonuses, good 24/7 customer support and the largest number of payment methods of any betting site we have reviewed.

#5 Rabona

Rabona is another Esports betting site for you to consider. They offer all the main Esports and also have “virtual” sports, but note this is not the same thing. Esports is betting on computer games between real players, Virtual sports is betting on computer games where it is two AI teams playing each other. They have good odds on the matches they cover and have more Esports disciplines than most, notably you can bet on StarCraft 2 here! They are a good “all-rounder” betting site and are always going to be a solid choice with a good customer service team and an attractive welcome bonus for new users.

Is Esports betting legal?

The short answer to this is going to be “yes”. The slightly longer answer involves certain caveats such as that you must be above the legal minimum age to gamble in your jurisdiction. It is also essential that you are gambling with your own money using bank accounts that are in your name, due to international anti-money laundering rules. Finally check that the betting site you are using is licensed to accept international players and accepts accounts from your country of residence. If you stick to these rules then you will be betting legally.

What are the most popular types of Esports bets?

When you are betting on Esports at the majority of betting sites there will be two types, either Single bets or Accumulator bets. It is possible bet on some sports In-play and that is also true of Esports but it is a lot less common than others. We will look at the ins and outs of each type of bet here now:

• Single bets - The most common way to bet is to have one selection that you think will win, and you bet on it, and that is that. If your bet comes in then you get back your stake amount multiplied by the odds. If your bet is a loser, then you lose your stake. It is as simple as that.
• Multiple bets (Also known as Accas) - These bets are an advance on a single bet and involve more than one selection forming one bet. If it is a straight Acca then your winnings from each individual bet are rolled up into the next selection, and so on. If ALL bets win, then you win your stake multiplied by each of the odds you took incrementally, leading to big wins. However if just one of your bets loses, even though the others may have won, you will lose everything.
• Live bets (Also called In-play bets) - These are bets placed after the event has begun. When placing these bets you will notice that the betting sites update the odds frequently, making it a fast-paced atmosphere and you will have to think on your feet. You may also notice that all other things being equal, the value of the odds (known as the bookmaker margin) is worse than in pre-match bets. However the advantage to you is that by betting In-play you can see how a match is developing for real and make more informed decisions than betting pre-match when you rely purely on assumptions.

Esports Bonuses and Promotions

We have come across Esports specific bonuses in the past but these are not common. What you will find instead is that there are generic bonuses offered by betting sites and Esports are one of the bet types that can be used in conjunction with these.

What are the best Esports Welcome Offers?

Online gambling Welcome Offers, also known as Sign Up Bonuses, and New User Bonuses, are abundant and it is rare to find a betting site that does not offer one. There are several different types of reward that may be offered, and each will have specific terms and conditions. The main types that you can expect to find are:

• No Deposit Bonuses - They are hard to find but they do exist, no deposit bonuses as the name suggests offer new players either bonus funds or Free bets to use immediately after opening an account, before even depositing. They do this to let you get a feel for their site for real and try it out, hoping that you like it and since you have done 90% of the leg work in setting up an account, they will be able to entice you into depositing later on. Whether you choose to do that or not is up to you, but either way a “No Deposit” bonus is a good way to try out any bookmaker because you really can not lose.
• Deposit Bonuses - A more common Welcome bonus is a deposit bonus where your initial deposit is matched by bonus funds. There are two types, either the bonus funds will be awarded for you to use straight away, or they will be on hold and given to you once you have wagered your initial deposit a certain amount. In both scenarios there will be T&C’s outlining exactly how much you must wager, on what sports and what bet types and crucially at what odds. Only when you have fully met the T&C’s will you be able to make a withdrawal from your account and keep the bonus funds.
• Free Bets - Often you will see Free bets on offer, and these differ slightly from bonus funds. Free bets can be placed once, and if the bet wins then you get back the winnings only, not the stake amount. Free bets do not usually have any wagering requirements to them you are simply told the odds range required to qualify for and then to use the Free bet.
• Refunded losses - Sometimes marketed as risk-free betting, depending on the terms and conditions of the refund, these are good welcome offers that allow you to test out a site with limited risk. If you bet as you would do normally and win then that is that. Should you in fact make a loss then this offer will refund some, and in some cases all, of your losses. Sometimes you will get cash and sometimes a Free bet, but either is better than nothing.
• Profit Boost - To encourage new users to deposit and to drum up interest in certain sports you will sometimes see price boosts, offering incredibly generous odds on one selection which is likely to be a popular one. The odds are often well above the general market rate but to limit their liability the bookmakers will limit your max stake amount on this bet.

What are the best Esports existing user bonuses?

There have been some Esports specific bonuses in the past and there will be again in the future but what you are more likely to find is general bonuses which are compatible with Esports bets. The most common types for you to come across are:

• Reload bonuses - These are a form of deposit bonus and will range from depositing a certain amount and being given a matched amount as bonus funds to requesting you deposit and wager a set amount and you then receive a Free bet. In both instances these bonuses are there to encourage you to redeposit into your account and make you an active customer once again.
• Acca Boosts - These are a common form of bonus that you will see many betting sites offering to their existing customers. They are designed to encourage more and more legs to be added to an Acca, and the more legs that are the greater the bonus that is given. These can actually be very good value depending on what the minimum odds required for a bet to contribute are. Each bookmaker is likely to have their own scale but they are usually in the area of 3+ legs being boosted 5% up to 15+ legs being boosted by anything up to 100%.

What are the major Esports events or tournaments for betting on?

Dota 2: The International

League of Legends:  World Championship (known as the Worlds)

CSGO: The Majors

Pros and Cons of betting on Esports