Best eSports bookmakers in India 2024

eSports betting is becoming one of the world’s favorite hobbies, having exploded in popularity in comparison to traditional sports. Millions of people tuned into eSports events on live streaming channels to watch all their eSports events and favorite gamers live.

As with any other competitive sport, this gives way to the best eSports betting site as a pastime. eSports betting online is very similar to classic sports betting markets. Find your eSports betting market, pick your betting odds and then bet on eSports, wherever you may want.

The '90s put all the pieces together for eSports to explode when the new century rolled around. Video games became were gaining popularity thanks to better graphics, and internet cafes gave gamers access to gaming PCs they may not have been able to afford at home.

By 2010, there were tournaments being held across the globe for gamers to compete in. Nintendo returned with the Wii and had over 400,000 participants in their Wii Games Summer 2010 event.

The founding of Twitch in 2011 gave gamers a platform to compete with one another. By broadcasting events and tournaments to viewers in all countries, everyone with an interest in gaming was able to watch, and esports exploded, becoming immensely popular as a spectator sport among the masses.

The Big Leagues

Today, major world championships are held annually. The League of Legends World Championship, which has quickly gained a cult-like following, has amassed over 60 million viewers in recent years. The prize money in this championship total USD $1 million.

The International, which hosts Dota 2 gamers, was first held in 2011, and only the top 16 eSports teams were invited to participate in the event. Today, top prizes are well over USD $10 million, with total prize pools easily doubling this amount. This is truly a testament to how massive the eSports industry has become.

Other world championships for specific games like Fortnite, Starcraft, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive are quickly adding to the tournament tour that gamers across the globe can compete in.

eSports have become increasingly popular in recent years. Video games appeal to a wide variety of people in many age groups. In 2022, there were over 3,24 billion gamers on the planet.

Video games are rampant among people of all ages. Younger people learn and grow in this environment and adults use it as a form of entertainment, and sometimes as an escape from the real world.

They become passionate about the popular eSports betting games, consoles, and hardware. They find and engage in their favorite genres in the eSports industry and use these games for more than just entertainment.

Creating a Community

With the internet so widely available, eSports matches have created a community. It has drawn together people from all walks of life who share the same interest. Live streaming from major tournaments allow gamers to attend without any problem.

Streaming platforms allow viewers of these events to listen to commentary and communicate with other viewers, while also being able to bet on eSports properly.

eSports betting has taken the world by storm, quickly surpassing sports such as tennis, basketball, and baseball in the amount of money being bet each year. But before placing your bet on video games, it’s best to know some of the rules and nuances involved in the industry.

The Players

A person needs to look at the team statistics, but not only that. They also need to be aware of the characteristics of every player on the team. If a team has a weak player, someone who's into eSports betting needs to be aware of that, and also of how that player compensates for his weaknesses.

Look for teams that have been together for some time. These teams have had time to build tactics for the games they play. Bettors need to understand the patterns of each player and how they react to different situations.

The Bets

Bettors must also understand the different types of basic bets that can be placed at eSports betting sites, from main outcome bets to total bets. Each type of eSports bet awards money for different things, from victory at a game to total points accrued.

If a bettor has knowledge of the game and the players, it is safe to start placing different bets on an eSports betting site. If they do not, it’s best to do some homework before getting involved in online betting sites and getting the first eSports bet on the road.

eSports betting sites have your personal information, as well as details of your credit card or other payment methods. This makes it important to make sure that your sports betting site is trustworthy and that their gambling sites are secure.

An electronic sports site may be fair and have good odds, but if their software is not secure against hacking and viruses, it is time to look elsewhere for a bookie. Here are some things to check for on their eSports betting sites:

• Labels. Apart from the Malta Gaming Authority, organizations such as Certified Fair Gambling and eCOGRA take security seriously. Knowing that an eSports betting site has been checked and is trusted by these organizations is a good step to ensuring your security.
• Security Certificates. Many gambling sites today are encrypted for extra security. Look at the bookmaker’s site for an SSL certificate that ensures this encryption. This makes it harder for third parties to get your information.
• Credible Software. Check what software the bookmaker is using. If they have random number generators and software that goes above and beyond the basics, these sites tend to be more secure.

Check a Site’s Reputation

Just as with any site where items are purchased online, the reputation of the eSports betting site should be considered even before you deposit money. Checking a bookmaker’s reputation will let a bettor know about any issues that a bookie has had in the past. By checking in with other customers, bettors can save themselves time and money should a bookie have had past issues.

