Whether it’s CS:GO, Call of Duty, Fortnite, League of Legends or any other pro video game – look no further for the best Esports betting sites for 2025.
Our team of industry experts have reviewed each betting site from our shortlist based on a comprehensive set of criteria, ensuring that each site offers great welcome bonuses, a range of games, speedy payouts, and more. Start betting below or read on for all you need to know about Esports gambling.
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We want every bettor to feel confident in the sportsbook they’ve chosen. That’s why each site that we recommended undergoes a comprehensive review process.
Esports is a term used to describe competitive video gaming played at a professional level. To bet on an Esport is to wager on the outcome of a certain game. You could bet on who the most valuable player will be, or the final score. Just like traditional sports betting, Esports gamblers use real money in order to place a bet.
Games may be played individually or in teams with tournaments. These are often streamed worldwide and offer players gigantic cash prizes. Esports isn’t a new concept, but the betting industry has recently seen a huge surge in its popularity.
How does Esports Betting Work?
Betting on Esports is no different to betting on a physical sport. To place a bet, simply select a sportsbook, find the Esports category, and make your wager. Most major sportsbooks will offer markets for popular Esports games such as League of Legends, CS:GO, Dota 2, Call of Duty or Overwatch. The types of markets on offer are fairly similar to traditional sports and have been known to include popular wagers like series winner and match winner.
Can You Bet For Free On Esports?
You can get free esports bets by claiming bonuses from your bookmaker. A sportsbook may offer free esports bets as a welcome bonus, a deposit bonus or a matched bonus. You can then use these free bets to win real money. You can find out more in our guide to free bets.
Popular Esports to Bet On
League of Legends Betting
League of Legends (usually referred to as LoL) is one of the biggest Esports out there. The aim of the game is simple: two teams of five players compete to be the first to destroy each other’s base (known as a Nexus). In addition to this, players will need to battle enemy minions, destroy turrets, and keep monsters at bay to get there. The game was released in 2009 by Riot Games, and today sees a passionate fanbase with millions of active players. LoL is an ideal option for bettors looking to wager on Esports as its huge popularity means there are plenty of bet types, markets, and matches to choose from.
Did you know: Riot, the developer of League of Legends, pay salaries to each professional player individually if they participate in local leagues or huge tournaments.
Top Leagues and Tournaments
LoL World Championship
The League of Legends World Championship is a huge, annual event in Esports. Millions around the world watch as the best LoL teams battle it out to bag a prize pool that can reach well into the millions. The tournament usually lasts around six weeks, spanning from the play-ins to the finals – all matches can be streamed on the official Riot Games Twitch channel.
Aside from the World Championship, the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) is the second most important League of Legends tournament. The tournament features a play-in group stage, play-in knockout stage, group stage, and final knockout stage with the chance to wager on each match.13 regions are usually represented including teams from North America, Europe, China, and Korea.
Another big hitter, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) is a first person shooter that’s played in two teams of five players. The first team are tasked with planting a bomb before the round ends, while the second team aim to defuse the bomb in time. Competitive CS:GO tournaments are organized throughout the year and can be played in many different formats – from a league system with play-offs, to a single elimination tournament.
Did you know: At the start of 2019, CS:GO was estimated to have over 20 million active users.
Top Leagues and Tournaments
ESL Pro League
The ESL Pro League (EPL) is the longest running CS:GO tournament in the world. Usually the tournament sees 24 teams compete from four regions: Europe, North America, Asia, and Oceania. For CS:GO gambling, bettors can count on two seasons per year that last around four-weeks each – there’s always something to keep up with. For the latest updates, be sure to check back on the ESL Pro League official site here.
Call of Duty (CoD) is one of the largest first-person shooter franchises that exists. The game is essentially a massive combat arena where players drop into a map, loot for rewards, and battle to be the last standing. With dozens of pro-gaming tournaments held in multiple countries, Call of Duty betting sites are fairly easy to find. What makes the franchise so unique is that unlike most competitive Esports, a new CoD game is released every single year. This means that the pro tournaments and matches will also slightly change, sometimes in the form of entirely new gameplay.
Did you know: At the time of its release, Call of Duty Modern Warfare was the most digitally pre-ordered game ever on PC. The game sold more units in the first three days than any other CoD.
Top Leagues and Tournaments
Call of Duty League
Held annually to coincide with the release of the new Call of Duty game, the Call of Duty League (CDL) sees 12 pro teams from North America and Europe go head to head. Similar to other Esports tournaments, the CDL begins with group stage matches followed by a knockout stage and ending with a Grand Final to crown the winner. The CDL was announced in 2019 and was formerly known as the Call of Duty World League – you can find out more on the official CoD League site.
