Esports Betting Markets: Types, Odds, and Key Terms

While the emergence of competitive gaming has played a significant role in the rapid growth of the entertainment industry by involving thousands of spectators through the internet, it has also widened the range of ways through which one can get involved in the sport. The information about the availability of different betting markets for esports and how they operate is crucial for all the interested parties.

What are the Esports Betting Markets?

The esports betting market represents the specific question to which an individual seeks the answer when placing a bet on a competition of a computer game. A market can be related to predicting the winning team, the total number of maps played during a match, or whether a team will score a kill before another team. The odds differ for each market.

There are generally a handful of broad types of markets. Before the match starts there are pre-match markets, and throughout the match there are live markets which keep up to date as the event progresses. Then there are the more longer term outright markets which you will find on TAB66 with other entertainment varieties when a sportsbook is presented: you find the match, you see the market, and you see the odds before you place your wager.

Finally, remember that each game has a different set of markets. A shoot 'em up that is played in rounds will have different markets from one in which 10 players are competing simultaneously. Knowing how a game is scored and the way in which a match is organised makes esports betting markets much clearer and more intuitive. A person who understands the best-of-three format of a baseball game will understand the esports betting market much more easily than someone who doesn't.

Popular Esports Games and Tournaments

Which games are popular? With many categories and dozens of tournaments, one list to follow can be the most popular games with esports bettors. Among those games we find Counter-Strike 2, which is one of the most popular tactical combat video games of all time thanks to its long tournament history. Dota 2, League of Legends, Valorant, Call of Duty, Rocket League and Starcraft II have thriving competitive scenes as well.

Tournaments are important because they determine the quality of competition and the scope of markets. The largest international tournaments typically have the biggest depth of markets because they get the largest viewing figures and most comprehensive coverage. There may be less depth of markets in regional competitions and qualifiers and team data may be less readily available. It is important to research which format will be used, how many maps each series consists of and the recent form of the teams involved as this information impacts on market prices.

Similarly, timing presents obvious difficulties. Because of the time difference, Esports events are held in several time zones; matches are often delayed, rescheduled, or cut short at short notice; rosters and visas change without warning; and technical issues come into play. For this reason, punters interested in Esports betting markets should pay close attention to official tournament scheduling news, team updates, and the available rules on the postponed and abandoned matches.

Match Winner and Map Winner Markets

The most straightforward and popular market is the match winner market. This is the question of 'which team or player will win the series? This is often referred to as the moneyline. If you're playing in a best of 3 series, the winner is the one that gets to 2 maps first. As this market is very simple to understand, it is often the first step people will take when learning about how betting markets work in esports and has the most detailed price.

This is a reduced form of the Winner market, where it is just a specific map (or game in a series) at a time. We don't have to predict the entire match, instead, we are deciding who we think will win a specific map one, and then map two, and then map three. If teams have wildly different records on various maps, this is a crucial consideration. Looking at map pools, recent vetoes, and past results on a particular map are useful here.

Now aside from these two there are quite a few other markets that pop up rather often. Handicap markets allow you to essentially give one team a head start or deficit by providing them a score, for example a map handicap of + 1.5. Totals markets - also known as over and under - refer to the number of maps or rounds played. Other markets are first kill, first objective, correct score and so on. Each of these makes sense in their own way, and it makes more sense to learn a market, and then move to the next, rather than try to follow all of them.

Understanding Esports Odds

Odds tell you two things at the same time – what the market considers the likelihood of an event happening to be and the amount a winning bet would return. And they're shown in three different ways: Decimal odds (preferred in Australia, Europe and most parts of Asia) – this shows how much you would win on a 1 unit stake (including your original stake); fractions (only really used in the UK); American odds (Positive and negative).

It's good to know how to do this. For decimal odds just divide 1 by the odds: 2.00 odds mean a 50 per cent chance, 4.00 mean 25 per cent. But if you sum up the implied probability for all the possible outcomes in a market then the total generally adds up to more than 100 per cent. The difference is the margin that's built into the price and this is also the reason why a market isn't ever entirely fair. That's the reason a favourite only pays small returns while an outsider pays bigger ones.

The price can be altered. It may change due to team news, roster updates, the maps chosen, or how heavily a market has been traded on each side. As for live markets, the odds can jump up and down in the space of seconds as rounds are won and lost. A price is potentially tempting a few minutes before an event starts or a decision has been made, so always have a look at what the odds are telling you at the time. Always take the price as a guide to probability rather than a guarantee of an outcome, because even popular choices will have their bad days.

Sound research leads to a greater knowledge of any price. You should pay attention to official tournament pages, recent results, team v. team results, the form of players and patch notes as well, because patches can make the current meta and best picks change significantly. But there is never a guarantee by research, so the most well-versed bettor on any esports market is still one who is betting on an uncertain event.

Risks & Responsible Gaming

Every kind of gamble involves the possibility of losing money, and betting markets for esports are not immune. Just as with any other similar activity, nothing is certain, and the energy of a live market can press bettors into making rash calls. The one thing that can be said with certainty about your money is that if you wager on a certain outcome, it could all go away – so never bet money that you cannot lose.

Good habits pay off. Determine a betting limit or ante and adhere to it before beginning play. Have a plan to quit once you've reached that limit, or to take a break for a period of time in advance. Never chase your losses by increasing your stakes to recoup previous losses - it is the most common way to get yourself into trouble. You should never gamble while you are drunk, stressed, tired, or even angry. It is also important for you to keep a written record of all your gambling activities for a clear view of how much you have gambled.

Know what some of the symptoms of problem gambling are. These are among others gambling for longer than you meant to, gambling without telling your friends or family about it, borrowing cash to gamble, having feelings of distress when you are not gambling, and poor work or academic performance.

Many countries have free and confidential help lines and there are also many sites offering deposit limits, cool-off periods and self-exclusion. TAB66 is for over 18s only, and only those of legal gambling age in their own country should participate. Please check what is lawful in your location prior to participating.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are esports betting markets?

A betting market is simply the particular result you are trying to predict in an esports match or tournament. You can bet on the winner of the entire match, the winner of a specific map, how many rounds a player wins, handicap, total, and outrights (if you want to bet on a team to win the tournament), and so on.

2. What games are suitable for esports betting?

Some of the more popular games Counter-Strike 2 Dota 2 League of Legends Valorant, and there are others including Call of Duty Rocket League and Star Craft II. These all have long-running pro leagues, frequent tournaments and plenty of fans so there is more information and more markets to choose from. Not all games are available on all platforms or in all locations.

3. What is a map-winner market?

Map Winner Market Focuses on a single map or game in a series or match, not the overall result. If you're betting on a best of three, for example, you might look at who will win the first map, then second. Remember that teams will usually vary in form from map to map, so the map pools, results and form on each map are useful to know before betting on this market.

4. How do esports betting odds work?

Odds present both the implied likelihood of a result and the payout. Decimal odds of 2.50 pay out 2.50 times your stake, which is 2.50 for every 1 staked (even your original stake). To get the implied probability, divide 1 by the decimal odds. Odds include their own margin of profit and can fluctuate dramatically based on team news and live action – they're never a guarantee.