The gaming industry is one of the fastest-growing businesses in the last few years, which is why almost every online bookmaker has included at least a few eSports titles in its sportsbook. As a result, even people who don’t know anything about this sport can try their luck on various computer and mobile games.
However, placing bets on eSports is not that easy. Every sport has its specifics, but since eSport combines multiple games, there are way more things that you need to take into account prior to placing your bet.
Let’s take a look at some of the potential problems that you might have to face while betting on eSports.
The odds might change drastically all the time
Most people who bet on sports really like the live betting section because it gives them more opportunities. Needless to say, every single bookie that offers eSports will also allow you to punt on live matches. Besides the additional markets that you will have access to, you should know that the odds for most eSports matches change all the time.
Most of them are team-based, which means that one team fight can completely change the balance of power. We do not recommend placing live eSports bets unless you have a good understanding of the game and its mechanics. Unfortunately, learning how everything works is not easy, even if you watch live streams all the time.
If you want to have in-depth knowledge about a specific computer or mobile game, you should download it and play it yourself. Although most eSports titles are complicated, you will eventually learn how some things work.
You may not find that many options
One of the most common problems that you will come across is the lack of betting options. Since betting on esports is still not as popular as wagering on other sports (like football, tennis, basketball, etc.), many gambling operators don’t have enough betting markets. In most cases, you will only have access to the most popular ones, such as the FT result and Over/Under. That’s why some people go to places like Betenemy.com, where they will find loads of eSport bookies.
Besides the lack of markets, some betting sites only offer two or three eSports titles. This means that you need to do thorough research if you want to have access to as many games as possible. The most common names you will find are Dota 2, League of Legends, and CS: GO. Each of them has numerous tournaments, which means that you will probably find something that you can bet on. However, there are many more eSports titles that can also provide you with loads of additional betting opportunities. This includes Overwatch, FIFA, Fortnite, and World of Warcraft. The latter is one of the newest additions to the eSports scene, although this game has been around for more than 15 years.
Certain betting features and bonuses might not work
Most bookmakers have special betting features and exclusive bonuses. Unfortunately, some of them might not be available for eSports due to their specific nature. The good thing is that you will probably have access to live streaming because every eSports event is broadcasted on a platform called Twitch, which is available on most betting sites.
Another popular betting feature that you should have access to is called Cash Out. You can only use it if you place live bets, and it will give you the opportunity to settle it whenever you feel like it. This means that you don’t have to wait until the eSports match is over. If you notice that things are not going as planned, simply use this feature, and you will receive at least a portion of the money you’ve used for your bet.
Lastly, check whether the bookie you’ve chosen allows you to edit your bet after it’s placed. This is a standard feature on some gambling websites, and people love it because they can change almost anything even after they place the bet.
Some eSports matches could be postponed
Unless you are betting on an event that’s held in a LAN format, every other eSports tournament is played online. This means that there is always the possibility for a match to be postponed.
Although this can happen in every sport, it is a lot more common here. So, if you placed a pre-match bet, check whether it is available a few hours before the event begins. Don’t worry, the bookie should refund your bet amount if the match is no longer accessible.
Even though the technology is really advanced nowadays, most eSports matches are postponed due to technical issues. This is something that you always need to take into account when betting.
Most tips that you read online are not accurate
There are people called tipsters, whose job is to write predictions about certain events. Needless to say, you will find loads of tips for football because this is the most popular sport in the world. However, if you look around, you will eventually stumble upon numerous eSports predictions written by people who claim to be experts.
If you ever decide to read those things, you should always take them with a pinch of salt. Even if the tipster has many years of betting experience, eSports is really difficult to predict. Some of the most popular games are so dynamic that things can change in just a matter of seconds.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t read any tips. On the contrary, if they are written by someone who knows what he’s doing, you will probably learn a thing or two that you can use to your advantage.
So, once you start looking for tips, make sure that the person behind them is either a famous gamer or works for a reputable website that you can trust. As you can imagine, places like Reddit and random online forums are not your best option.