There are billions of casual gamers globally who play some form of video game just for fun. However, playing competitively is undoubtedly much more electrifying and rewarding for those who win. With the industry transitioning onto the gambling scene, fans have been turned into esports punters, and they enjoy wagering on many different betting markets depending on what’s available.
Thousands of matches are held every day, and a single game can have tens to hundreds of outcomes to predict, making this niche one of the most lucrative to bet on. The industry that was worth a couple of millions in the past decade has now grown into a multi-billion-dollar business.
Better still, at the right platform, esports enthusiasts have realized that they can hit two birds with one stone by following the action as it is streamed online and at the same time stake some cash on the possible outcomes at every stage of the game. This not only adds to the excitement around the esports competitions but also puts some money in players’ pockets. Who doesn’t like winning cold-hard cash anyway?
The One-Stop Shop for All Things Online Betting
If you’ve been searching for a reliable online sportsbook where you can back your favorite esports teams and players, you will certainly feel at home in the GGBet sportsbook. The GGBet online gambling platform gives players the chance to bet on different types of online gambling game options, sports, and esports. However, you may be interested to know that we first started our internet gaming journey as an esport gambling platform, and to date, it is an area that we still hold very dear. Moreover, our love for esports inspired us to sponsor some of the most exciting tournaments and the talented teams involved in the action.
As one of the pioneers of the esports betting scene, our brand is one of the most renowned across different parts of the globe. We entered the world of esports betting back in 2016 to offer esports fans an opportunity to enjoy the thrill of betting as sports fans do. Since then, we have established ourselves as the go-to online sportsbook for anyone interested in betting on thrilling esports tournaments. Backed by our solid reputation, the past half-decade has been an absolute treat as we have grown together with our esteemed bet games players.
Part of our ethos is to fulfill every gaming need of our members so that they can relish the very best of bet games irrespective of their tastes. With the introduction of traditional sports betting and casino gambling game online, we now offer an all-rounded experience. Therefore, through the portfolio expansion, players don’t have to leave the platform in case they yearn to interact with other forms of gambling outside betting on esports.
A Trustworthy Licensed and Regulated Platform
Besides variety, one of the most vital considerations for players when betting on esports is the legitimacy of the online gambling platform. If you aren’t careful about where you choose to play, it is easy for your money and identity information to fall into the wrong hands, turning your life into a nightmare in a split second. Fortunately for you, you can trust the GG Bet esports sportsbook as we legally operate under an online gambling license from the government of Curacao. Therefore, you should never have to worry about your safety when you come to enjoy yourself at the GG Bet esports platform.
Getting started at GGBet is as simple as creating your account loading a real money deposit, and you can savor the endless range of esports betting opportunities we offer. Our user interface is easy to navigate to make it super quick for you to make your selections, and our customer support team is always on standby to handle all your queries.
Best Esports Games to Bet On
Being one of the first platforms to bring esports betting to the world, GGBet strives to keep all players happy by including a rich collection of esports games on our list of options. We cater to punters who are into the most popular esports competitions, as well as those who prefer to bet on niche tournaments that may not be well-known per se. And whichever option you pick, you will find plenty of interesting markets with super-lucrative odds for money-spinning wins, provided you make the right predictions.
For a fact, esports betting is practically similar to sports betting as punters tend to prefer certain types of games over others. Once again, like traditional sports, all esports games have leagues and tournaments that players can wager on whenever they thirst for action. Furthermore, gamblers can bet pre-match or live when a game is underway to enjoy the adrenaline rush that comes with split-second decision-making. Based on our in-house analysis, the most popular esports betting games at the GG Bet esports platform are as follows:
- League of Legends
- Starcraft II
- HearthStone
- CS: GO
- Dota 2
- Call of Duty
- Overwatch
- Fortnite
Payment Methods in Esports Betting
We understand that payment methods across different countries and cities vary; as such, GGBet is packed with a variety of fast and secure options for all players. You are free to pick any of the deposit and withdrawal methods available in our lobby, depending on what you feel is the most convenient for you. All deposits that you load on our platform will be processed instantly, whereas the withdrawal speed will vary from one payment method to another. In most cases, withdrawal transactions are processed within 24 hours and 3 business days. Bear in mind, however, that you will have to verify your identity at some point with our customer support agents before you can freely deposit and withdraw money from your GGBet account.
