- Find the Best Esports Betting Sites Showcasing the best esports bookmakers at Esports.net. Esports has exploded in popularity over the last five years, with titles such as CS:GO, Dota 2, League of Legends, Overwatch, World of Tanks, PUBG, Fortnite, Hearthstone & Heroes of the Storm becoming household names.
- After a small start on just a few innovative esports betting websites, popularity and enthusiasm soon soared. Now, it is nigh-on impossible to find any betting site that cannot lay claim to also being an esports betting website thanks to its inclusion of a range of esports betting markets. The growth of esports betting is undeniable.
Your favorite Esports games, events, and tournaments should thus be key influencers of the best Esports betting sites that suits your needs. Among our list of recommended betting sites, you will find a variety of fully-stacked websites. Pinnacle is a worldwide-known esports betting site. It is a place with the best odds and the largest selection of tournaments and games to wager. The best lines among all bookmakers compensate the absence of any bonuses for new players. EsporBet.com is a Curacao-licensed esports betting site with a headquarter in London.
Esports has experienced explosive growth since 2009. The industry has attracted over 450 million spectators and crossed the $1 billion revenue mark in 2019. The figures related to esports betting are even more insane. Gamblers wagered more than $8 billion, and experts estimate that figure to reach $13 billion in 2020.
As a result, many online sportsbooks now cover esports extensively. This page will help you to find the best US esports betting sites.
Rank | DE Betting Site | Exclusive Bonus | Get Started | |
---|---|---|---|---|
#1 | BetUS | 100% Up To$2,500 | Visit Site | Visit Site |
#2 | MyBookie | 50% Up To$1,000 | Visit Site | Visit Site |
#3 | BetNow | 100% Up To$1,000 | Visit Site | Visit Site |
#4 | Bovada Sports | 50% Up To$250 | Visit Site | Visit Site |
#5 | BetOnline Sports | 50% Up To$1,000 | Visit Site | Visit Site |
The numbers above are crazy. It’s also a little crazy just how many real money esports betting sites there are to choose from these days. Your options are endless. But the real question is, where do you start?
We suggest that you join one of the US betting sites we recommend. Each site welcomes online gamblers from the United States, covers a variety of esports tournaments and league, offers a robust selection of bets, and has juicy bonuses on offer.
There are other benefits to joining a site we recommend, too, and it’s certainly a better approach than joining some random esports betting website you might find in one of the many dark corners of the internet. Read on to find out more.
Benefits of Joining Our Top-Rated US Esports Betting Sites
Why should you join one of the esports betting sites we recommend? Good question!
We have a meticulous review process for every online gambling site we recommend. This process takes us hours, and sometimes even a couple of days, to research and test one site.
This is an ongoing process, as we make sure that our rankings are always up to date and reflect how some sites improve over time while others can go backwards.
The following qualities are some of the main factors we look at when ranking the best sites for betting on esports online.
Every site must have a gambling license. This boosts the safety and trust factor by tenfold.
- Terms and Conditions
We comb every betting site’s terms and conditions for unfair house rules. We look for rules such as betting limits, how their promos work, how much you can cash out, and loads more.
We research the banking methods they accept, the deposit and withdrawal limits, and how fast they can cash out for their customers.
- Promotions
What bonuses and rewards do they offer to new and existing bettors? Do they have reasonable rollover requirements?
We test their platform thoroughly to gauge how easy it is to use. And we check for features such as live betting, streaming, and early (bet) cashouts.
- Esports Betting Options
We note every video game you can bet on, the variety of esports tournaments and leagues covered, the types of bets you can make, and more.
Can you place bets via a mobile-friendly website or gambling app? Which devices does the betting site support?
- Reputation
We review forums, watchdog sites, social media, and more to see how the betting site treats their customers.
Our staff goes through this process for every esports betting site we review, rank, and recommend.
The best online betting sites for esports receive our seal of approval. This is our guarantee that the site is one of the safest you can join online.
Basically, we make it easy for you to find and join the very best US esports betting sites. You don’t need to second guess which site(s) to join, because we already did all the homework for you.
- We spend hours reviewing each betting site so that you don’t have to. Imagine having to spend several hours per website just to see if they’re a good fit.
- We use our resources to test every site so you don’t have to risk your own money.
- We test the platform, betting features, and compatibility. You won’t have to worry about joining a betting site with buggy software.
- We check the banking options to ensure that the site accepts all the common banking methods that American esports bettors prefer to use. We don’t want you to sign up and later realize you can’t make a deposit.
We do all this legwork to prevent you from joining a rogue site that’s hellbent on taking your money and running. Or one that offers a poor all-round experience.
