How Bookmakers Are Adapting to the World of eSports

eSports is a form of multiplayer video competition where individuals or teams compete for certain honours and prizes. This modern type of sport started gaining worldwide popularity in the 2010s thanks to streaming services and large tournaments.

The events grew larger and larger by the year which earned them a place as the biggest bookmakers. Here, eSports established a new betting form that distinguishes in several ways from traditional sports.

As such, many sportsbooks are struggling to cope with this new type of sports event. However, reputable bookmakers did find a way to adapt to the world of eSports. In this article, we’ll explain how they’ve managed to accomplish that.

New Bookmakers Promoting eSports Events via Bonus Offers

eSports events are still pretty new on the market and they currently attract bettors who are into video gaming. As a way to attract more customers, bookmakers tend to offer hefty bonuses and promotions just for eSports betting.

These offers usually reward extra funds or free bets that you can only use on selected eSports events. Some new bookmakers in UK even provide welcome bonuses to their most recently joined customers. Such promos allow players to get familiar with eSports betting without spending too much money.

However, the best way to promote these types of sports events is through no deposit bonuses. These are offers that allow punters to place bets without requesting funds beforehand.

Other types of eSports offer that many bookmakers provide are acca boosts and enhanced odds. Both bonuses are capable of increasing your potential payouts based on certain conditions. 

Sticking to Well-Known eSports Tournaments

Another way to adapt to the still-unknown world of eSports is to only include events from well-known tournaments. Operators are taking the safest approach possible when dealing with new betting forms.

Because of that, top bookmakers will only allow you to bet on reputable eSports competitions. They avoid almost all smaller tournaments as a way to lower their exposure. 

Players or third parties can easily influence and fix these events, which will cause a lot of damage to sportsbooks. Because of that, you won’t be able to find less popular eSports matches on the biggest platforms.

Some of the best eSports tournaments that you can bet on are the LOL World Championship, Dota Pro Circuit, Overwatch Champions Series, CS2 ESL Pro League, Call of Duty League, etc.

Offering the Most Basic Betting Markets

Bookmakers that offer eSports events take a slower approach when it comes to betting markets. This means that most matches will come with lower wagering options compared to other popular sports.

Operators are constantly looking to include new betting markets, but each video game is different. As such, they must carefully examine every title that they feature to see what markets they can include. 

You should know that products from the same genres may come with unique rules and gameplay. This can result in special markets that are only available for a specific game.

We must also note that bookmakers are trying to avoid certain markets that players can easily influence. Because of that, they tend to stick to the most basic options. Among them are 1×2, correct score, team to win at least one map, total maps handicap, and a few more.

eSports Live Betting and Live Streaming

Apart from pre-match betting, you can also place live wagers on almost all eSports events. Top bookmakers always include these events in their “In-Play” section as they are well aware of their popularity. 

Yet, they might come with a few fewer betting markets compared to pre-match betting. Also, the featured odds tend to fluctuate according to the player’s performance and score. If the odds go past a certain lower or upper limit, then the operator will close those wagering options.

Apart from in-play betting, the best sportsbooks also offer live streaming services on almost all eSports events. They usually provide broadcasts from popular platforms such as Twitch, YouTube, Kick, and a few more.

With live streams, bookmakers allow you to follow your eSports events in real time. You can start viewing a match before placing a bet. Then, after evaluating how the players perform, you can make a much better decision and wager on the right team.