Betway
An online-only bookmaker, Betway were founded in 2006 and they have wasted no time in establishing themselves as a quality sportsbook. Their esports offering is up there with the best.
18+. T&Cs Apply.
- Great esports promos
- Esports bet club
- Competitive esports odds
New UK customers only. Min Deposit: £5. Maximum Free Bet: £30. First bet on a Football or Horse Racing multiple with 3+ selections. Overall odds: 3.00 (2/1) or higher. Free Bets available upon settlement of the qualifying bet. This is offer is valid for 7 days from your new account being registered. 50 Bonus Spins credited on placement of qualifying Acca bet.50x bonus wagering applies as do weighting requirements, bonus Spins only available on selected games and expires 7 days after being awarded. Debit card deposits only (exclusions apply). 18+. BeGambleAware.org. Bet The Responsible Way. Full terms apply.
Bottom line:
Betway combine a great range of markets with quality live streaming and enticing esport promos.
Why we like Betway
Betway are industry leaders with their esports coverage. They have some great promos including price boosts on matches and competitions, especially for major leagues on Call of Duty and League of Legends. They also offer promotions for Blast Paris Major and an esports bet club. Their in-play betting and live streaming service are excellent.
What Betway offers you
- Range and depth to esports coverage: Betway offer depth, range and quality in terms of esports markets.
- Enticing esports promos: Betway offer loads of esports promotions where you can earn free bets, including their esports bet club.
- Abundance of stats: Betway provide loads of statistics to help you make more informed choices with your betting.
- High odds: Betway has a reputation for offering good odds on esports.
- Stylish and smooth website: The Betway website and app are sophisticated, well-organised and intuitive.
Unibet
Unibet have been a highly regarded bookmaker since moving online at the turn of the century. They are up there with the best in the world of sports betting and have a superb esports service.
18+. T&Cs Apply.
- Great range and depth of esports markets
- Great live streaming
- Fantastic in-play betting
New customers only. 18+, BeGambleAware.org. Min deposit £10. Money back as bonus. Wagering requirements: Sportsbook 3x at min. odds of 1.40 (2/5), Casino 50x. Only one bonus can be used at a time, Sportsbook bonus must be wagered before using the Casino, unless the bonus has been forfeited. Bonus will expire after 7 days of opt-in. Full T&Cs apply.
Bottom line:
With a reputation for being an allrounder, covering popular sports and niche sports with high quality, Unibet are among the UK’s best esports betting sites with their fantastic markets and live streaming.
Why we like Unibet
Unibet have a great in-play offering in esports which you can follow in detail thanks to their excellent live streaming. They have an excellent esports guide along with loads of stats to help you make your picks.
What Unibet offers you
- Great range and depth: Unibet are difficult to beat in terms of coverage with classic games such as StarCraft still available along with the hugely popular League of Legends, CS:GO and Call of Duty. They have original and varied markets for each game to keep punters interested.
- Competitive odds: Unibet offer competitive odds across most sports and this is the case with their esports prices.
- Live streaming: Accompanying their fantastic esports markets, both pre-match and in-play, Unibet have one of the best live streaming services in the business.
- Smooth website and apps: Punters speak very positively about using the Unibet website and their respective apps for Android and Apple.
Vbet
Vbet was founded in 2003 in Armenia, and over the years it has become a respected bookmaker among punters. Their esports coverage is particularly impressive.
18+. T&Cs Apply.
- Good in-play betting options
- Great range and depth of esports markets
- Competitive esports odds
Only available to new, verified customers residing in the UK. Place a first-ever sportsbook bet-multi-bets of at least 3 legs; min. £2 stake; min. odds 3/10 (1.3) per leg (bets placed on horse racing and greyhounds excluded). Win and get back 50% of your stake -on top of your winnings- as a free sports bet up to £10. Get back 100% of your stake as a free sports bet up to £20 if you lose. Customers must place their first qualifying bet within 30 days of registration, after which the welcome offer will expire. Full T&Cs apply. 18+. Please gamble responsibly. BeGambeAware.org
Bottom line:
Boasting a vast array of betting markets and competitive odds, Vbet are among the best esport betting sites in the UK.