If you want a seamless, safe, and enjoyable experience betting on esports online, it’s in your best interest to join one of our top-rated US esports betting sites.
One of the benefits Americans can enjoy at betting sites for esports are all the different games and betting types available to them.
But what if you’re new to esports? What if you have no clue what the online sportsbooks offer?
Well, there’s no way we can cover everything here, but we’d hate for you to join an esports betting site with no clue where to start. You should know at least one bet you can make before you leave.
So, here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to list the most common games you can bet on, as well as a few examples of the real money esports wagers you can make.
You might want to visit our esports betting guide to complete your education, but this is enough to get you started in order to make your first bet today.
What Games Can You Bet On?
Times have changed. Several years ago, you could only wager on a handful of video game tournaments. Nowadays, sportsbooks accept action on more than a dozen different games.
The following are some of the games you’re most likely to find at an online esports betting sites for US gamblers.
- Magic: The Gathering
- Rocket League
- Smite
- Call of Duty
- World of Tanks
The best US esports betting sites cover several tournaments and leagues, too. For example, you can bet on ESL One, The International, LoL World Championship, and Eleague matches.
Keep in mind that what you can bet on will depend on which betting site you join. We recommend you join at least two online sportsbooks for real money esports betting. This will increase the selection of video games, esports tournaments, and types of bets you have to choose from.
Joining two or more betting sites also gives you the opportunity to compare odds so that you always get the best price.
Here are a few of the many esports wagers you can expect to find at our top-rated, US-facing esports betting sites.
- Head-to-head match winner
- Race to x kills
- First blood
- First, second, third, etc. map
- Match handicap
- Correct score
- Spread
- Total
- Futures
- Round x winner
You get the idea. The exact types of bets you can make depends on the game you’re betting on, as well as the betting site covering it.
However, you can expect to find an excellent selection of options at all of our recommended esports betting sites for Americans
Professional video gamers started livestreaming their gameplay during the early 2000s. Esports’ popularity surged over the next decade, thanks to streaming platforms such as YouTube and Twitch.
Even colleges are getting in on the action. There are more than 130 college varsity programs and some are even issuing esports college scholarships.
Collegiate Starleague (CSL) was the first official intercollegiate gaming organization. 25 schools competed during their inaugural competition. Now, 55,000 compete in this league.
There are esports stadiums now, too. You read that right! Esports teams are playing in stadiums much like professional sports teams.
In fact, the Overwatch League requires teams to have a home city where they will host away teams. Each team must have a stadium to play in.
This rule forced more than 20 teams to find space to play. Some renovated existing buildings and other teams built a stadium.
For example, the Philadelphia esports team Fusion will play in the $50 million stadium Comcast Spectator built specifically for gaming. That’s nothing compared to the esports facility that the University of North Texas opened in 2017. They designed this $200,000 arena for competition training.
And if you think that’s crazy, the International Olympic Committee is talking about adding esports to the Olympic Games. Imagine the people who were once labeled “nerds” technically becoming “Olympians” and winning medals at the Olympics for playing video games.
Why Everyone Is Gung-Ho About Esports
Money. Why else? The numbers will blow you away. Esports has more than 450 million viewers, and experts say that the number of spectators will match the NFL’s by 2022.
This is a lot of attention, and attention equals money. Esports marketing revenue has exceeded $1 billion and experts think that number will balloon over the next few years.
Heck, back around 2008, Dr. Pepper put Major League Gaming poster-boy, Tom “Tsquared” Taylor’s face on 175 million bottles in the United States. And this was over a decade ago.
Sponsorships are common nowadays. For example, Gillette and Twitch partnered up to form the Gillette Gaming Alliance. Esports players from 11 countries will come together to create content for Gillette.
The team, Cloud9, teamed up with BMW in 2019. Team Liquid teamed up with Honda. Ninja has their own Red Bull can coming out. And League of Legends Pro League has a deal with Nike worth an unconfirmed $7.5 million per year.
This is just a few of the many sponsorships and partnerships that took place in 2018-2019. Imagine what the future will look like considering esports is a hot trend on a hockey stick-like trajectory.
Esports betting is experience explosive growth, too. Venture Beat reported in July 2019 that they expected esports betting to reach $8 billion USD, and more than $16 billion in the coming years.
In fact, experts estimate that betting revenue will hit $12.9 billion in 2020. For some perspective, Nevada’s sportsbooks generated $4.8 billion TOTAL in 2017.
Esports will stomp those numbers. This is crazy to think about, especially when you consider that esports betting didn’t take off until around 2014-2015. And even then, it took a couple years for it to become popular.
