A Simple Guide to esports Betting

If you’ve ever come across the www.betinireland.ie/sports-betting/esports/ page on the Betinireland site, you’ll know that esports betting is becoming big business across the length and breadth of the UK.

This trend was borne out during the coronavirus pandemic, when esports betting saw an incredible spike of 2,992% in the year ending June 2020. While long-term growth is unlikely to scale such heights, of course, there’s no doubt that esports betting will become increasingly popular as awareness builds and wagering markets become more accessible.

In this post, we’ll take a brief look at the notion of esports betting, while asking how you can wager safely as a newcomer to the marketplace.

What is Esports Betting?

In simple terms, esports refers to competitive video gaming, where various multiplayer titles such as FIFA and League of Legends (LoL) are played by professional gamers in front of spectators in the pursuit of variable cash prizes.

As esports tournaments have seen increased viewership over the course of the last decade or so, we’ve also seen a large number of betting markets open up around specific events.

This fact, combined with increased awareness surrounding esports betting and the requirement for large numbers of people to stay at home during national lockdown measures, contributed to the huge spike witnessed in 2020 and will continue to lay the foundations for further growth going forward.

The most popular esports betting markets vary from one game to another, with wagering on who will take the ‘first map’ commonplace in titles like Call of Duty and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

Conversely, first-shooter games allow you to wager on who will secure the first kill, while sportsbooks will offer more traditional outright wagers alongside odds and evens markets during esports FIFA tournaments.

Our Esports Betting Tips - 3 Ways to Safeguard Your Bankroll

If you are a fan of esports and do want to start wagering for the first time, it’s important that you start cautiously and take practical steps towards safeguarding your bankroll.

If you don't want to read other people's esport prediction today, then here are a few simple steps to help you control your cyber sports betting adventures and get the coveted cachet!

1. Be Patient

Whenever you target a new sport or range of betting markets as a punter, it’s easy to get carried away and start wagering as frequently as possible.

However, this can cause you to make ill-informed wagers, which are likely to be based on instinct or emotion rather than knowledge of a specific game or the competing players (we’ll have a little more on this later).

So, we’d recommend waiting for the esports tournaments and clashes that you’re familiar with where possible, while focusing on simplified markets that you understand in full before staking a percentage of your bankroll.

Sure, this may mean that you can go weeks or even months without placing an esports wager, but it’s crucial that you focus on profitability rather than simply trying to execute as many bets as possible.

2. Stay Inside the ‘Safe Odds’ Zone

Fundamentally, betting is a risky pastime, and one that always flirts with the inherent risk of losing money. This is particularly true in the case of esports, which is home to immature betting markets and a lack of understanding regarding some of the selections on offer.

However, you can take proactive steps to minimise your risk and potential losses, including wagering within a ‘safe odds’ zone that helps you to avoid making reckless and largely irresponsible bets.

Typically, this zone features wagers that have a win probability of between 30% and 80%, as these bets strike the ideal balance between risk and reward.

For example, wagering on markets with 80%+ odds is going to deliver only incremental returns, while placing huge amounts on such bets represents a considerable and unnecessary risk.

Equally, selections with a probability of less than 30% are highly unlikely to come in, and rarely offer good value regardless of the potential returns in play.

3. Avoid Emotive Betting

Last, but not least, we come to a universal rule of betting, which is not to wager your money when in an emotive state of mind.

Of course, emotion can take many forms, but in the case of esports betting, this typically refers to chasing previous losses while feeling angry or frustrated. This is a common occurrence, but also one that can lead to extended losses and even problem gambling over time.

So, if you do record an unexpectedly large or frustrating loss, we’d recommend that you take a step back from the markets and pause before placing another wager.

Similarly, you should try to avoid wagering on instinct alone where possible, and instead focus on knowledge or performance data to inform your decisions.