Why we like Vbet
Punters will find Vbet’s esports odds to be competitive and it is a go-to site for value. They have an impressive range and depth of markets, for example Vbet have, at the time of writing, over 120 different markets for League of Legends, including outrights and betting on live games.
What Vbet offers you
- Fantastic range of esports betting options: Great range of betting options for esports punters. The bookie covers major games such as Counter-Strike: GO, Dota 2, Call of Duty, Rocket League, League of Legends and StarCraft II.
- Great in-play betting: Live betting is a strength of Vbet and this applies to their esports offering. Despite the lack of live streaming, punters are kept up to date with the action through a series of graphics and stats.
- Loads of stats: Vbet provide a wealth of stats and information to help you make informed choices on your esport wagers.
Bet365
Bet365 is a massive brand all over the world. Not surprisingly their esports offering is excellent.
18+. T&Cs Apply.
- Esports Bet Boost
- Range and depth of esports markets
- Live streaming of esports
For New Customers. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply. 18+. begambleaware.org
Bottom line:
A strong all-round package makes Bet365 one of the best esports betting sites in the UK.
Why we like Bet365
Highlights of bet365’s esports coverage includes FIFA which has outstanding markets, and live streaming of matches. Their range of markets and betting features is fantastic. Their odds are competitive and these can be further enhanced through their regular bet boosts.
What Bet365 offers you
- Daily boosted odds: Bet365’s Bet Boost is a big factor in its favour. You will find Bet Boosts at the top of the esports page throughout the year.
- More markets than most: There is a fantastic range and depth to bet365’s esport section with columns of options and features available for each event or match. The range of games available along with the markets and submarkets set this bookie apart from many of its rivals.
- Esports live streaming: Esports are available to watch live on the bet365 website if you place a small qualifying wager.
- Competitive Odds: Known for good value prices across a range of sports, bet365 do not fall short on value when it comes to esports.
- Global reputation: Bet365 has built a substantial reputation around the world over the last couple of decades.
BetVictor
A veteran of the industry, BetVictor has been taking bets since 1946 and moved online at the turn of the century to great effect. Not only have this most traditional of bookies embraced online betting, they are a superb esports betting site.
18+. T&Cs Apply.
- Competitive esports odds
- Solid in-play esports betting
- Trending esports bets feature
18+ New customers only. Opt in, bet £5 at odds 2.00+ within 7 days of registering, no cashout. Get 2x £10 Free Bets, set events at odds 2.00+. Plus a £10 Slot Bonus, selected games, wager 20x to withdraw max £250. 7 day bonus expiry. Card payments only. T&Cs apply, see below. Please gamble responsibly
Bottom line:
BetVictor has a complete service for esports punters with competitive odds, great information, including a trending bets feature and excellent customer support.
Why we like BetVictor
All of the regular games are covered really well, with FIFA being a strength. The trending bets feature allows you to see where other punters are putting their money.
What BetVictor offers you
- Value on esports odds: BetVictor offer competitive esports odds.
- Helpful support system: With options on how to contact BetVictor, you will generally find they are very helpful with addressing whatever issue you may have. Their live chat is excellent.
- Trending bets: BetVictor’s trending bets feature allows you to keep pace with the latest esports betting patterns.
- Strong reputation: Established just after the Second World War, BetVictor has a long-standing reputation as one of the best UK betting sites in general and a great esports offering.
How our experts choose the best sites to bet on Esports
Bettors need to search around and take in a lot of information before selecting their preferred option among esports online betting sites. You want a bookmaker you can trust, first and foremost. You also want somewhere which has a decent selection of promotions and a bookie who gives esports high priority.
Chris Sampson: In my opinion, the best esports betting sites will offer punters an extensive list of markets, quality odds and live streaming. They will be safe, secure and reputable.
Compare the best Esports betting sites of 2023
Esports are a popular part of the online betting scene and they continue to expand. As a result there are many sites to choose from. To help you with this the best esports betting sites are listed in a table below, showing what each has to offer:
| Site Name | Betting.com Rating | Best For | Full Review |
| Betway | 4.7/5 | Promotions | Review |
| Unibet | 4.6/5 | Live streaming | Review |
| Vbet | 4.5/5 | High odds | Review |
| bet365 | 4.5/5 | Depth of markets | Review |
| BetVictor | 4.4/5 | Trending bets feature | Review |
How to choose the best site for you
Betting.com have searched the internet to weigh up pros and cons of the best esports betting sites. It is, however, a personal decision when choosing your bookmaker. You will want to look through a few of the options for yourself before landing on a preferred site.
