Esports Betting Sites

Welcome to our list of the best esports betting sites in the industry. We list the most trusted sportsbooks that offer esports markets and feature them alongside independently written reviews and ratings. Each betting site is listed with key information, including the esports they offer, as well as a quick summary of the esportsbook itself. Our reviews are written by impartial players with honest ratings that reflect on the quality of the bookmaker. Find the best esports betting sites using the filters below.

The rapid evolution of esports over the past decade has been nothing short of extraordinary and has led to a dramatic increase in the number of esports bookmakers. Whilst this greater competition and choice is music to the ears of seasoned esports bettors, the vast selection can be daunting for first-time newbies. After all, how can you be sure that you’ve picked the right esportsbook? Fear not, we’ve got you covered. Choosing an esports bookmaker doesn’t have to be as hard as defending the ‘Ancient’ in Dota 2. Let’s take a look at what you should consider when deciding where to bet on esports.

Choosing the Right Sportsbooks

The best esports betting sites can all be found here, along with independent ratings that help you to decide the best esportsbook to place your money. There are a number of factors that go into our esportsbook ratings, including community reviews, support options, account security, esports markets and promotions. While we feature the best esports betting sites on the market, we also list those that are in dire need of improvement – and we don’t show away from highlighting the worst as well as the best. Of course, we rank our list of esportsbooks from best to worst, so you can find the best rated esports betting sites at the top.

It might not be difficult to find an esports betting site, but finding the right site for you can be a little more challenging. There’s no ‘one size fits all’ package as each bettor has their own needs and expectations. Thankfully, you can find the best esports betting sites here, along with independent ratings to help you decide where to spend your money.

We consider a number of factors in our esports bookmaker ratings, including community reviews, support options, account security, esports markets and promotions to help you pinpoint the perfect esports betting site for you. We’ve given each of these bookmakers a score, so you can clearly see which is the best place to bet on esports.

Ready to bet on esports?

Now you know what factors are important when choosing an esports bookmaker, all that remains is finding the right site for you. Compare our recommended esports betting sites to find a favourite. Then all you need to do is sign up, deposit and claim your bonus to start betting on esports.

More About Esports Betting Sites

A “traditional” sports betting site allows players to bet on the outcome of individual matches. With esports betting, rather than betting on the NFL or Premier League, esportsbooks allow bets to be placed on competitive gaming matches – games that include Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, DOTA 2 as well as many others.

Betting on esports is no longer a niche market, many of the top tier esport tournaments have their prizepools crowdfunded, and it is not uncommon to find some of “the majors” (such as DOTA 2’s “The International” and CS:GO’s FACEIT Major) reaching tens of millions in prize money, and that number continues to grow enormously year on year. This influx of money has attracted big crowds, and esports betting sites that once focused solely on classic sports, are now heavily investing in these competitive gaming markets.

Different esports betting sites feature different ways to bet, from simple “bet to win” options through to more complex point spread betting and many other variations. In most instances a player is only interested in betting on the winning team or individual, and this is what all esports betting sites will offer. However, if you’re looking for more intricate ways of betting, including headshot percentage and “first blood” style bets, check out the full review for any of the esportsbooks listed below.

Legality

Esports betting is subject to the same rules and laws that apply to any other type of gambling. The regulation surrounding esports betting, and the sites that you can play at, depends largely on the country from which you are trying to bet. Gambling is legal in most countries, however some have stricter rules than others, particularly in the United States and France, where players often have difficulty depositing and withdrawing funds. In countries where gambling is strictly controlled or outlawed, the subject of loosening gambling regulation has its own contentious issues, ranging from cultural to social and economic.

It’s important to check that your chosen esports bookmaker holds a valid license with a reputable gambling regulator, such as the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC). Licensed bookmakers will be held to high standards regarding customer protection and transparency, which means you can enjoy a safe online betting experience.

Betting Odds

If you’re new to esports betting, odds can be a confusing subject matter. To put it simply, odds are set by the bookmaker to reflect the likelihood of the given outcome becoming true. Understanding odds is key to esports betting – if you understand the odds well enough, you can begin to consider whether the bookmaker is accurately predicting the outcome, or whether they have made a misjudgement and an opportunity arises. This is referred to as an “edge”, and all esports bettors looking to be successful, should focus on maximizing their edge.

