Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Streamer betting is an entirely new way to bet on esports that is unlike anything ever seen before in the gambling industry. Instead of placing a bet on a formal match of CS:GO, Overwatch or League of Legends, players put their money behind a streamer on whether they win or lose. The result of this is an unparalleled volume of games that can be bet on at any given time. While even the most popular esports titles will find themselves having quiet periods (League of Legends outside of the summer season for example), player streams are running 24/7 across Twitch and YouTube Gaming and are rapidly becoming available for betting.
According to Unikrn CEO Rahul Sood, streamer betting tackles a real problem that is currently seen in the esports market:
“Other [traditional] sports books, the reason they can be successful is that they have thousands of events they can take on at any given time.”
With streamer betting, the volume of markets available to the player are effectively limitless.
What is Streamer Betting?
Streamer betting is managed by cutting-edge AI technology that “watches” and analyses a stream to set odds in real-time, allowing players to find odds on a multitude of streams without having to source markets through a betting exchange (which simply isn’t possible as the volumes are too low).
Once a player has found a stream they wish to bet on, the process is much like making a typical bet on any standard esports match. Markets are currently limited to win/lose and a few specials but it can be expected that more markets will roll out as the technology is further developed. Odds are set and backed by the platform itself, providing players with instant access to bets across any of the listed streamers and games.
Unikrn, the leader in streamer betting, allows players to also make parlay bets – combining streamer odds with any other market on the platform across streams or matches. The experience of streamer betting is essentially the same as a match bet – something these platforms have chosen by design.
Supported Games
Streamer betting unlocks the possibility for betting on games that are rarely found at other bookies. Apex Legends, which has a fledgling professional scene and very few tournaments to bet on, can now be bet on using a streamer betting platform with ease. This has the benefit of allowing fans of any game to be able to bet on their favorite streamer without the need for a global competitive scene. Currently, the available esports games for betting on streams are:
This list can be expected to increase dramatically as the technology proves itself. It may also be the answer to players’ hopes for a vibrant Battle Royale betting scene, which has so far remained elusive.
Streamer Betting Sites
There are dozens of esports betting sites available today, however very few offer the opportunity to bet on streams. This list will stay up to date with all of the streamer betting sites in existence today:
Rigging Concerns
Streamer betting is still a very niche market, however it’s possible that this new genre of betting will generate a multi-million dollar industry in the not too distant future. With more money flowing into the system, the incentive and risk of foul play increases. Streamers do not operate under the same scrutiny as a professional team playing in a major tournament; while streamers are rarely caught cheating, the incentive to cheat will become greater under an environment where there are large sums of money riding on them winning. Equally, players are able to bet on streamers losing and it would be trivial for a streamer to throw a game without being detected.
Regulation
Esports has led to some enormous shifts in the way people bet, starting with the likes of Skins betting and now streamer betting. This often means that the regulators are nowhere to be seen as new technology requires new considerations. As a result, there is currently no specific regulation addressing streamer betting and instead the regulatory framework applying to existing sports betting markets applies to streamer markets too. Those looking to bet on streamers will want to consider the laws of their own jurisdiction as well as the platform’s terms and conditions.