Released in 2017 by Epic Games, Fortnite is a hugely popular game that today has a loyal fanbase of worldwide players. The multiplayer battle royale format is a ‘last man standing’ style of gameplay with up to 100 players competing on a single map. It’s a mad dash to pick up as many weapons as you can and head towards the center of the map without being eliminated. Unlike other battle royale games, the action can get underway in the first few seconds of a match, which makes betting all the more exciting.
Did you know: Popular Twitch streamer Ninja collaborated with rap-singer Drake in 2018, setting a record stream of over 667k peak viewers for Ninja’s channel.
Top Leagues and Tournaments
Fortnite World Cup
Launching in 2019, The Fornite World Cup took the world by storm for its huge prize pool and action-packed gameplay. The tournament has separate solo player (Solos) and duo squad (Duos) competitions which both take place over a three-day period. Despite having a gargantuan prize fund, betting on Fortnite is still a growing phenomenon – for now, the World Cup will be your main source of betting fun.
Released in 2013, Dota 2 (or Defence of the Ancients 2) has one of the most established Esports scenes around. The game is team-orientated and pits two teams of five players against each other. The aim of the game is relatively simple: to win, each team has to reach the opponent’s base and be the first to destroy it. In addition, each player will control a single hero that has their own set of skills, strengths and limitations to contend with.
Did you know: Dota 2 was the first Esports game to have a prize pool of more than $1,000,000 – a record that was set at The International 2011.
Top Leagues and Tournaments
The International
Held every year in August, The International is known for having one of the biggest prize pools of any Esport. It’s a huge event in professional Esports, with 18 teams competing for a share of the millions that are on offer. The tournament has been staged all over the world, from Cologne to Vancouver, Seattle to Shanghai. Thanks to the tournament’s global popularity, its Esports gambling scene is pretty established too with plenty of betting markets to choose from.
Released in Spring 2016 by Blizzard, Overwatch is a colorful first-person shooter with a rapidly growing community. The game is played in two teams of six, with the goal of each match determined by whichever map has been selected. This can include game modes like Assault, where a defending team are tasked to protect a fixed square on the map. The game has quickly risen up the Esports rankings and become a hugely popular pro-gaming choice, particularly in North America and Korea.
Did you know: Overwatch won the title of ‘Esports Game of the Year’ at the 2018 Esports Awards.
Top Leagues and Tournaments
Overwatch League 2019
The Overwatch League (OWL) is a global event that sees 20 teams battle it out over a seven-month period. It’s a huge tournament that usually has around 280 matches to follow, all of which are streamed live on YouTube. The lengthy format means there are plenty of betting opportunities to take advantage of – you can keep up to date by checking back to the official Overwatch League schedule.
Thanks to streaming sites like Twitch and YouTube, Esports has become a huge spectator sport. Below we’ve listed the most viewed Esports for 2019 based on the number of hours that they were streamed for. All data mentioned has been pulled from escharts.com’s yearly report, you can check out the full findings here.
Game
Hours Watched
League of Legends
478.7 million
CS:GO
284.3 million
DOTA 2
282.2 million
Overwatch
81.3 million
Arena of Valor
72.2 million
How Much Money is in Esports?
There’s big money to be made in Esports. In the past few years, there have been some life-changing, million-dollar payouts for tournament winners. The prize pools have gotten larger and larger year-on-year, and it’s expected that they’ll continue to grow at the same speed. For a glimpse at how much money is in Esports, take a look at the table below for the top 10 largest prize pools so far.
Tournament
Prize Pool
Game
The International 2019
$34.3 million
DOTA 2
The International 2018
$25.5 million
DOTA 2
The International 2017
$24.6 million
DOTA 2
The International 2016
$20.7 million
DOTA 2
The International 2015
$18.4 million
DOTA 2
Fortnite World Cup 2019 (Solo)
$15.2 million
Fortnite
Fortnite World Cup 2019 (Duo)
$15.1 million
Fortnite
The International 2014
$10.9 million
DOTA 2
LoL 2018 World Championship
$6.4 million
League of Legends
LoL 2016 World Championship
$5 million
League of Legends
Esports Betting Tips
Before you start with Esports gambling, it’s always good to have a solid betting strategy prepared. To help put you in a better position, we’ve put together four of our essential Esports betting tips below. Read on and get your strategy sorted:
Play the Game for Yourself
No matter your experience level with online gaming, it’s always beneficial to play the game for yourself. Games can often have complex rules to get to grips with, and the fastest way to learn the ins and outs is to experience them first-hand. Luckily most Esports games are available to download for free, so it should be fairly easy to jump into the action.