This was before the United States Supreme Court got rid of PASPA in 2018. Americans can surely expect esports betting availability, coverage, and betting options to increase, as more and more states pass betting legislation in 2020 and beyond.
What’s unique about the esports betting side of the online gambling industry is the fact that bettors have lots of choices. For example, you can place bets at a traditional sportsbook, join an esports-exclusive betting site, or even sign up at a crypto-based esports website.
Brick and mortar casinos have jumped on the bandwagon, too. For example, the MGM spent $2 million in 2016 to convert the former Rainforest Café into LEVEL UP, a lounge solely dedicated to gaming and esports.
The future for esports professionals, sponsors, sports teams, betting sites, and bettors is looking bright.
Conclusion
Esports is a massive industry. Billions of dollars are exchanging hands and millions of eyeballs are tuning in to watch everything unfold.
Are you going to be one of them? You should be. You don’t want to miss an opportunity this large.
Think about it. You can tell your friends, kids, and grandkids that you were one of the early adopters, and that you jumped in early to exploit opportunities while the market was young. That will be a great story to tell.
However, that story will become a nightmare-inducing, cautionary tale if you make a mistake and join the wrong betting site.
That’s why we recommend you join one of the best US esports betting sites we listed above. We spent countless hours and dollars to test every site so that you don’t have to!
The esports betting industry doesn’t just bear importance in the esports world but in the online betting sphere as well. It has already developed beyond experts’ initial expectations. Esports betting sites keep growing in numbers, following alongside growing viewership and investment numbers.
Rank | Bonus | Bet Now | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Betway Esports | up to €30 Free Bet | Go to Site |
2 | 100% up to €122 | Go to Site | |
3 | Spin Sports | 100% up to €200 | Go to Site |
4 | 100% up to €50 | Go to Site | |
5 | Guts Sports | 100% up to €50 | Go to Site |
However, not all esports betting sites are worth the hassle. Increasing numbers aren’t capable of providing decent user experiences. They either take massive cuts on odds, don’t have the depth, or lack proper customer support channels. Heck, some of them are outright scams. Which is why we have taken the time to put this page together on the best esports betting sites.
That said, it’s of utmost importance to pick a bookie you know you can trust. Home slot machines for sale. Unfortunately, finding such bookies is becoming increasingly more difficult with each passing year. The market is overflooded with lousy, subpar esports betting sites that are chasing potential esports bettors away.
If you want the best possible betting experience, only opt for the biggest, most prominent bookies.
What Are the Best Esports Betting Sites in 2021?
- Bovada – Safe online betting site that has been around a long time.
- BetOnline – Offers competitive lines and odds for esports betting.
- MyBookie – Online sportsbook with some of the best bonuses out there.
- BetNow – Offers betting on the biggest esports events.
- Intertops – Variety of trustworthy banking options for placing esports bets.
Why Trust Our Recommendations?
First of all, we here at TSG use all of the above-listed esports betting sites! If that’s not a valid reason, I’m not sure what is! Most of us are passionate sports betting enthusiasts, while some of us can’t go more than two weeks without placing one or two esports wagers.
On top of that, our list features some of the biggest names in the online betting niche, massive betting platforms known across both sports and esports spectrums. All of our picks are 100% legit, possess all necessary licenses for online gambling, pack the greatest esports bet variety, and have proper customer service. And don’t even get me started on their generous welcome bonuses…
Key Factors That Make the Best Esports Betting Sites
- Ease of Use
- Quantity of Esports Markets
- Variety of Additional Betting Options
- Esports Specific Bonuses
- Quantity of Payment Methods
- Customer Support Service
- Reputation
Ease of Use
Ease of use is the key element for all first-time users. Bookies that have mastered the ease of use segment do great when it comes to acquiring new bettors. But what does the ease of use factor represent? Well, let’s divide it into three parts—speed, polish, and intuitiveness.
Real money esports betting sites that feel polished, load fast, and don’t require manuals for page-to-page navigation are the true ease of use champions!
Quantity of Esports Markets
What good is an esports betting site if it only has LoL, CS:GO, and Dota 2 bets to offer? These days, the key to conquering the esports gambling sphere is having a multitude of esports markets, including the less popular ones such as Overwatch, Call of Duty, and Rocket League. Of course, event depth needs to be present too, since the demand for esports betting doesn’t fall after the biggest, most prominent events.
Variety of Additional Betting Options
In addition to an abundance of esports markets, the best esports betting sites also have a proper variety of options. We’re talking about additional betting options that go alongside the typical match-winners and moneylines, including but not limited to specials and live bets. The more, the merrier!