So, to make that step a bit smoother, we have identified seven key criteria when choosing your site:
- Read up on licences: All punters want to make sure their financial details and personal data are safe. The only way to guarantee this is by playing with a licensed bookmaker. A Google search should help you find a bookie’s licences and it will be visible on their website.
- Learn about welcome offers: Welcome offers can seem similar. You will soon find they vary significantly, though, and it is useful to make sure you sign up at a bookmaker with a welcome promo which suits your betting habits.
- Search for the esports odds: It is worth having a look at a bookie’s esports odds to make sure they provide the markets you are interested in. You also need to look into how much prominence esports is given.
- Check the payment options: The available payment options can vary from bookie to bookie. The more payment methods available, the more flexibility you have when it comes to withdrawing and depositing.
- Find out what others think: Reviews are a good way to get an idea of a bookmaker’s reputation. If others are happy with their experience, it’s generally a good sign.
- Download the app: Being able to bet on the go is useful. Download the app on your preferred device and see what you make of it.
- Sign up: After checking all the boxes, it’s time to sign-up and figure out if this is the right betting site for you.
Betting on Esports explained
Esports have become an integral part of online betting. The popularity of esports exploded alongside online gaming, as the internet became a dominant force in the world around the turn of the millennium. The origin of esports goes back to 1972 for the game Spacewar, which led to the phenomenally popular Space Invaders, which saw the first ever esports competition. The first national video game teams emerged in 1983, and esports aired on television in the United States in the early 1980s. The new millennium saw the internet become far more accessible and as a result esports and online gambling developed hugely. We have everything you need to know about Esports betting.
Odds
Esports odds are readily available with leagues and tournaments taking place throughout the year. As ever, the odds are calculated on the probability of something happening, therefore you need to compare bookie’s prices and look into form and stats to find value.
Picks
Punters have a lot of helpful resources out there when analysing their esports picks. Research extensively before placing your wagers.
Types of Esport bets
The best esports betting sites give punters the choice to bet on an array of markets. A few will be familiar if you have bet on other sports, but many are specific to esports, such is its unique nature.
Match Winner
In general, this will be a bet on a team to win a given match. Bookies will often put up markets to bet on the winner of a series or tournament, too.
This is possibly the most straightforward type of esports bet and it can be applied to a wide variety of games. This could be, for example, betting prediction on who will win a World of Tanks match or making a last-minute bet on the final round of Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds. Match winner bets can be made before the event begins, but they are also the most common kind of bet that you will find if you bet in-play.
Match winner odds change quite quickly as a game is in process.
Tournament Winner
These bets are extremely popular in esports. They can be made at any time, and the best esports betting sites will have odds available well in advance. This is especially true of top competitions like The International, DreamHack or the Intel Extreme Masters. Often the odds are the best furthest out from the event, since a lot can change.
Another variation of tournament betting is the bracket or group winner in a tournament. This is a similar principle to betting on a team to qualify from the group in a football or rugby tournament and it is also available in esports.
Score
This type of bet can vary depending on the format of the esports game that you’re playing. However, betting on the score essentially allows you to wager on the precise final score. This is difficult to predict in esports, therefore it is more popular as a live bet when you have more information to work with.
Player Performance
In esports you can bet directly on a player who is involved in the game. The exact metrics are going to vary depending on the type of game. For example, in a shooter you can bet on objective time or kills from a specific player. These bets tend to have great odds since it is a factor that is hard to predict.
Top Player /MPV
Top Player or MPV bets are a simpler kind of bet on player performance. This comes down to calling the official top player for a match in games that support this.
Prop Bets
This is betting on events which may or may not happen in a game This can be anything, like a map going to overtime. However, they tend to be specific to the game that you’re looking at.
First Map
Betting on who will win the first map is a great betting option for fans of first-person shooters like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. You can make an in-play bet on which team you think will win the first map. So, if you know that a top CSGO team like Fnatic have a history of getting the first map then you can back them.