The minimum amount of funds you can deposit across all the payment options available at GGBet is €10. As for the maximum amount, it will be different based on the payment methods that you choose when funding your account. As for cashing out, you can withdraw as little as €20 in a single transaction, whereas the most amount of money you can cash out is €9,000. Should you encounter any difficulties with depositing or cashing out from your account, feel free to contact our GGBet customer support team, and an agent will be with you right away. Here’s a description of the range of payment methods that you can use to place your esport bet at GGbet and collect your wins:
Credit and Debit Cards
This is one of the top payment methods especially preferred by novice players as it is the most familiar. The most experienced players usually have separate cards to set aside funds that bankroll their betting activities. The main credit and debit cards accepted at GGBet are Visa, Visa Electron, Visa Debit, MasterCard, and Maestro. When you cash out via credit and debit cards, your money will be processed within 3 working days.
Bank Transfers
High rollers looking for a payment method that seamlessly supports their gaming will find bank transfers quite sufficient. Bank transfers are ideal for very large transactions, although processing times for withdrawals may take up to 7 working days, longer than all the other payment methods accepted on our site. Some of the bank transfer methods supported at GGBet are GiroPay and Interac e-Transfer.
E-Wallets
Electronic wallets provide a convenient way for instant deposits and relatively fast withdrawals. The processing period for withdrawals could be between 1 and 24 hours, which is a reasonable time frame for most players. In addition, there are usually no casino transaction charges on e-wallet payments, although a fee may be applied to fund the vendor account. E-wallets available at GGBet include ecoPayz, Skrill, ecoPayz, Webmoney, YandexMoney, Qiwi, Alipay, and Neteller.
Digital Services & Prepaid Cards
For the most part, prepaid cards like Neosurf, PaysafeCard, and Flexipin operate like debit and credit cards or even e-wallets. The biggest difference is that you don’t have to have an account with the merchant as players buy a preloaded card at a physical kiosk. Nonetheless, prepaid card merchants have recently brought their services online so that users can enjoy the flexibility of digital services.
When depositing, you are just supposed to enter a unique code, and the money will reflect into your account right away so that you can start placing your esports bets. Since no bank accounts and user information are required, prepaid cards offer an extra layer of privacy and security. However, the biggest downsides of this payment method are that your transactions will be limited to small transactions, and they don’t support withdrawals.
Is Esports Betting Legal?
The number of people across the globe betting on esports just keeps going up across different parts of the world. However, given that it is still an emerging form of gambling, lots of players still ask themselves – is it legal to place esports bets online? Well, the answer to this question depends on your location when you want to place your esports bet.
The internet may be available to billions of individuals, but like all other online gambling verticals, it doesn’t mean that esports betting is a one-size-fits-all affair. Gambling laws for different games vary from state to state, province to province, or country to country. Understandably, most jurisdictional areas revise their gambling rules to fit the societal and political trends of the time. As such, some jurisdictions may partially or completely restrict certain aspects of betting.
GGBet is keen to keep you out of trouble, and we only make esports betting accessible in jurisdictions where it has been authorized by the law of the land. Moreover, if there aren’t any specific regulations explicitly prohibiting online gambling in your region, then you won’t be breaking any rules after all if you engage in the activity.
To ensure that you follow the rules set by your particular jurisdiction, you can always try opening a game on a legit site like GGBet. If you are notified that your country or state is not on the list of legal areas, your jurisdiction has probably prohibited or restricted esports betting. Of course, our terms of use clearly state (in more ways than one) that we would like to stay on the right side of the law for our own and our customers’ sake. Additionally, it is also upon you to check whether your jurisdiction prohibits online gambling in its entirety so that you don’t find yourself on the wrong side of the law.
What Are the Types of Esports Bets?
Punters betting on esports will be excited to know that at GGBet, there is a wide range of bets that you can place on competitive video games. Like in other kinds of skill-based betting, experience gives bettors more insight into the types of outcomes they should bet on. But even then, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t place an esport bet if you are a beginner. If you think about it, players who consider themselves veterans right now also started somewhere.
