eSports or electronic sports betting has been gaining prominence with the advancement of the video game industry.

Millions of people follow eSports games using bookmakers not on GamStop. Given the sporting and competitive nature of eSports tournaments and events, they have become part of the betting options at any bookmaker.

What are eSports?

An eSport is an electronic sport, or in more familiar terms, a competition based on what happens in a video game.

Athletes do not play by running, jumping, throwing or hitting a ball. But compete only with the commands they transmit through a controller, keyboard or computer mouse to a virtual agent (a video game character, for example).

The main difference concerning most sports is that the athlete’s physique takes second place. What’s more vital is mental agility, planning, memory and, in general, mental aspects.

In a way, it could be compared to chess, as it has many similarities, and in the same way, it has those who consider it a sport and those who do not.

Most popular eSports formats

Combat: Combat eSports can be either fighting or shooting, although the latter is much more popular.

Counter-Strike is the title par excellence. It has the most professional teams. It’s the sport that most fans follow on social networks and video platforms. It also has the most presence in bookmakers. But, of course, the Call of Duty saga and the popular Fortnite also have many fans worldwide.

Strategy: Strategy is the most important and prestigious genre in eSports.

It’s games in which you compete against one or more opponents, usually in teams. So you have to think about everything, i.e. the qualities of the units chosen, their placement, how they will behave in confrontations with the opponent’s teams, etc. Games such as DOTA and, above all, League of Legends are the most acclaimed eSports strategy games.

Sport: Football plays a vital role among sports video games.

Titles such as FIFA and ISS Pro Evolution in which thousands and thousands of matches are played every day worldwide. These games require great skill, a broad vision of the game, and knowledge of all players’ characteristics. Other video games about the NHL or the NBA are also very successful, although not as successful.

Others: Other games straddle the line between combat and strategy or between sport and action.

Rocket League is a game with a lot of success in which a team made up of cars that act as footballers have to win a match against the rival team. International championships followed by thousands of people, perfectly coordinated groups and very high numbers of views on Youtube endorse this peculiar game. The game Clash Royale, which is installed on millions of mobile devices worldwide, could also be classified as “other”.

Most popular eSports to bet on

League of Legend betting: The most popular eSport in the world.

It is a “MOBA” (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena). The player has to choose a character and form a team with 4 other players to beat the others. You can bet:

• on the winner;
• on games with or without handicap;
• on whether or not a certain number of kills will be exceeded.

Counter-Strike Betting: Counter Strike Global Offensive is a game positioning itself at the top of eSports.

In this game, you can bet on the winner of each specific map with or without handicaps. It is also possible to bet on the number of rounds played on a map.

Dota 2 betting: Defence of the Ancients 2 or DOTA 2 is one of those games that frequently surpasses one million players.

This game is famous for having the most significant international tournament in terms of prizes, and some teams such as OG or Liquid are well known in eSports. Now you can also place bets on Valorant.

StarCraft 2 betting: StarCraft 2 is a highly technical real-time strategy game.

It requires extensive knowledge of the game to play perfectly, making many fans turn to other titles such as League of Legends that are “easier”. South Korea is the sport that the United States is to basketball. Normally, bets on this eSport consist of:

• who will be the winner of the game;
• the winner of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd map;
• and whether or not the 4.5 maps will be exceeded.

Call of Duty betting: One of the best shooters of all time, the Call of Duty series is a significant player in the world of eSports, especially Call of Duty: Black Ops.

It is a game that, in addition to the success in multiplayer, offers an offline campaign with a story that captivates the player, very well carried out. The most common bets in Call of Duty are on the winner of the game, the winner with different handicaps or the total number of casualties that will occur in the game.

Fifa betting: The quintessential sports game, a football simulator that sells millions of copies worldwide every year and has a considerable following.

As it is a football game, bets can be as many as the operator wants to offer:

• with the most frequent being on the winner;
• winner with handicap;
• more than/less than goals;
• even on the exact score.

Overwatch betting: A game that would fit into the MOBA and Shooter categories.

Many fans see the best of League of Legends and the best of Counter-Strike. It was released in mid-2016 in a year that saw it reach more than 25 million players. Players can play as tanks, DPS or support.

Tips for betting on eSports

The same tips for betting on eSports should be followed as any other sport. E-sports players compete, train, study their opponents and lead a healthy lifestyle in the same way as a football or basketball player would, but obviously without the physical demands of those sports.

Some tips for betting on eSports are as follows:

1. Check the form of the player or team you are betting on at a UK non gamstop casino, as well as that of your opponent. One group, usually better than another, maybe in poor form for a variety of reasons, and this could affect the odds of winning the game.
2. Review precedents. In eSports, as in physical sports, it is common for some teams to do better or worse against other specific opponents. If we can review the most recent matches, it will be an essential advantage.
3. The style of play is one of the keys. There are teams or players who, for example, in a shooter show a more daring and risky style, which results in high numbers of kills and those who are more conservative. Reviewing all possible statistics will be helpful for bets, such as the number of kills or maps played.
4. Whether certain players are better or worse at withstanding pressure.
5. Whether time works in their favour or against them – if the game goes on too long, not all players will have the same ability to maintain their concentration.
6. It is essential to know the members of the teams, as there are also transfers, players who leave or others who retire from the activity.

Good game to you!