Rooting back to ancient Greece, regular sports wagers have a rich past, morphing from simple horse racing bets to a worldwide phenomenon through cutting-edge internet betting platforms.
Recently, esports bets emerged in the gambling scene. Launched in February 2010 by Pinnacle, the uptrend of esports wagering is evident, with many platforms available for making esports bets.
Many factors have influenced the transition from traditional sports betting to esports betting, including
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Improved access to player performance data
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Enhanced match integrity
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The appeal to a younger demographic familiar with digital technology
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Advancements in technology have facilitated engagement with esports betting.
These factors have led to an expansion of interest and investment in this domain.
Traditional sports and esports betting coexist, each offering distinct opportunities and challenges for bettors. But how exactly do these two betting forms stack up, and what lies ahead for them?
Let’s probe further to gain more insight.
Understanding the Basics: Esports vs Traditional Sports Betting
On the surface, esports and traditional sports betting may appear alike - with fans supporting teams, watching matches, and making bets.
However, the two forms of betting diverge significantly in their underlying mechanics and the nature of the games they involve.
Let’s break down the basics of each, starting with the exciting world of esports.
Esports Games and Tournaments
Esports betting is centered around competitive video gaming, with many games spanning different genres with a substantial presence in the industry. Some commonly featured games on various esports betting platforms include
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Counter-Strike 2
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Dota 2
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League of Legends (LoL)
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Valorant
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Call of Duty (COD)
Popular esports betting platforms offer diverse options for enthusiasts to place bets on these games. For example, online casino games such as online pokies that provide users with various betting options. You can also bet with crypto on esports.
The esports games that bettors commonly bet on esports fall into different genres, including
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First-person shooters (FPS)
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Multiplayer online battle arenas (MOBA)
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Fighting games
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Sports games
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Card games
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Battle royale
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Real-time strategy (RTS) games
The best esports betting site choice for a user often depends on their game preferences and the types of bets they wish to place on an online betting site.
Esports tournaments in competitive gaming include:
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IEM Cologne (CS2)
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ESL ONE (DOTA 2)
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League of Legends Weltmeisterschaft (LoL Worlds)
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The International
These major events frequently offer substantial prize pools and serve as focal points for esports betting on online betting sites.
Traditional Sports and Events
Like esports betting, which revolves around popular games and tournaments, traditional sports betting centers on famous and international tournaments, focusing on football and American sports leagues such as the NBA and NHL.
The evolution of conventional sports betting spans a rich historical timeline dating back to ancient times. It has progressed to encompass both physical bookmakers and advanced online betting platforms, thereby achieving global accessibility.
The betting markets and odds in traditional sports are influenced by various factors, including
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Team performance
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Player statistics
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Recent form
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Team news
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Head-to-head records
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The influence of sharp bettors
Bookmakers establish the odds for conventional sports events by assessing the actual probability of outcomes and modifying the odds to guarantee a profit margin, irrespective of the event’s results.
Traditional sports betting offers various betting options, from Money Line, Point Spread, Over/Under, and Parlay to Teasers, Prop Bets, Middle Bets, and Futures Bets.
Additionally, specific sports may offer unique bets, like the Grand Salami in baseball and hockey.
Having grasped the fundamentals of esports and traditional sports betting, we can now examine the differences and similarities in their betting markets and odds.