eSports (also known as Electronic sports, e-sports or competitive gaming) is a term for organized multiplayer video game competitions. The most common video games associated with eSports which support professional competition are real-time strategy (eg: Starcraft), fighting (eg: Street FIghter), first-person shooter (eg: CounterStrike), and multiplayer online battle arena (eg: League of Legends).
Popular eSports Video Games
eSports competitions currently exist for the most popular games: League of Legends, Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and StarCraft II. Hearthstone, a Collectible Card Game (CCG) which is relatively new to the eSports scene has also proven to be popular in the electronic sports community. Today, tournaments with live spectators and broadcasts of the competition are growing in popularity each year.
Starcraft an eSports Pioneer
Starcraft is often seen as a pioneer of modern eSports; being particularly popular in South Korea, it was the first video game to establish a successful pro-gaming scene. More well-known teams include Evil Geniuses, Fnatic and Team Liquid. Professional gamers, or “pro gamers” and teams earn sponsorships, participate in cash prize competitions, and compete in tournaments that are broadcast nationally. Players may also earn prize money from tournament wins, or paid a separate team salary. Sponsorships may cover tournament travel expenses, or gaming hardware. Some non-professional players prefer to earn a living through streaming their gameplay to help collect donations or ad revenue.
Watching eSports
Until now, eSports has relied mainly on online video streaming. Online video streaming platforms such as Twitch.tv, have become crucial to eSports events. But, in 2014, mainstream sports broadcaster ESPN also broadcast the The International 4 (Dota 2) event, with potentially more in the future.
Betting on eSports
So now that you know a little bit more about eSports (you probably already do know if you are reading this), it’s time to start adding a bit of fun and start making some bets! It’s actually just like betting on traditional sports, you just need to know which sites have eSports to offer and how to place your bets.
| Bookmaker | Description | |
|---|---|---|
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US only. Create an account, and look for “Other Sports” to find Dota2 betting odds | Bet Now at Bovada |
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Best eSports Odds. Create an account, click the eSports tab > Latest Odds and then look for the Dota2 betting odds | Bet Now at Pinnacle Sports |
Or click on the banner below to check out Bovada’s eSports betting options: