eSports Betting: 5 Essential Tips To Get Started
Elen StelmakhAccording to research from Statista, the esports betting market is estimated to reach 2.5 billion USD in 2024. It’s also expected to grow at a rate of 7.27% over the next four years, firmly establishing itself as one of the hottest and most rapidly growing betting markets.
The number of official esports continues to grow as well, so there are plenty of things to get excited about in this scene. Due to the relative newness of esports betting, punters have an astounding chance to win big fairly regularly. Think of this guide as your opportunity to learn more about the esports gambling scene and how you can get started.
Check out the five tips below!
#1 Find gambling sites that cater to esports betting
Start your journey by finding gambling sites with esports betting as an option. In our experience, many casinos not on GamStop will have an esports gambling section for you to try. This will let you bet on a multitude of games and matches throughout the year.
On that note, there are two big things to consider when searching for esports gambling sites:
- How many esports are covered?
- How do the odds compare to others?
The ideal website will cover all the esports you care about while providing competitive odds for betting. Odds are everything as a punter - they determine how much money you win from your bets. Oftentimes, picking one gambling site over another can be the difference between winning more or less money based on the odds they use.
Gather a collection of online gambling sites that cover esports and compare their game varieties. Of the ones that offer the best selection, compare their odds. You’ll be left with a group of sites worth joining as they cover what you’re after and give you the best prices across every market.
#2 Pick a game and learn about it
A quick look at the current esports match schedule will show you hundreds of matches happening across multiple esports. It’s impossible to bet on all of these - especially as the games can be so drastically different.
For example, betting on League of Legends will be entirely different to betting on a Counter-Strike match. They’re not even the same genre of game, so having a strong understanding of one won’t translate to the other.
From our perspective, you have a better chance of winning money when you pick a game and learn about it. Choose an esport that jumps out at you and keeps you hooked. Then, devote plenty of time to learning about how the game works, who the players are and so on. You’ll build up a wealth of knowledge about the esport to help you figure out what to bet on.
#3 Watch as much esports as possible
How do you learn about esports? By watching the matches as much as you can!
Thankfully, the majority of esports games are streamed for free on platforms like Twitch and YouTube. It’s your preference to pick whichever streaming platform you like (we suggest YouTube as you can pause and rewind the tape whenever you like.)
Either way, watching the matches helps you in two ways:
- You get an even better understanding of how the esport works
- You’ll find opportunities to place in-play bets
It’s like betting on any sport; making a prediction is easier when you watch the teams play. You’ll see that one team is playing extremely well in a particular esport, so you have the confidence to bet on them in their next match.
#4 Explore different esports betting markets
As mentioned in the beginning, esports betting is new compared to other sports betting options. This means you won’t get as many betting markets as you do with soccer or basketball. However, you can bet on more than just the match outcome - and this is where your money will be made.
Look, the bookmakers aren’t always right. They set the wrong odds sometimes and make poor predictions. This is rare across traditional sports, yet in esports, it’s incredibly common to see the bookies make a mistake.
Why? Because esports is still new to them! There’s not enough historical data to support setting specific odds for or against certain outcomes. When you look at some esports betting markets, you’ll find amazing odds that look too good to be true. Dip away from betting on the match outcome and use these markets instead to find incredible value and win some huge bets fairly regularly.
#5 Bet responsibly and set limits
It’s easy to let your betting habits get out of control thanks to the opportunities presented by esports gambling. You’ll win a fair few bets, which can encourage you to bet more and more. If you’re not careful, you’ll bet all your winnings and end up with a loss.
That’s why the most important tip of all is to gamble responsibly. A quick Google search will throw up hundreds of articles and resources offering safer gambling tips. Read them all as they will help, but one of the key things to do is this:
Set limits when you bet!!
Put a cap on your esports betting expenditure so you never overbet. Put limits on how often you bet on esports matches too, so it never gets out of control. Restricting your betting habits will help you develop a healthier relationship with esports betting that encourages you to be responsible and avoid taking heavy losses.
Thanks for reading our introduction to esports betting. We hope it helps you jump aboard the bandwagon and get the most out of this exciting new betting venture without losing too much money!
Elen Stelmakh is a creative individual dedicated to advancing gaming culture through articles and visual design. As a full-time EGamersWorld author and designer for a gaming website, Elen not only creates content but also infuses it with energy and creativity.