Best eSports Betting Sites in the US

🌐 Is it Legal to Bet on eSports Online?

eSports betting USA is legal online, but it does depend on what state you live in. At present, 13 states in the US have legalized esports betting. In New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Nevada, Oregon, Colorado, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Virginia, Tennessee, New Hampshire, Washington, and New York, eSports betting online is legal if all players involved are 21 and over in age.

Some states haven’t set out rules around esports betting USA yet – Arkansas, Illinois, Delaware, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin. Indiana and Iowa legalized sports betting apps but outlawed esports betting because competitions often involve under 18 years old players. Further down the page we cover this matter in further detail.

❓ How to Pick the Best eSports Website

When it comes to picking the best eSports betting USA websites, there’s a lot of choice and sites are very competitive on welcome offers. It is important you avoid offshore sites when considering which sites to use and choose only those with licenses within the US for your own security and safety. Be sure to check the wagering requirements and terms of each site and game. Examples of bonuses on some of the top US-licensed sites are set out in the below table with information on eSports markets and live betting eSports by website.

📈 Why eSports betting could be the next big thing

Most bettors still feel more comfortable with a traditional betting site over an eSports betting site. This is only natural as eSports is still a new concept and most will not have heard about the Rocket League and would prefer to risk their hard-earned money wagering on a traditional sport. However, things are changing, and placing an eSports bet is quickly becoming as common as wagering on a traditional betting market.

eSports is one of the fastest-growing new trends in the entertainment industry. This virtual sports world began in South Korea less than 20 years ago and is now a billion-dollar industry. Unsurprisingly, the USA has been a central figure in this rapid development process. Some of the most passionate video game fans in the world live in America so it shouldn’t come as a shock that it is also home to lots of eSports bettors.

It has been reported that the USA is the second-biggest gaming market globally. Additionally, American games developers and publishers such as Epic Games, Activision Blizzard, and Electronic Arts are some of the biggest brands in the gaming world. US esports betting sites sensed an opportunity and capitalized on the increasing popularity of eSports betting to cover any major eSports event or annual tournaments.

American operators are keen to provide punters with a range of classic sports and videogames wagering. Consequently, eSports betting USA could quickly become a massive force.

🔥 eSports Betting Categories & Markets

Firstly, there are different types of online eSports betting sites – from your standard sports wagering sites to fantasy sites with bets on fantasy games including fantasy sports involving multi-players or player versus player. Then, there are varying sports markets you can access such as NHL Hockey, American Football, and Golf or fantasy esports games – it’s so varied. But of key interest here is the betting classifications for esports. Esports falls under four main betting categories namely, traditional esports betting, skins betting, fantasy esports, and esports competition betting.

Traditional eSports Betting

Traditional esports betting is your more straightforward ‘out of the tin’ kind. It’s where wagers are placed on the outcomes of other people’s matches using real money, like spectators betting on the outcome of a football game.

Skins Betting

Skins betting is a type of betting where wagers are placed on games using in-game skins, usually through unregulated gambling websites. Skins are game-specific items used virtually and traded by players as currency instead of real money. Much of esports gambling is built on skins as currency. We don’t advise you to bet using skins as this is largely an unregulated form of betting today – stay away for now from these types of sites.

Fantasy eSports Betting

Fantasy esports betting is a type of betting that occurs on daily fantasy sports sites like DraftKings’ contests involving esports competitions. Fantasy esports contests are legal in most US states and are classified as fantasy sports contests rather than sports betting. Additionally, fantasy esports games like Fortnite and Overwatch are growing in popularity and the pool prizes today are huge and in their millions!

Competitions & Tournaments

The fourth type of betting here is esports competitions, where wagers are placed on your own results. It’s the same idea as paying to enter an in-person esports tournament and winning a prize, but it also applies online to heads-up contests. Player-vs-player esports contests played for money such as those offered by PlayersLounge.co and GamerSaloon.com for example. Both sites operate in a large number of states because they’re considered contests of skill rather than luck and are big competitions.

🚀 Popular eSports Games to Bet On

There are lots of popular esports betting sites with some great games to be played. Here we look at some of the popular eSport games to bet on today – CS:GO, Dota 2, League of Legends, Fortnite, and Starcraft 2.

CS:GO

Global Offensive: Counter-Strike Global Offensive AKA ‘CS:GO’ is an esport betting online implementation of the classic first-person shooter, released originally in 1999. In this game, terrorists and counter-terrorists compete on missions like planting and disarming bombs. Killing all opposing team members ahead of mission accomplished is another way to win this. See the best CSGO betting sites USA here.

Dota 2

Dota 2 is a popular esports betting online game otherwise known as Defense of the Ancients 2. It’s a ‘MOBA-style’ (multiplayer, online battle arena) game loosely resembling an in-depth version of League of Legends (LOL). There’s a large battle arena, with two teams of five and a mission to destroy an important structure defended by the enemy. The pool prize reached $4m in 2020.

