Betting on Computer Games? E-Sports Betting Explained!

BETTING ON E-SPORTS

• WHAT IS E-SPORTS?
• FAMOUS E-SPORTS TEAMS
• TOURNAMENTS & PRIZE MONEY
• BETTING ON E-SPORTS – HOW IT WORKS
• BET ON E-SPORTS WITH LOTTOLAND SPORTS

WHAT IS E-SPORTS?

E-sports, or electronic sports, refers to competitive video gaming played at a professional level. Players, often organised into teams, compete in various genres such as first-person shooters, multiplayer online battle arenas, and real-time strategy games. These tournaments and leagues attract millions of viewers worldwide, with some competitions even filling arenas that rival the attendance figures of major sporting events!

The popularity of e-sports has only increased in recent years, aided and abetted by a range of groundbreaking titles such as as League of Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), Dota 2, and Call of Duty. So popular has it become that tournaments such as The International and the League of Legends World Championship now offer prize funds in excess of R500,000,000!

FAMOUS E-SPORTS TEAMS

As with any sport, e-sports has produced powerhouse teams, or “organisations”, that are supported avidly by legions of fans across the world. Perhaps the best known of these is the FaZe Clan. FaZe Clan were originally incepted as a Call of Duty sniping team, but they have since broadened their horizons to compete in many other titles including CS:GO and Fortnite.

Another world-renowned organisation is the dominant Team Liquid. This team has proven to be a force to be reckoned with across multiple titles, including Dota 2 and League of Legends. Though they have won several international tournaments, their biggest victory was arguably at The International 2017 where their Dota 2 team took home a staggering $10.8 million (R200M) winners cheque!

Last, but not least, is the much celebrated T1. Formerly known as SK Telecom T1, this is a legendary name in the world of e-sports – specifically in League of Legends. T1 has won multiple world championships over the past decade, led by one of e-sports biggest names, the superstar player Faker.

When it comes to preparation., these organisations takes things as seriously as any sports team. Amongst their employees are professional coaches and analysts, who will work in extensive training facilities – much like a top soccer team!

TOURNAMENTS & PRIZE MONEY

E-sports tournaments vary greatly in terms of frequency, format and prize money. As you may expect some of these tournaments are more renowned than other – and none are more well-regarded than the record-breaking The International. This is an annual Dota 2 tournament, where players qualify through regional leagues before being invited to the big event! This tournament is the regular record breaker when it comes to prize pools, with the biggest tournament boasting a prize fund of over $45 million (R832M). In fact, The International is responsible of 7 of the 10 biggest e-sports prize pools of all time!

The League of Legends World Championship, held annually, is another marquee event, featuring the best teams from regional leagues around the world. This month-long competition concludes with a grand final that draws millions of viewers, and a prize pool the regularly exceeds $2 million (R£7M).

Other notable tournaments include the Overwatch League, Fortnite World Cup, and Rainbow Six Siege Invitational, all of which offer substantial prize money and attract top-tier talent. The Fortnite World Cup, for example, made headlines when a 16-year-old player, Bugha, won the solo competition in 2019, securing $3 million (R55.5M) in winnings.

Incredibly, this $3 million victory is not enough to make teenage Bugha the best paid player of all time. Instead that honour goes to Danish star Johan Sundstein, aka N0tail, who is thought to have raked in over $7 million (R130M) throughout his e-sports career!

BETTING ON E-SPORTS – HOW IT WORKS

OK, now you know a bit more about s-sports, its time to find out how you can get involved and bet on e-sports! Betting on e-sports follows many of the same principles as traditional sports betting, offering a variety of markets to choose from. Some of the most common betting options include match winner bets, where you simply predict which team will win a given matchup - much in the same way you would bet on a soccer match. More advanced options, such as handicap betting, allow you to wager on teams with adjusted odds to level the playing field.

Additionally, markets like total maps (betting on the total number of maps played in a series), first blood (predicting which team will secure the first kill in a game), and outright tournament winners offer unique options for punters that you simply simply are not going to find in a soccer bet!.

Similar to rugby bets, e-sports also affords punter the option to bet “live”, in-play. This gives punters the option to judge how a match-up is going in real-time and place their wager based on that information.

BET ON E-SPORTS WITH LOTTOLAND SPORTS

With e-sports only increasing in popularity, the betting market is getting bigger and bigger. Now, thanks to Lottoland, you too can get involved in the e-sports revolution! In our sportsbook we have got options for you to bet on CS:GO, League of Legends, Dota 2, Overwatch, World of Warcraft and many, many more! All you need to do is register your account with us and slect your bet!