Esports Specific Bonuses
Unfortunately, esports specific bonuses still aren’t available on most online betting sites. Those that do offer them aren’t really good at emphasizing them, so esports bettors often overlook them. That said, esports-specific bonuses aren’t as important as the rest of the factors here, but will gain importance as time goes on and more big names start experimenting with them.
Quantity of Payment Methods
Back in the starting days of online wagering, payment methods were a massive hassle. Nowadays, most online gambling sites offering esports bets have numerous payment methods to choose from. There are those that work with only a handful of niche options, such as cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Litecoin, and Ethereum. Typically, people want diversity and that’s exactly what we had in mind for our list above.
Customer Support Service
Having a proper customer support service can make or break new bookies. Bettors want long-term stability and someone who can help resolve any issues they might stumble upon. Customer support staff, as well as customer support channels, greatly affect the overall customer satisfaction levels, and as such, they should not be overlooked!
Reputation
Even though we’re living in a world where the biggest online review sites are outright scams, it doesn’t mean online reviews don’t matter. They do matter, as they still have the ability to build (or destroy) the reputations of anything available on the internet, including esports betting sites. Take online reputation with a grain of salt, though, and it can be tampered with very easily.
Biggest Esports Titles to Bet On
How to Sign up at Esports Betting Websites
- Select one of the reliable esports betting sites listed at the top of this page.
- Navigate to the main bookie page and click on that shiny register/join button.
- Fill in your account information and confirm your email and identity.
- Safely complete your initial deposit and get ready to place your first esports bet.
Optionally, you can skim through your bookie of choice to see if it has any ongoing bonus offers. Welcome bonuses are most common. Since many beginners still don’t know much about them, we made a separate section explaining how they work.
Understanding Welcome Bonuses for Online Esports Betting
When you sign up at an esports betting site you can expect to see some esports betting bonuses. Here’s how they work:
Deposit Bonuses
Welcome bonuses based on users’ initial deposits are most common these days. They work in a simple manner, awarding users with bonus funds based on the percentage of their initial deposit. No, you can’t deposit $5000 and get a bunch of money in your bonus budget since all bookies enforce a fixed cap.
For instance, one of the above-featured bookmakers has a 50% initial deposit bonus up to $200. That means you get half of your initial deposit in your bonus budget, with $200 being the maximum amount you can get. It sounds complicated but it’s simple once you see it in action.
No-Deposit Bonuses
No-deposit bonuses offer a fixed sum of bonus funds you can use in any way you see fit. These are typically handed out via coupons or bonus codes that players obtain. When it comes to the fine print, no-deposit bonuses are even more drastic than deposit bonuses, making it almost impossible to cash the money out.
Freebies
Finally, some online sites offer free bets without requiring you to make a deposit. Some even go out of their way and offer free bets to already registered users as a part of special promotions during key dates in the calendar. Free bets are similar to classic no-deposit bonuses, but offer fixed-stake betting tickets. As you’d expect, they have a strict rulebook when it comes to cashing out the funds, so you’ll have to reroll the money before you can treat yourself. Remember to always read the fine print!
Esports Betting Sites With the Fastest Payouts
This is it! You’ve finally won a heftier sum, and you’re ready to cash it out and give yourself a nice treat. But how long will you have to wait to get your hard-earned cash? If you have to wait a week or more for your winnings, the wait takes the thrill out of the equation. Such a long waiting period takes the fun out of betting and that’s not what you want from your esports betting experience.
What’s the Typical Payout Speed?
Typically, you can expect to have your winnings in your bank account (or crypto wallet) within 48 hours of initializing the cashout/withdrawal request. However, the waiting game could take a bit longer, depending on several factors.
If we’re talking about massive winnings, you’ll have to take further steps to confirm your identity which will push the waiting period for a few more days. Another factor is your preferred payment method and the speed of its transaction protocols.
Last but not least, your bookie’s internal transaction also affects the overall payout speed. Believe it or not, some bookies don’t really process your withdrawal request immediately, hoping you’ll change your mind, cancel the request, and gamble away all your winnings. If you’re looking for safe esports betting sites with the fastest payouts, check out our fast payout esports betting sites page.
Safely Betting on Esports
Esports betting online is as safe as you make it! In other words, it’s safe if you use well-known bookmakers, such as the ones portrayed above. You can rest assured your private data (name, email, bank account info, etc.) is in good hands and far from the reach of hackers. However, if you stroll to the wrong neighborhood (read, if you use shady betting platforms), your personal information will be at risk!
Is Online Esports Betting Legal?