LOL

League of Legends LOL esports betting is simply huge. LOL is a multiplayer online battle arena game (MOBA). It puts two teams of ‘five against’ together. The objective here is to advance across the map and destroy the enemy nexus. Each team begins with weak characters who grow stronger as they kill monsters and earn points. League of Legends is one of the best fantasy esports gaming tournaments and can be found on sites like DraftKings where you can sign up for a $3 League of Legends tournament. Once you enter, you get a virtual salary of $50,000 to spend building an 8-man roster.

A LOL esports betting contest consists of 7 players plus 1 team slot. Your job as manager is to choose gamers to fill slots. You also choose a team to fill your final slot. Player prices vary on perceived strength and a person can cost more virtual money to add if they have good ratings. The more points, the higher your chance of winning the LOL esports betting league and earning a cash payout.

Fortnite

Fortnite esport game came onto the scene in 2017 as a free-to-play battle royale with cartoon graphics. The unique mechanic here is players can harvest materials to build structures. This allows players to survive in open areas and fight at any time. This fast-paced game has become one the most popular in the esports fantasy world with a total prize pool of 2018 tournaments was $2.6 million, the largest amount for an opening tournament for any eSport. In 2019, Fortnite gave out $65 million in total prize money. Top pool prize so far here is $7,000,000 (2020).

Starcraft 2 (ST2)

StarCraft II is the biggest RTS esport title published by Blizzard Entertainment with Terrans, Zergs, and Protoss galore. SC2 esports has a stable established scene and weekly tournaments throughout the year with continuous updates by developers and a committed esports scene, making it one of the core esports betting markets today.

📜 eSports Legal Status by State

Let’s take a dive into what online esports betting legal status is by US state. The below table shows where the 13 legal states are currently, where legislation is currently unclear (with no betting) – and then those states where esports betting is plain illegal and no betting takes place.

At present, 13 states in the US have legalized esports betting. These are New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Nevada, Oregon, Colorado, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Virginia, Tennessee, New Hampshire, Washington, and New Jersey, where esports betting is legal if all players are 21+ years old.

Illinois is potentially favorable in the future for legalizing esports (currently unclear). Illinois has a better than 50/50 chance of legalizing esports betting eventually as lawmakers have discussed the issue ahead of time and approved a bill that did not prohibit esports wagers – which bodes well.

🏛️ Future of eSports & Concerns on its Appeal to Younger Audiences

Currently, concerns over esports in terms of its appeal to younger audiences are in the spotlight. Esports wagering arguably draws a younger demographic of potential customers and gambling for minors is a big no-no, both in terms of athletes being wagered on and those doing the betting.

Esports leagues are to be held responsible for protecting underage players in the future, while the sportsbook operators themselves need to ensure age compliance of those betting going forwards. There are legal procedures that operators can follow called ‘know your customer’ which could be used in the future. There are examples of operators already following good practice. Unikrn for example currently verifies the age and location of site users and links their accounts to games they play.

In the future, legislation around online eSports betting could need to address licensing protocol – age verification, geo-blocking technology, mechanisms to identify and exclude people with gambling problems from participating, responsible gambling education, and monitoring. Also, states may have to clarify where they stand on eSports competitions.

✍️ Getting Started with eSports Betting

Getting started on esports betting in the USA is easy! Since states began to legalize sports betting, lots of people are familiar with the process of joining new sites. The five steps you need to take are:

1. Find your reliable esports betting USA site (hopefully, you now know how to spot these!)
2. Navigate to the main ‘bookie page’ and click on their register now/join button.
3. Fill in your account information details – and confirm your email and identity.
4. Add your initial deposit and prepare to place your first bet. Welcome bonuses are usual on sites so be sure to pick up any codes required for any first deposit welcome deals.
5. Make sure you understand the terms of the betting – such as playthrough requirements on bonus wins and other terms and conditions of each game you play – read the terms.

⭐ Tips to Bet on eSports Online

Some words of advice we can share with you by way of eSports betting tips if you are new to esports – five eSport betting tips for newbies:

• Always Bet on Familiar eSports Games

You could come a cropper if you attempt to bet on games or eSports events you aren’t confident playing. You are instantly upping your chances when you take time to understand how an eSport game works –  the rules, bet processes, and game mechanics.

• Keep up with eSports Betting Tips & News

By keeping up to date with the latest esports news you can get a feel for what’s best to bet on. For example, how team training is going can inform your betting decisions and thus improve chances of winning based on reputable reviews and articles.

• Steer clear of eSports Tipsters

Our advice here is so-called insider eSports betting tips for upcoming matches cannot be trusted. Hawks are unreliable and hold their own agendas. They are to be avoided!

• Try Your Hand at Tournament eSports Betting

Betting on tournaments is a good place to start out in eSports betting. You can follow teams and learn how they’re doing and that can give you an edge on the odds of winning over betting on one-off matches. It is just as exciting as traditional online sports betting.