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E-Sports Betting with William Hill
eSports betting and eSports odds might sound strange. How can you bet on video games? eSports is one of the fastest-growing industries out there, with almost half a billion people tuning in every year. Prize pools go into the tens of millions of dollars and massive brands like Manchester City have established eSports teams of their own. Interested in placing a wager now? It’s dangerous to go alone - take this definitive guide.
Level One
Let’s start with the basics. eSports stands for ‘electronic sports’, although it’s sometimes known as ‘competitive gaming’, and they can be played alone or as part of a team, going head-to-head with others either online or in the same building over a ‘local area network’ (LAN). The best gamers in the world duke it out in everything from football games such as FIFA to real-time strategy games (RTSs) like Starcraft II. A relatively recent genre of game is the MOBA - multiplayer online battle arena - and with industry juggernauts such as League of Legends and DOTA 2, this is where eSports pedigree lies.
That’s where William Hill comes in. With the rise of eSports comes eSports betting - and William Hill offers the latest odds on the biggest tournaments happening around the world. Rocket League, Overwatch, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive - even if you don’t play any of these games yourself, you can still bet on them at William Hill.
Which eSports can I bet on?
William Hill offers the latest eSports odds on the premier gaming tournaments around the world. These games include League of Legends, DOTA 2, Starcraft II, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Rocket League, Overwatch, and more. And it isn’t just the grand finals that we offer eSports betting on; we cover the Overwatch League (OWL) from the regular season stages to the post-season elimination playoffs.
As eSports continues to grow at a remarkable rate, eSports betting will be right there with it. Expect news.williamhill.com to cover the latest eSports odds as millions more continue to tune in every year.
Understanding Sports Betting
So you know the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of eSports betting, now let William Hill tell you the ‘how’.
The main eSports odds you’ll find are match betting. Whether the players are controlling space marines or rocket-powered cars, there always has to be a winner. This is the simplest and most straightforward eSports betting there is - pick someone who you think will win and back them. This can be a single player or an entire team, it depends on the nature of the tournament.
There are also over/under markets. You’ve heard of these already, but eSports betting gives it a twist. You can bet over and under on the number of points won, kills made, maps played, and more. Handicap betting also makes an appearance, letting you back a team with a one-map deficit in the series.
So far, so easy, and there’s even more on offer before we get to the complicated stuff. Group winner, outright winner, winner’s country of origin - think Champions League and you’re basically already there.
Which other eSports odds does William Hill offer?
As we delve into the granular details of eSports betting, it starts to fracture depending on the type of game being played. Just like you can’t bet on the number of touchdowns in a motor racing Grand Prix, you can’t bet on the number of goals scored in Counter-Strike.
As mentioned above, the most fertile ground in the eSports betting scene is in the MOBA genre. Games like DOTA 2 and League of Legends have taken the world by storm with around 100 million players between them each year. League of Legends especially is a phenomenon, re-appropriating the online LOL acronym. Trust us, when it comes to the World Championship final and there’s $1 million on the line, it’s no laughing matter.
In these games, here are the types of eSports odds you can see on offer:
- First Blood - betting on which player gets the first kill of the game
- Map winner - with each round of games being played on different maps - or levels, if you’re old-school - you can bet on a winner in a particular arena
- First Baron or Dragon - this one’s unique to League of Legends. Barons and Dragons are computer-controlled characters in the game. This market lets you bet on which player will be the first to kill it.
Overwatch and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive are first-person shooters, or FPSs. If you haven’t heard of these, you’ve probably heard of Call of Duty or DOOM. Same idea - point your gun at who you want to take down to win. In eSports betting, it’s all about who can do this the best. This is the second-biggest market when it comes to eSports betting, and comes with its own set of eSports odds.
- Objective betting - similar to ‘map winner’ above, there are different types of game modes which lend themselves to eSports betting. Overwatch for example has capture points A, B, and C which the teams fight to control. You can bet on teams to capture all of them at once or none at all.
And then there are games like Rocket League, effectively football with cars with up to 8 players; Hearthstone, a 1v1 card game; FIFA...well, you know what FIFA is. Every genre of game has its own unique quirks - reflected in the eSports odds available in each one.
Valuable eSports betting tips
How do you get to know who are the winners and losers in eSports? The same as every other sport - by watching it. eSports - and eSports betting - is a global industry, happening in all kinds of countries and time zones.
Just hop onto the eSports-streaming site twitch.tv and tune into whatever picks your fancy. It will be a confusing mess of colours and numbers at first, but take the time to learn the game and you’ll start to see the nuances which makes a great player.
Before you know it, you’re ready for eSports betting and can pick out the best eSports odds with ease.
Football teams are usually the favourite when they play at home. The same goes for eSports betting. We don’t mean the specific location of the players (although that matters too) but in these games with dozens of maps and game modes, certain teams are better at some than they are at others.
As such, while a team might be favourite to win outright, the underdogs might perform better on a certain level in a game. Keep a close eye on the eSports odds and you’ll see.
Play them. The biggest games on this list - DOTA 2 and League of Legends - are free-to-play, meaning that all you need is a computer and an internet connection to get involved.
However, much like how you could’ve been a professional footballer if it wasn’t for your dodgy knee, you’re likely to be outclassed by the pros in no time. Don’t get frustrated - give the game its time and it will help you become a better eSports bettor.
Looking for a local team to support? Overwatch’s London Spitfire are a good one to follow - they won the first ever Overwatch League in 2018.
The future of eSports betting
As we’ve already said, eSports is a huge industry which is only getting bigger. As such, eSports odds will continue to grow and change as well. Make sure to tune in to news.williamhill.com when that happens for the latest in eSports odds and eSports betting.