Esports And Sportsbooks
We all know sports gambling is experiencing sky high popularity right now. You can't watch a game without seeing commercials for Fan Duel or DraftKings. There are countless TV shows, blogs, podcasts and social media accounts that revolve around nothing but sports gambling. More states are legalizing sports gambling which is making it available to more players. And those players are turning normal games into exciting and thrilling ones just by dropping a few bucks on the outcome.
But what if we were to tell you that sports weren't the only thing players were placing bets on? That's right, more and more online sportsbooks are allowing players to place bets on uber popular eSports. Today, we're going to take a look at this partnership and explore how players can get in on the action themselves. So what are we waiting for? Let's get to it!
What are eSports
First thing first, some of you might be asking yourselves - 'what are eSports?' eSports are any type of competitive video game that is played against individuals or teams. These aren't like when you played Nintendo as a kid. No one is playing against a computer. This is all player vs player or team vs team. eSports have been around for a while but have really picked up steam in the last decade or so. There are regularly hosted tournaments that have major sponsors and pay out some pretty nice prize money to the winners. The players and teams are celebrities in their own right and spend hours a day practicing their skills. Many of them live stream their playing sessions on platforms like Twitch or YouTube while amassing huge amounts of followers. And your parents told you playing video games would never pay off!
Because eSports are so popular, the powers that be saw an opportunity to turn them into betting opportunities. So how does betting on eSports work?
Betting on eSports
You'd be surprised to know that betting on eSports is very easy. It's basically the same as betting on an NFL game or NBA game. Each match will have a favorite and an underdog, a spread that is in conjunction with the type of game they're playing and an over/under that's representative of that as well. Some games will have 'Map 1' and 'Map 2' bets, and those are typically games that are played in multiple rounds and on different platforms. They are essentially two separate matches so players can bet on either or on both of them.
There are many types of eSports and eSport games that players can bet on so let's take a quick look at some of them…
- Multiplayer Online Battle (MOBA)
Battle arena games are some of the most popular games in the eSports world. You've maybe heard of some of the popular titles like Dota 2 and League of Legends, Smite and Warcraft. Now while it might take some time to get used to the rules and how the games are played - especially if you're not a video game player to begin with - once you get the hang of it you'll see the betting opportunities are there and there's really chances to make some money.
- First Person Shooters (FPS)
Another massively popular type of video game on its own, First Person Shooters are also one of the most popular betting options. Games like Call of Duty, Halo, Overwatch and more are routinely played in tournaments around the world and draw some of the best players around. So if watching a little military type action is more suited to your taste, betting on FPS is the way to go.
- Sports Simulators
There wouldn't be betting without a little sports action! Sports simulators are games like NBA 2K, FIFA, MLB The Show, Madden and others. They can be played between two individuals or two teams and the betting is almost exactly how it would be if you were betting on a real NBA or NFL game. Since sports simulators are so closely similar to their real life counterparts, they're the easiest way into eSports betting. You can see how tournaments are structured and how bets are made.
- Tournaments
If you've never been to an eSports tournament in person you're missing out. That are played in huge arenas and attract thousands of fans. They bring people from all over the world together simply because of their love of video games. Tournaments like League of Legends World Championships and The International are two of the most popular in terms of attendance, viewership and betting.
Where can you bet on eSports
Now while Fan Duel and DraftKings don't yet accept eSports bets, there are plenty of sights that do. Major online casinos like BetOnline and Bovada offer plenty of eSports betting options. Along with these two, players will want to take a look at Thunderpick, BC.Game, Sportsbet.IO and Bitcasino.IO.
Each of them offer their own bonuses and promotions, so players would be wise to look around and find the casino that bets suits the preference and offers their preferred deposit and withdrawal methods.
Conclusion
So there we have it. Our look at eSports and its inclusion in sportsbook gambling. We understand that for some players, eSports is too much of diversion from the typical sports gambling. They might see the game play and game rules and think it's too difficult to bet on. But as we've mentioned, eSports is incredibly similar to regular sports gambling. The favorites are the favorites because they've established a reputation of being solid players and winning tournaments. The types of bets are essentially the same bets you'd make on a sports game, just altered to fit the type of game, i.e. MOBA or FPS.
And of course, you could keep it simple and bet on sports simulators and wouldn't have to change any of your strategy!
eSports are a fun, exciting and potentially lucrative opportunity so the next time you're reading for a session, we recommend testing the waters. Who knows, maybe you'll get hooked!