Know the Team & Players
It sounds simple, but the key to success is knowing who you’re betting on and why. Try to research the recent form of players as well as any past statistics you can find on the team. The more you know about the teams, the more information you have when it comes to placing an Esports bet.
Watch Live Matches
Just like any traditional sport, watching live matches is the best way to understand the game. Some bookmakers will offer live streaming directly on their sites, but if not, services like Twitch or YouTube will be your best bet. Following your favorite game will also help you to analyze gameplay strategies and be familiar with common match outcomes.
Stick Within Your Budget
When it comes to video game gambling, or any type of betting, it’s good to set a budget and then stick to you. Betting more than you can afford to lose is always a huge risk that could hurt your bank balance. Ultimately, the key to long-term success is to be calculated in your betting and to never let your passion cloud your judgment.
How We Rate the Best Esports Betting Sites
When it comes to Esports gambling, we want every bettor to feel confident in the sportsbook they’ve chosen. That’s why each site that we recommended undergoes a comprehensive review process. Before a site makes our shortlist, it will need to live up to all of our key criteria:
Reputation & Security
Esports may have gained enormous popularity over the last few years, but it’s still important to find a reputable betting site. We perform a full background check on each sportsbook to make sure that you’re investing in a legitimate and trustworthy operator. This includes checking the site’s licensing and certification, as well as how well they protect a user’s personal information.
Esports Availability
Esports tournaments can sell out stadiums around the globe, but not all sportsbooks have caught up with the trend. Some sites will list the major tournaments under their ‘specials’ category or have temporary landing pages. We only recommended sportsbooks that have a dedicated and permanent Esports section that’s kept up to date with regular competitions.
Ranges of Games & Tournaments
A variety of games is key to any great Esports betting site. We want to see all the big names like Dota 2, CS:GO, League of Legends, Call of Duty, and more, as well as the odds on the rising stars of the Esports scene. Beyond that we also check to see if all the major tournaments and qualifying events are listed too.
Banking & Payouts
When it comes to Esports gambling, having a variety of deposit and withdrawal options is essential. We’ll be looking out for traditional payment methods such as VISA and Mastercard, as well as more niche methods like e-wallets and cryptocurrencies. Finally, we’ll look into payout speeds to assess how quickly a bettor receives their winnings.
Bonuses & Promotions
The cherry on top of a great sportsbook is the range of promotions it offers. A generous welcome package will help new bettors to make the most of their bankroll through deposit bonuses, cashback offers, and free bets. Beyond that, we like to see regular promotions that suit all styles of betting.
App & Mobile
Esports betting apps are a huge convenience. We look for sportsbooks with dedicated apps or that have a mobile site compatible with iOS, Android. On top of that, we look for extra features such as live streaming on mobile, push notifications with odds updates, plus the overall speed of the mobile site.
Our Verdict
If an Esports betting site scores highly in all of the criteria above, then it will make it to our shortlist. Our team of reviewers make sure they check and update our rankings on a regular basis so that you can make the best betting decision possible.
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Esports Betting FAQs
What does Esports stand for?
Esports stands for electronic sports. The word Esport is used to talk about video gaming at a professional, competitive level. The Esports scene has audiences of 100s of millions, with games like Overwatch, League of Legends Dota 2 and CS:GO.
What Esports can I bet on?
You can bet on the most popular games such as League of Legends, CS:GO, Overwatch and Dota 2. Esports is still a growing market within sports betting, but most good bookmakers will offer bets on all of these games. In-play betting is also available on Esports.
How can I watch Esports?
Some sportsbooks will stream matches live to their site, or alternatively you can head to streaming sites such as Twitch, YouTube, or Facebook Gaming.
Is Esports betting legal?
Each country will have its own regulations to follow, but generally Esports can be bet on in the same way as any traditional sport. Just be sure that you’re using a fully licensed and legitimate sports betting site.
What are the best LoL betting sites?
It all comes down to personal preference, though we’d recommended any from our Esports shortlist. Here you should be able to find plenty of markets for LoL as well as competitive odds and great 24/7 customer support.
Where can I bet on CS:GO?
CS:GO is one of the largest Esports around, so most popular sportsbooks will carry betting markets for the game.
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