If you keep thrashing your friends on League of Legends or Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, you might want to take your passion a step further and get some monetary rewards for your skills. There are several professional teams all over the world that are turning skillful people into world-class gamers and you could be one of them.
At the moment, the best-paying game is Dota 2, there are hundreds of tournaments offering nearly 100 million dollars in prize money. League of Legends has generated over 1,500 tournaments across the globe and the total prize money is nearly 40 million US dollars. If you are a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive ace, you could be a part of over 2,000 international tournaments worth over 30 million dollars in prize money.
The biggest event in terms of prize money in 2016 was the Dota 2 tournament called The International. It took place at KeyArena Center in Seattle, Washington and offered a total prize pool worth 20 million US Dollars. The event was won by Chinese team “Wings Gaming”, who took home over 9 million dollars.
If you are not good enough to compete with the world’s best but you are still a fan of those games, you could still make use of your knowledge and earn some cash through betting on eSports. More and more online bookmakers and casinos are offering lines and odds on major eSports events, including big and trusted global brands.
Pinnacle Sports is the biggest player in the eSports betting market at the moment. They offer the competitive odds and have the most experience as they had started introducing eSports lines and odds into their offer in 2010. Right now eSports are receiving a larger volume of bets on their website than classic sports like golf and rugby as the market continues to grow.
Betway is working hard to gain market share on eSports, they have sponsored major events in order to increase their profile and they are also the main sponsor of Swedish team Ninjas in Pyjamas. They offer usual kinds of bets on various games but they also have special bets on game achievements such as which team to win map 1, first to reach 10 kills, First Blood and correct score. They offer a free bet worth £30 if you bet £10.
William Hill, one of the oldest and most respected bookmakers in the world, founded all the way back in 1934, decided to offer eSports odds and lines in 2015. Their markets include all the major tournaments of League of Legends, Starcraft 2, Dota 2, Counter-Strike CS:GO, Heroes of the Storm, Hearthstone and Call of Duty. William Hill was the first bookmaker to offer legal eSports betting on the United States market. They are offering a free bet worth £20 if you place a bet worth £10. Be absolutely sure to click here.
Ladbrokes, another British bookmaker, is also offering some eSports markets. In October 2016, there has been some controversy following their decision to eliminate eSports from their website. However, they have not officially announced the reason behind that absence before reinstating the eSports page and markets as if nothing happened. They are offering a free bet worth £50 to new customers.