Esports: computer games and a new generation of bookmaking

When we think of sports betting we generally think of the main sports such as soccer, racing, tennis, darts, pool and on. We don’t generally think of computer games, but they have become incredibly popular and successful. Some players, not even competing with any other, Just set up a live stream for their walkthroughs online and get hundreds of thousands of viewers. Esports on the computer are growing incredibly fast and are starting to rival some of the more traditional sports. Esports rank about 6th for the amount of betting among all sports, that’s pretty amazing. Where there are sports there is betting, so where there are esports there is also betting; The bookies have jumped on this growing market and it is just getting stronger. The three games at the moment that takes up most of the betting are as follows.

League of legends

League of legends, otherwise know as LOL, it the largest esport for betting at this time. Approximately 40% of all betting is on League of Legends when esport betting online. LOL is a 3D, multiplayer, online battle arena created by Riot Games. There are approximately 100 million players, yes, we said 100 million players, with up to 10 million players online playing at any given time. You can see why the bookmakers are so interested. The games can last for 20 minutes to an hour average. LOL is also one of the most watched games on twitch, a streaming site online.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, otherwise known as CS:GO is the second most played and watched video game esport. The game accounts for almost 30% of the esport online better. CS:GO is a first-person shooter where there are 2 teams, one of them terrorists and the other counter-terrorists. There are missions and various objectives, but you can think of it as the ultimate game of paintball, with full military regalia.

Defense of the Ancients 2

Defense of the ancients 2 otherwise known as DOTA2, is the 3rds largest betting esport. It is similar in a way to LOL, in that teams compete and have champions. There can be up to 1 million players online playing at any given time. Many tournaments are held worldwide and the prize pools can be over 1 million dollars. The largest tournament, called the international, held at KeyArena has consistently broken word records for the largest esports prize pool, with the latest being over 20 million dollars. 16 teams competed to a packed arena.

These are the top 3 esports presently, but there are literally hundreds around, including FIFA, so if bettering on real soccer isn’t your thing, you can bet on an esport version. THough the bookmakers are all jumping on board, it is still a fairly virgin area and not all bookmakers have all the tournaments or games. Bookmaking is a long and traditional profession and sometimes, especially with gambling, it takes a bit to get momentum going. Esports will become a huge mainstay and one of the largest betting areas in the future. It might not be your dads betting choice but it might definitely be your sons, and that, my friend, is the future.