First Kill and First Blood
Some esports betting sites give you the chance to bet on who will get the first kill or first blood in each particular match.
As ever, plenty of research via Twitch and Reddit to see which of the best esports players could help you make some decent profits from this sort of bet.
Odd/Even bet
Some online bookmakers even allow you to make a bet that requires you to guess whether there will be an odd or even number of games won, players killed, or rounds played.
Over/Under Bets
Once you’ve understood odds/evens bets, then you can also try making an over/under bet. These kinds of bets require you to bet whether an esports team will score more or less than a specific amount set by the online betting site. This is like betting on the exact score, but instead you’re guessing a range. So you could guess that a team could win under 3 maps and win if they manage 1 or 2 maps.
Accumulator Bets
Also known as multiples or combis, accumulator bets are a way for you to bet on the outcome of multiple esports events. As you can use accumulator bets to wager on a large amount of esport contests, it means that you’ll have to get all of the predictions right in order to get a payout.
In-play betting
In-play betting is a huge part of punting on esports. This means that you bet live and place your esports bets after the match has begun.
The majority of esports betting sites will include an in-play bets section that allows you to make simple match winner bets on a variety of CS:GO, LoL and Dota 2 options. A top esports bookie should be updating their live betting quickly while things are changing fast.
Fantasy Esport Betting
Fantasy esports betting is a totally different way to bet on competitive gaming. Here you’re not undergoing a traditional bet on an outcome occurring. Instead, you’re building your own team and winning or losing depending on how they perform.
Top esport betting strategies
Be sure to take your time when you work on an esport betting strategy. You need to get familiar with the different games and teams and decide which types of bets you prefer. Remember to keep a record of your bets so you know which strategies work the best.
Popular Esport events to bet on
Esports continue to grow in popularity with new games and old favourites both attracting high level gamers. This makes for exciting competitions and plenty of betting opportunities. These are some of the top Esports events to bet on:
- FIFAe World Cup: The inaugural FIWC took place in 2004 in Switzerland and the tournament has grown significantly. In 2010, the FIWC first appeared in the Guinness World Records – but it was not until 2013 that the competition saw the current record of more than 2.5 million players signing up. In 2018, the FIFA Interactive World Cup (FIWC) was renamed to the FIFA eWorld Cup (FeWC). The 2018 Grand Finals was held between 2 August 2018 through 4 August 2018 in the O2 Arena in London, England. 32 finalists (16 on PlayStation 4 and 16 on Xbox One) competed in the group stage and round of 16 on 2 August 2018, with the second leg of the round of 16 and the quarterfinals taking place on 3 August 2018. The semi-finals and final took place on 4 August 2018.
In October 2020, the FIFA eWorld Cup was rebranded as the FIFAe World Cup as part of FIFA’s launch of its FIFAe esports tournament series.
The FeWC online qualification takes place on PlayStation and Xbox Networks, and can be accessed through the latest version of EA Sports FIFA on Xbox One and PS4. The players qualify via the console playoffs where the top 16 players make it through to the eWorld Cup finals. Players can also qualify for the FeWC by competing in one of the FIFA Global Series tournaments throughout the season, with the top 16 at the last event automatically qualifying for the FeWC. In the 2022 edition, games are only played on PlayStation 5 console. 128 players are selected for the FIFA Global Series Playoffs including 74 qualified via Regional Global Series Ranking and 54 qualified via Partner Leagues.
32 players compete at the Grand Finals of the FeWC. The participants are divided into four groups (two for each console) with the top 16 players moving on to the knockout stage. While Group stage, Round of 16, Quarter-finals and Semi-finals are played on one console (Xbox One or PS4), the Final is a two-leg match with one game on each console. The Grand Final is a multi-day event with draw and competition being broken up into three days. The winner is crowned in a live show at the end of the event.
In the 2022 edition, games are only played on PlayStation 5 console. Before the 2022 edition, matches in Group Stage were two-leg matches in a single round robin format; it was changed into single game double round robin from 2022 on.
In 2016, the FIFA Interactive World Cup World Ranking was introduced to help seed the players in the tournament according to their previous results. The ranking takes into account both the qualification phase for the current edition and previous FeWC Grand Finals.
