With live sports and sporting events still on the shelf, many avid sports bettors have turned to eSports to help forget our beloved sports are few and far between. The problem is that many of those sports bettors do not know the first thing about wagering on these varied options.
What is eSports?
By definition at Wikipedia, eSports are a form of competitive video gaming.
This can range from international competitions with millions in prize money, to local events using amateur players or teams.
Betting on eSports
As far as betting on eSports at online sportsbooks, a good starting point is gaining a deeper understanding of the games people are betting on.
When you hear the word sports and video games, Madden’s NFL or NBA2K20 probably come to mind. There are video games for MLB, NHL, auto racing and soccer as well.
Actual video games for sports are extremely popular to play. However, they are not the games that capture the attention of professional players as well as online sportsbooks.
Over the past few months, eSport competitions for virtual NBA, MLB, soccer eNASCAR and other motor racing have taken place. However, many of those events were an effort to fill the void left by losing the real thing.
More Than Sports Games
Competitions for video games such as Counter Strike, Fortnite, DOTA 2 and League of Legends have been staged for years. As mentioned, some of the biggest international competitions offer six and even seven-digit prize pools. The events are sanctioned and highly controlled. This is what attracted the attention from online sportsbooks in the first place.
Betting on eSports is not an overnight phenomenon because of the coronavirus. They have been on the board at all the top-rated online sportsbooks for years. The recent wave of interest of betting on them now has been driven by the lack of traditional live sports betting options.
eSports Betting is HERE NOW and Means Big Things
Knowledge is Power
As with any sport you might be interested betting on, checking out the current betting board at your favorite online sportsbook is a good starting point. By familiarizing yourself with what you can bet on right now, you will get a better feel for the most popular competitive eSports are.
And remember, like real sports, knowledge is power. The more you know, the more informed you are, the better choices you will make. A great start would be right here at ScoresAndStats.com’s new eSports betting news page.
Everything remains virtual these days so there are no live events for eSports right now. There are ongoing leagues and special events involving all the top games.
Drastic Increase in eSports Betting – Forbes
There was a recent article in Forbes covering the increased interest in betting on eSports. Some estimates have the money bet on eSports tripling over the past few months. This has also attracted quite a bit of interest from opportunistic investors looking to expand the betting board for these types of competitions.
The first rule is not to bet on anything just find some action.
You should have some basic understanding of the video game itself. You should then educate yourself of the actual competitions. For example, if you are betting on a MLB game, you would make it a point to know the starting pitcher for each team.
Simply Unpredictable
Bookmakers love eSports for one big reason, unpredictability. You are still talking about video gamers playing one another in a simulated competition.
Technical issues have the ability to interfere with any eSport competition.
Ask Questions
How are these events being regulated?
How are betting venues insuring the integrity of the competition?
These are the type of intangibles an eSports bettor needs to take into consideration.
Just like betting on traditional sports, earning the best return on investment starts with investing the necessary time into studying how to place high-value wagers.