When it comes to presenting the odds of different outcomes, GGBet uses decimal odds. Esports fans find the decimal format more straightforward to read, even by new gamblers. However, since we are big on offering our members as much flexibility as possible, we also provide other types of odds formats favored by different regions.
At the top right-hand corner of the GGBet webpage, you’ll find a settings button that expands to present different sub-menus, including an odds format drop-down menu when you click it. There, you can switch the odds esports format from the standard decimal to USA, Hong Kong, Indo, or Malay.
When it comes to betting markets, they typically fall into four categories, namely money lines, handicap lines, proposition bets, or totals. Additionally, some punters like to take things a notch higher by combining different bets into a parlay for a chance at landing much bigger payouts if all predictions are correct. Some of the most common bets placed by GGBet members on most of the esports games featured on our site include:
- Match or Round Winner. This is a type of money line bet where the punter wagers on which of two sides will dominate a game or round in the game. It’s quite straightforward; if your team wins, you win. On the other hand, if the other team wins, you lose your entire stake. Bear in mind that this is a bet you should only place when you are sure that there is a distinct line when you look at the skills of both teams. The good news is that this esport bet favors beginners as a little research may reveal an experienced team vs ones just starting to compete.
- Handicap. Also known as spread betting, this is a type of bet where the odds are presented in such a way that they point to a clear favorite (the odds are marked – or + to indicate the underdog and the favorite). Esport betting on the underdog will pay out more if the team wins while wagering on the obvious favorite has a lesser payout should your bet win. Handicap bets are placed before the game starts, and they are meant to give one team (in most cases the underdog) an advantage for a bigger payout potential over the other.
- Maps. It’s possible to bet on teams based on what map the game is operating on. Maps are basically the virtual environment that the teams play in, each coming with its own set of characteristics and challenges to be overcome. Matches can be best of 1, best of 3, best of 5, or best of 7 rounds (or maps), with the most popular esports betting predictions being Bo3 and Bo5 rounds. Additionally, punters can predict who wins in the first map, which player dominates most of the maps that will be played, or who beats the opponent to the first 10, 15, or 20 kills, respectively.
- Total Over/Under. Totals bets focus on the nitty-gritty aspects of a game. One example is in the total champions kills, where the bookmaker estimates a value, and gamblers can bet whether the final outcome will be ‘over’ or ‘under’ that value. The value of these types of esports betting predictions can be for a map in a game round or for the entire games session or tournament. Analyzing the history of the playing teams and their gaming styles will enhance the chances of making worthwhile over/under esports gambling bets.
- Outrights. These are single bets placed to predict the winner (team or player) in a play-in match, Group stage, or the Grand Finals. Outright esport betting can be conducted pre-match as it is direct and does not entail much after setting your wagers. Just ensure that you bet early once you’re confident about your choice to avoid getting locked out of the action.
- First Blood. First, kill, or first blood (FB), is the team or player who is the first to make an enemy kill. This type of esports bet has to be placed within the initial minutes after the game begins, as a first kill occurs anywhere between 5 and 10 minutes. The FB can also be used to place subsequent bets as it can shift the odds to give some advantage to one team over another. And if you enjoy the thrill of live bet esport action, the first blood wager is an excellent choice to pick within the first few minutes of the launch of the match.
Other Popular Types of Esports Bets
On top of the esports bet options that we’ve discussed above, there are many other types of predictions you can make at GGBet. They include:
- Most kills – here punters predict which team will make more enemy kills despite winning or losing the game.
- MVP – a wager on individual players predicting the best performer in a match. It requires knowledge of the performance history of the player you are willing to bet on.
- Total number of frags – this is a prediction of the total number of kills by a team or player.
- Correct game score – here, you predict the total number of maps or rounds that each team will win depending on the number of maps or rounds in play.
Tips & Tricks for Esports Betting
There are two types of punters that we believe will greatly benefit from our esport betting tips. We are talking about gamblers who are new to the world of esports but still want to try staking some cash on the emerging market and those familiar with the games but have never tried their hand at betting on esports. Either way, the key to a successful gambling adventure is to learn some basics about the games you want to gamble on.