Online reviews can also help a bettor determine the reputation of a welcome bonus, free bet offer, their eSports competitions, social betting, challenge betting, or even online casino games.

By looking at how many reviews there are online, how far apart they were placed, and what the reviews themselves say, a bettor can learn a lot about how eSports betting at these sites. If the reviews are repetitive and all placed within a week of each other, beware.

Employees may have been asked to place the reviews. But if they are spaced over time and customers have a variety of things to say, both good and bad, then the reviews are most likely legit and can be fairly reliable.

Events are most often held by eSports event hosts, including DreamHack, Electronic Sports League (ELS), Game Belong, PGL, and Gfinity. These hosts rely on sponsors, media, and viewers, just as in traditional sports. Fair play keeps everyone coming back.

These hosts have well-established rules upfront, and they have the backing to enforce these rules. They also have a match dispute process in place for any disputes that may arise during the gaming competition. These companies often hold live tournaments where they can monitor the software and hardware that each participant is allowed to use.

Internationally, sets of rules around integrity have been put in place to keep players in line and to keep fair play for everyone. eSports hosts and the eSports Integrity Commission are not afraid to uphold these rules, and players have been banned for not following tournament rules.

As eSports continue to grow and evolve into mainstream media, hosts and the ESIC strive to create an ecosystem of fair play for gamers, bettors, and viewers around the world. They hold the gamers to the highest standards of integrity in order to preserve the sport for future generations.

eSports allow for live betting, betting strategies, and betting options on a variety of items. We mentioned real money betting above and how there are many different types of wagers that a bettor can place.

But there is more to eSports betting than just money. A bettor must choose their game or game type. They also have the betting options to bet on streamers and can place bets using various gaming items, including skins.

Fantasy eSports

Fantasy betting isn’t just for sports. eSports has fantasy teams for people to bet on as well. This simple concept allows you to select a virtual team from a pool of real-life players.

You then compete against other teams. Your team earns points based on the actual performance of the players you selected, and the points you earned are compared to another teams’ points to determine who wins.

Betting on Streamers

Betting on streamers is similar to all other wagering. Bettors place their bets on the performance of a specific streamer. Bets vary from stream to stream and game to game, keeping people guessing as to what they can bet on for each stream.

Some bets are as simple as guessing the winner of a match and others can be more complicated, involving eSports betting on specific scenarios that may or may not occur in each match.

Item & Skin eSports Bets

With skin betting or item betting, players can start betting on eSports with things other than money. Players can use skins or items and bet them on the results of an eSports match. Bettors place bets on third-party websites where they can buy, sell and trade skins.

When the bettor deposits their items on the website, the site gives it a dollar amount. If a bettor wins, they get the item they deposited and another prize, but if they lose, they lose their item. Skin betting is a form of gambling, but it is not regulated by the government.

Shooter Games - Multiplayer Online Battle Arena

Shooter games work much the same way as other eSports games. Tournaments for Call of Duty, Halo, Starcraft II, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and other games take place every year with bettors across the globe taking part. Shooter games tend to have a huge pot in their tournaments, and if a bettor knows the tactics of the game, they can come away a big winner.

As with all eSports games, bets can be placed on the winner of a match, tournament, or different happenings in the game itself.

Each bookmaker creates unique bonuses and promotional offers for their website as an attempt to draw in more bettors. When a bettor is looking at these promotions, there are two things to consider. The first is how much a bettor must pay to the site and the second is how much they get for that bonus.

There are several different ways that bookies can set these promotional offers up, including:

• Max Amount. To protect the bookmaker, welcome or deposit bonus promotions have a limit to how much a bettor can claim. This amount can vary by bookmaker, and some of them offer bonuses reaching USD $600. A bettor must throw in a certain amount to get the full amount of the sports betting bonus.
• Qualifying Odds. Bookmakers sometimes offer bonus codes or free bets, but bettors then must bet a certain amount of money at odds of a certain size. For example, a bettor can place a bet at 1.25 odds to claim a $10 bonus. The amount of these bonuses may change based on the odds.
• Wagering Requirements. Many bookies put requirements in place that state the bettor must bet the bonus amount a certain number of times before withdrawing any cash from the promotion. This encourages bettors to bet more money, more often. Bettors must check with their site to see what the requirements are for any promotions they are accepting on the site they use.

When accepting eSports betting promotions and playing with the bookie's money, a bettor must also be aware that the bonuses often must be claimed by a certain date. Again, each bookmaker will be different and the timeframe can range from one day to 365 days. Checking the requirements on each site will help a bettor make the right decision.