eSport started to seriously capture the attention of the mainstream sports betting world during those dark times in mid-2020. Granted, every other sport had ground to a halt, so for those itching to place a bet, it was either eSport or the two flies crawling up their wall. However, the interesting thing was that when the mainstream sporting schedule got back underway, eSport betting continued practically undiminished.
Of course, betting on eSport is a little like betting on motorsport or contact sports, or racquet sports. The phrase can cover a whole lot of different things. Let’s zoom the focus in a little closer and uncover which eSports gamblers consider the best ones to bet on in 2022.
CS:GO
No big bookie payouts for guessing what would be at the top of the list. In some ways, eSport betting has become synonymous with CSGO, and in the same way, cryptocurrency has become synonymous with Bitcoin. The fact that it has been around for so long is important for a number of reasons.
Yes, it has given CS:GO a chance to mature and for the biggest stadium-filling events to gather major sponsors and global coverage. But also, keep in mind just how long CS:GO has been around. This isn’t like Fortnite. The average fan is in his 30s and is of a demographic more likely to sit and watch a tournament, drink a beer and scour the best bookies picked by pro reviewers for sports betting, just as past generations have done with football.
League of Legends
If it was purely down to longevity, League of Legends is the Granddaddy of them all. First released in 2009, its highly strategic nature makes it a magnet for sports betting fans. You can either bet on the overall outcome or on who will win individual battles within the game.
LoL is a game in which form counts for a lot, but again, it is more nuanced than who is going to win. To draw a comparison with football, it is a little like one team having a strong defense, so you might bet on the number of sacks, or another having a great passing game, so you’ll bet on completions or total yards.
Valorant
It’s not all about the long-established games. Valorant was released in 2020 and is very much part of an emerging 2nd generation of eSports. It already has a strong following, and the major tournaments are starting to appear on even the mainstream sports betting pages.
Professional and pro leagues will launch in 2023, and these could take eSport betting in an exciting new direction.
FIFA
When push comes to shove, football is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser – and that includes the virtual kind. Much as we love NBA2K, FIFA is still the only sports game that has really cracked it as an eSport.
The ePremier League is an annual event that attracts TV coverage, and let’s face it; it is the ideal stepping stone from traditional sport to eSport because everyone knows how to bet on a game of soccer.