As much as stadiums have been booked out by esports fans who watch the tournaments in person, esports is still a new concept for a lot of bettors. Here are some tried and tested esports betting tips that will get you started smoothly if you are truly interested in turning a profit when venturing into gambling on GG Bet esports:
One Esports Type at a Time
The rules of engagement vary from game to game, and so do the odds and other factors that may affect your decision-making when placing bets. So instead of attempting to spread your bets across multiple esports that you have only partially mastered, focus on knowing one game inside-out. This way, you will be in a better position to make winnable esports betting predictions.
Try to Play the Game Yourself
Unlike traditional sports, it’s not easy for spectators to fully understand the rules of the game without having ever set foot on the pitch or court. Stepping into the players’ shoes will give you a better perspective of the game as you battle opponents and learn what powers the heroes or champions possess. In addition, you can engage your friends and family to help you sharpen your esports skills. If you ask any pro in this betting vertical, having fun playing the game yourself will lay the ground for some wise esports bet placing in the future.
A good place to start is with the most popular esports, as there are tons of resources to get you playing in no time. Mastering DOTA2, for example, will help you to understand who Roshan is, his role in the game, and how and when to go in for the kill. Gaming dynamics like this will definitely affect your odds of making knowledgeable esports betting predictions.
Take Some Time to Study the Teams and Players
Now that you know how the game works and what different actions and objects mean, you need to know the teams playing in tournaments you may be interested in. This is because how well the team works together is based on the individual players’ temperaments, and strengths will influence their performance. You can achieve this by watching multiple live streams of the teams in action. Staying informed of changes in the player composition or transfers to other teams is also vital in predicting what happens in future matches.
It’s Never That Serious
One of our favorite gambling slogans, irrespective of the type of game betting online you participate in, is ‘When the fun stops, it’s time to stop .’If you find yourself on a losing streak, you can take a break to focus on any of our other betting options or just take a cooling-off period outside the platform. Learning to manage your bankroll is an effective way to keep the fun going.
Esports Game Modes
Like traditional sports, esports is also categorized into genres based on the featured gameplay dynamics and mechanics. The variety serves to keep players and punters satisfied despite their varying tastes. Some of the most popular esports gambling game online modes are:
Combat/Fighting
Fighting games are self-explanatory. They relate to real-life fighting games like boxing and martial arts, where players try to outmaneuver their opponent, becoming the champion. Right now, the most popular fight-based sports at GGBet are Boxing and MMA. Like traditional sports, combat esports games are played as rounds, and the player who wins a predetermined number of rounds gets to win. esports online gambling game options under this category include Mortal Kombat, Tekken, and Street Fighter.
RTS (Real-Time Strategy)
This genre came up in the late 90s and early 2000s and paved the way for other esports categories like MOBA games (more on that in a bit). As the name suggests, the objective is to defend the proponent’s army while attacking the other side’s base. RTSs are fast-paced, and any hesitation could cost the team. At GGBet, some of the RTS bets esports players place are on games like StarCraft II, WarCraft (I & II), and WarCraft III Reforged.
Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA)
This is the most popular category by players and esports betting fans alike. It’s played by two 5-player teams, and each takes on a different game hero in a bid to acquire territory and useful in-game items to gain an advantage over the enemy. The ultimate goal is to be the first to destroy the enemy’s base. League of Legends by Riot Games, a MOBA, is one of the most popular esports gambling game online at GGBet. Other MOBAs at GGBet are DoTA2 by Valve and Kings of Glory by TiMi Studio Group.
Sports
Traditional sports have also made it to the bets esports arena, and players can wager on events inspired by their favorite real-world sports and racing games. Here, two players take on the role of a team and try to beat the opponent. Examples available at the GG Bet esports lobby include FIFA games, NBA 2K, NHL, and Rocket League.
FPS: First-Person Shooter
Players have a specified objective that they must fulfill to be crowned the winner. All this is achieved by using guns and other weapons in the game. In addition, a life bar is displayed for the player to monitor their health and recharge where necessary. At the GG Bet esports platform, some of the most popular FPS games you can wager on are Counter-strike Offensive (CS: GO), Valorant, Call of Duty, Rainbow Six Siege, and Overwatch. Players can enjoy esports game betting online in the mission mode or multi-player mode.