Yes, online esports betting is legal as long as you’re using legit platforms featured at the top of this page. If, however, you opt for the shady approach (read: skin betting), not only will you be partaking in illegal betting activities, but your personal info may be at risk. If you want to stay on the safe side of things, the above-featured list of the safest esports betting sites is your safest bet… pun intended!
Are All of Our choices Legit and Possess All Necessary Licenses?
All of the above-featured esports bookies possess all necessary licenses needed for facilitating online gambling. In other words, they are 100% legit, and you have nothing to be afraid of. Not only do they possess necessary licenses but they also go out of their way to protect their users’ private data with sophisticated encryption systems that keep the bad guys out.
So, yeah, if you want a 100% worry-free experience, one of the above-listed esports bookmakers is the obvious choice!
Skins Betting Sites vs Esports Betting Sites
If you’re looking to bet on esports matches, esports betting sites are the obvious way to go. However, they’re not the only way to go. You see, there are online sites that don’t feature real money bets. They’re called skin betting sites because they use skins instead of real money.
Skins used on skin betting sites usually come from two games, Dota 2 and CS:GO. In fact, these two games kickstarted the whole skin betting industry, which developed into a real problem that could’ve seriously hurt the esport industry’s integrity.
The worst thing about skin betting sites isn’t the fact they’re illegal, but the fact that they facilitate underage wagering. Yep, you’ve read that right! Skins sites have no security measures that prevent children and teenagers (which are plentiful in Dota 2 and CS:GO communities) from partaking in gambling activities. Plus, these sites are known for bearing little to no attention to their users’ personal information, which is a massive security issue.
We do not recommend visiting skins sites to bet on esports. If you’re interested in betting on CS:GO, LoL, Dota 2 or any other matches, safe esports betting sites like the ones featured at the top of this page should be your first option.
Frequently Asked Questions About Betting on Esports
Why Do You Favor These Esports Betting Sites?
As mentioned above, we favor these esports betting sites because we use them on a regular basis. We’ve already grown accustomed to them and know for a fact that other bookies offer a subpar experience. Whether we’re talking about esports market diversity, event depth, or payout speed, you can rest assured it doesn’t get much better than the above-listed esports betting sites!
Why Don’t All Online Betting Sites Feature Esports Markets?
This question baffles us, too! The only reasons we can think of are a lack of resources and the inability to acquire necessary licenses and influential partners. Less popular online betting sites might not have enough resources to invest in a whole new category.
Plus, the esports betting industry is as complex as they come, meaning it requires partners with the proper know-how to make the platform (and the category) work properly. While the demand for esports wagering is still at an all-time high, some bookies are straight out ignoring it, hoping it will turn out to be nothing more than a short-term trend.
What Sports Betting Sites Do You Recommend?
Thus far, all we’ve been talking about are esports betting sites. But what about their sports betting counterparts? After all, this website is called The Sports Geek, not The Esports Geek.
If you’re interested in sports betting too, feel free to check out our sports betting sites guide. It offers a ton of valuable info on everyone’s favorite pastime and will bring you up to speed on everything you need to know before you make your first bet. Sports betting, just like esports, doesn’t require too much time but can yield solid returns and be a highly entertaining time-waster.
What Are the Most Popular Esports Events to Bet On?
When talking about the most popular events to bet on, Dota 2 The Internationals immediately come to mind. They are the most lucrative events out there, bringing forth massive prize pools and worldwide viewership. Alongside The International, we also have to mention League of Legends World Championships as the most viewed events. League of Legends betting is still going strong so it’s no surprise LoL Worlds belong here.
Esports Betting Websites Uk
When it comes to CS:GO, there are popular events throughout the year. We’re not just referring to CS:GO Major Championships but other events like ESL One, Pro League, Intel Extreme Masters, BLAST, and similar. The CS:GO esports calendar is a hectic one, but we’re guessing that’s why people love placing bets on CS:GO matches.
Esports Betting Websites Vs
Why Aren’t There More Esports Games to Bet On?
Esports Betting Websites 2020
Another tricky question that doesn’t really have a proper answer. Let’s be real here, do we even need more esports titles? Take Fortnite and PUBG as the perfect examples. Both are relatively new but went from zero to massive popularity in no time. This pushed their esports scenes into existence but was unable to generate long-term sustainability.
From our perspective, the esports industry is already oversaturated. There are two main MOBA games (LoL and Dota 2), three popular FPS titles (CS:GO, CoD, and R6S), accompanied by a few marvelous mixtures (Overwatch and Rocket League). Combine that with the likes of Super Smash Bros., FIFA, and the good old StarCraft II, and you’ll realize there’s not that much space left for new contestants.