Can People Bet on Esports?

Sports have evolved, up to a point where the definition has to adapt, to also evolve, to include new ways of competing. As the computer industry progresses, video games have become better. Even at the dawn of gaming, there were tournaments and competitions. Even during those days, people would place bets locally. 

Even during the early days, people could bet on esports. Is this still a possibility? Well yes, and here is how.

Esports Betting – A New Kind of Betting

At first, esports betting was only done by gamers and avid fans. Soon after, punters joined in, seeing another market that has strong potential to earn them money. Esports are similar to sports in a sense, there are always favorite individuals and teams.

No matter the game, whether Counter Strike or League of Legends, a couple of teams are always favored to win the championship before the tournament even starts. Yes, upsets happen and will happen, but punters are aware of that and often place two bets to cover their losses.

How to Bet on Esports?

Betting on sports nowadays is the same as betting on any other sport. You can make accumulator bets or single-game bets. You can also have special bets, depending on the sportsbook. 

Today, most online sportsbooks offer esports as a choice, especially the larger ones. They follow the top-tier leagues and give you a choice of weekly matches, and of course, playoffs and eventually, international tournament matches. 

You can bet on an individual match or an outright championship winner. Some sportsbooks allow you to bet on a championship winner before the season even starts. These bets are hard to win because there can be a lot of changes in a season and especially in international tournaments. Online sportsbooks remain the first choice for esports betting.

Brick and Mortar Sportsbooks?

Brick and mortar sportsbooks have adapted to include esports, at least the modern ones have. More often than not, the larger companies are the ones to adapt first, because leaving out a thriving market will hurt them. The competitors will surely add various titles, so most companies jumped on the bandwagon.

That being said, one would have to check with local sportsbooks. Nothing is certain except that online ones offer esports betting.

Match Fixing Incidents

Like with most sports and sports betting, esports was no stranger to match-fixing. Esports athletes are young and most of them are not even 19 by the time they go professional. Some have been tempted and have attempted match-fixing, only to be caught by the respective governing bodies and banned, either for life or close enough that their prime will be over by the time they are allowed to compete in important tournaments. 

Esports is not that new nowadays and it is slowly being established as a viable career choice and another thing for punters to consider betting on.