American odds, fractional odds and decimal odds are the 3 main formats for presenting odds on an esports betting site. Each of these look very different, but they ultimately are equal to each other when considering any given betting line. If that sounds confusing, you can read more about understanding betting odds in our guide for beginners.

It’s worth checking the odds for your chosen market and comparing these between esports bookmaker before you place a bet. Even the smallest differences can add up over a series of bets, affecting your winnings over a longer period of time. In a bid to stay competitive, top esports bookmakers tend to offer similar odds on the same markets. However, for newer esports titles with less coverage, such as Fortnite, there may be more variation in betting odds as bookies don’t necessarily have the information to predict winners.

Esport Selection

Understanding odds is one of the keys to becoming a great esports bettor, the other is understanding the game in which you are betting. The level of depth that many esports go to is often enormous, and if you are not familiar with the game then it can look quite daunting at first.

Just the same as traditional sports, esports is an umbrella under which there are a number of different games and more are coming to the fore all the time. The top esports bookmakers cover titles, such as:

• Dota 2
• League of Legends
• Counter Strike: Global Offensive
• Halo
• Call of Duty
• Overwatch
• StarCraft 2
• Rocket League
• Hearthstone
• SMITE
• Heroes of the Storm
• FIFA

Before choosing a game to bet on, it is best to understand the mechanics behind the game, as well as the various playstyles, strategy and tactics involved. A lot of bettors benefit by playing the game themselves, allowing them to understand the myriad of combinations that could swing an esports match one way or the other. If you’d like to know more about the popular esports, visit our esports page to learn more.

As well offering a range of games to bet on, the top esports bookmakers have an enormous depth of betting markets. While this can be daunting to newcomers, it also gives you choice. You should check the betting markets at a bookmaker before you sign up. Can you bet on every League of Legends tournament, and what are the betting markets for each event? The top bookmakers will offer more than an outright winner market, and might offer options such as ‘correct map score’, ‘Total dragons slain’ and ‘First to slay Baron’ for a LoL event.

You might also consider whether you can place in-play bets on markets, or if you can only make pre-match bets. In-play betting on live esports games can ramp up the excitement as it allows you to react to changes in gameplay and opens up the opportunity to bet on previously unexpected outcomes.

View Betting Sites by Esport

Bonuses and Promotions

The esports betting sites listed here are always competing for new player deposits. One of the most popular ways to attract new players is to offer a generous deposit bonus or welcome package. Websites that offer bonuses will typically require that you, as the player, make a deposit first, and often the bonus is rewarded as a direct proportion of the amount you deposit. Use our list of esports bonuses to find an esport betting site that offers the best bonus.

Getting hold of your deposit bonus may not be so simple though, be wary of sites that require huge wagering commitments as part of their bonus requirements. Sometimes these requirements can be extremely difficult or near impossible to meet, and therefore the bonus is wasted. For each bonus listed we’ve made it clear what the requirements are to actually claim it.

Free bets welcome bonus

Free bets are a classic bookies welcome bonus as they match the reason you joined the site: to place bets. Betway esports is just one example of a bookmaker offering this free bet bonus, giving bettors £30 in free bets. To activate the bonus, you must make a deposit and place wagers up to the value of £30.

Matched deposit bonus

Matched deposit bonuses are popular online gambling bonuses and see bookies match a percentage of your deposit. These might be advertised as 100% up to £100, which means a deposit of £20 would give you £40 in betting funds. If you were to deposit £150, you would have £250 in funds, as the bookie will only match up to the specified amount.

It’s important to remember that the biggest esports bonus isn’t always the best. Wagering requirements and odds restrictions can make it difficult to get hold of your bonus winnings and, in some cases, will be impossible to meet within the specified time frame. We’ve highlighted the terms of each bonus so that you can check that it fits your esports betting needs before you sign up.

Banking Options

The top online esports bookmakers offer a choice of payment options, ranging from traditional credit and debit cards to e-wallets and prepaid vouchers. However, it’s important to check that a bookmaker offers your preferred payment method, as well as if there are any fees. It’s also worth checking if certain deposit methods are excluded from the welcome bonus, as this may not only affect your choice of bookmaker, but the payment method you use.

Betting Site Support

You should also think about the standard of customer support when comparing esports betting sites. Can you contact customer support at the times you’re most likely to be betting, and what contact options do you have? Is 24/7 live chat important to you? Of course, you might not need to use these services, but it’s important that they’re available just in case.