The FeWC 2018 champion received $250,000 in prize money and a ticket to the Best FIFA Awards where he has the chance to meet the greatest of the real football world. FIWC 2015 Champion Abdulaziz Alshehri from Saudi Arabia was able to meet Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi among many others, while 2016 champion Mohammad Al-Bacha talked to Marcelo Vieira and Manuel Neuer. The runner-up of the 2018 FeWC Grand Final receives $50,000 in prize money.
- Dota 2 The International: Anyone who is familiar with the esports scene of Dota 2 will definitely know what The International (TI) is. Dota 2 is one of the best MOBA titles in the world developed by Valve and has a record for the highest prize pools of any other game in the industry.
The TI is one of the biggest annual events of the game and even in the realm of esports. The last TI boasted an unreal amount of $40 million in winnings. The tournament broke its own record in terms of viewership and peaked with 2.7 million viewers. This solidified its rank as the biggest esports tournament of all time.
- League of Legends World Championship: The League of Legends World Championship is quite possibly one of the most watched esports events of all time. It might not be as high in the prize pool compared to Dota’s TI or Fortnite’s World Cup. However, with a substantial prize pool of $6.7 million, it does know how to attract the best of the lot. Riot Games deserve credit for creating an atmospheric setting and ensuring that the event is unique. The event had a peak of 4 million viewers with a staggering 174 million collective hours watched.
- CS: GO Major Championships: This is a flagship esports competition which, as one of the oldest, has stood the test of time. The tournament has seen amazing growth in esports all the way from Counter-Strike to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. After 20 years CS: GO Majors is one of the most influential tournaments in the industry. The competition amasses a viewership of 2.7 million and has a decent prize pool of $2 million.
- Fortnite World Cup: The Fortnite World Cup was a distinct tournament and took the esports industry by storm in 2019. It pits 200 players against each other for a massive prize pool of $30 million. The massive events of tournaments are divided into two separate events- solo and duo. The winnings of the duo event are $3 million, which is split evenly between the two winners. The tournament amasses a decent viewership with around 2.3 million peak viewers.
- Honor of Kings World Champion Cup: Arena of Valor is a mobile game which has been making waves in the esports industry. Originally developed for the Chinese market, this game’s main intention was to compete with the popular MOBA game Vainglory. The game has soared above to new heights and has more than 100 million concurrent players. The game has now turned into an esports behemoth and the latest Championship Cup boasted a $7.7 million prize purse. The viewing figures for this tournament are also very good, averaging around 700-800 thousand.
- PUBG Mobile Global Championship (PMGC): The mobile version of PUBG is more popular than the original game which is meant for PC and consoles. This is because of its wide and free availability on Android and iOS devices. The game has an enormous player base, especially in the Southeast Asian region. The PUBG Mobile Global Championship 2022 features a decent prize pool of $4 million and amasses over 3.8 million peak viewers. This tournament is one of the top 5 viewed tournaments of all time.
- Free Fire World Series: In recent times, Garena’s Free Fire has become one of the top battle royale games in the market and has enough viewers to contend with all other top titles in the market. The Free Fire World Series had a record of 5.4 million peak viewers when it was held in Singapore in 2021. The tournament averages around 2 million viewers and has a decent prize pool of about $2 million.
- Valorant Champions Tour: Valorant has been making waves in the esports industry and going head-to-head with bigger players like Fortnite and PUBG despite just beginning out. The Valorant Champions Tour is one of the major tournaments in this field and is currently amassing millions of viewers with a million worth in the prize pool.
- Call of Duty League:Even though Call of Duty (COD) doesn’t rank as high as some of the other entries on this list in terms of viewership figures (or popularity), it still holds an impressive history. In the past, COD World League Championship has averaged around 200K-300K viewers with a prize pool of $2 million. But COD League 2020 had a $4.6 million prize pool and slightly higher viewer stats. In essence, this shows the relevance of Call of Duty in terms of esports competition and that it is as good as any other esports tournament.
Six Invitational: The Rainbow Six Siege series remains one of the cornerstones of FPS competition on the big stages of esports. Each year, Ubisoft hosts a tournament with a prize pool of $3 million. The tournament got an average of 300K viewers at their peak.
