Welcome to our Esports Guide expressly designed for those bettors who are 50 or over!
The passage of time is no fun. What used to be simple, take longer. Hair stops growing in some places, but seems to take on a life of its own in other places where it is not wanted.
And then, darn it, your favourite pastime, betting, has now gone and made itself all complicated. Especially with the introduction of something called e-sports, or esports, or Esports.
For punters whom paying tax on their bet in advance at the betting shop was a regular occurrence, in the days long before the internet came along, it can all be a bit confusing.
This is where our bespoke Esports Guide for veteran punters will hopefully come to the rescue!
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We’re going to approach this article by answering some common questions. In the course of the post, all odds shown and used are from bet365 Sport.
One of the top sites for sorts and esports betting, bet365 Sport has its own welcome offer for new customers that is worth a closer look.
So let’s begin our guide by answering the obvious question.
What is Esports?
The term esports is a portmanteau word that combines electronic sports, into esports.
Essentially, esports are computer games, played on a computer or a console, where one player or team takes on another player or team with the aim of winning their esports match.
Thanks to the Internet, you don’t have to be in the same room as each other to play. Many esports matches are played over the Internet, often against people in other parts of the world.
Bigger esports events though are played at the growing number of esports venues around the world, attracting huge audiences and where the teams compete against each other in person over something called a Local Area Network (or LAN – don’t worry, we’ll give you a handy esports glossary at the end of the article).
So, you remember Space Invaders? Well imagine Space Invaders but instead of one player playing against the computer, he is playing instead against another player with their own controls and ship on screen and the aim is to shoot the other player down.
That’s kind of what esports is. Only brought 40-50 years into the future.
Is Esports That Big Of A Deal In The Betting Industry Nowadays?
Yes it is. And you probably won’t believe how popular it is in the UK at the moment!
Currently, it is estimated by industry experts Statista, that while Football (the British kind) and Horse Racing still make up the majority of betting revenue in the UK, after those two markets, the next biggest individual markets are shared between four other disciplines.
They are: –
- Tennis
- Basketball
- American Football
- Esports
Yep, that’s right. Each of these four betting markets are expected to generate around £200,000,000 in betting revenue in the UK betting industry in 2024. That’s according to Statista.com, which has graphs and everything, so it must be pretty reliable.
But it is not just that esports is popular now. It is growing very, very quickly and soon many people it will become the clear third most popular form of betting in the UK after Football and Horse Racing.
So now is the perfect time to learn about it!
So, What Are The Types of Esports I Can Bet On?
Before we move into the realm of specifics for individual game, it is important to note that esports generally fit into one of a number of different ‘game types’.
The first of these are games that are played by individuals, or by a team. A team can be anything from two-players upwards, but most teams tend to have between 2 and 5 players competing.
As well as individual and team games, there are also broad game types. These game types can have somewhat unusual names, but don’t worry, I’ll translate them from modern technobabble, into something that us older folk can comprehend.
The most popular game types in esports at present are:
- Multi-Player Battle Arena Games (MBA) – Games which take place within a ‘map’ or similar where the battle takes place.
- First-Person Shooters (FPS) – A game where the players play from the perspective of an individual and the aim is to shoot their opposition. Sometimes with bullets, other times with lasers, depending on when and where the game is set.
- Card Games – Games which see players play cards against each other in a certain way to enable them to win the game. It’s kind of a very complicated game of Top Trumps.
- Turn-Based Strategy Games – Games where one player makes tactical decisions for their turn, which are then played out, and then their opponent does likewise on their turn.
- Sports Sims – Games based on Football, Basketball, American Football, Golf, F1 or similar are considered sporting sims.
Of the different types of games it is Battle Arena Games, First Person Shooters and Sports Sims which generate the most excitement in the betting markets in the UK.
What are the Esports Titles I Should Know About?
In terms of betting, there are some esports game that enjoy far wider coverage not just in the UK but globally too.
The most popular esports titles for betting (and their category from above) are as follows:
- Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) – (FPS)
- League of Legends (LoL) – (MBA)
- Dota 2 – (MBA)
- Call of Duty (CoD) – (FPS)
- Fortnite – (FPS)
- Overwatch – (FPS)
- StarCraft – (Turn-Based Strategy)
- Hearthstone – (Card Game)
- EAFC 24 – (Sports)
- NBA 24K – (Sports)
- Madden – (Sports)
- Rainbow Six Siege (R6) – (FPS)
- Valorant – (FPS)
- Rocket League – (Future Sports)
I would strongly suggest that you check out details about any of these esports before you make a bet on them. Chiefly because there are a lot of markets available, especially for the most popular four or five games on this list.
Is Esports Betting Any Different To Sports Betting?
In terms of process, no. You select your market you want to back, place your stake on it and place the bet and wait and see if it is a winner or not.
However, it is different in that these games are contested electronically over the Internet or on a Network, rather than as a competitive sporting event.
But that difference apart, there’s no difference between esports and sports betting.
Isn’t It Easy To Cheat On Esports?
No, and if anything it is more difficult to cheat on an esports event than it is a sporting event. Esports tournament organisers and ruling bodies have some incredibly tough sanctions they can use if anybody is suspected of gamesmanship or cheating.
There are several bodies now that investigate any and all claims of cheating, unfair play and similar and with so much money at stake, players cannot take the risk of losing their livelihood, simply by throwing a game.
Sounds good fun, shall I give it a go?
Yes, I would. Head over to bet365 Sport now and check out the esports betting section for an idea of the bets available on the site now!
Helpful Esports Glossary
Esports Titles
AoV – Arena of Valor
COD – Call of Duty
CS2 – Counter Striker 2 (this has taken over from CSGO, which was the older game Counter Strike Global Offensive)
DOTA 2 – Defense of the Ancients 2.
EAFC/FIFA – Sometimes EAFC games are still called FIFA despite the two entities separating after the 2023 version of the game.
LoL – League of Legends
MADDEN / NFL – EA Sports Madden NFL Game – A year may also be specified, eg MADDEN 24
NBA2K – EA Sports NBA 2K Basketball
OW – Overwatch
R6 – Rainbow 6 Siege
RL – Rocket League
SC/SC2 – StarCraft/ StarCraft 2
VAL – Valorant
Useful Esports Terms
Frag – A kill
Lag – The enemy of esports players. Lag is the time it takes from you issuing an instruction on your controller to it being played out on screen. The longer the lag, the worse it is for a player.
LAN – Local Area Network – A Group of Computers linked together to enable teams to face off against each other in a stadium or studio setting.
Map – The place where the action in a game takes place. Many games have different maps to enable teams to compete in different environments
Noob – A new player to the game, often inexperienced. Often used as a derogatory term.
PS4/PS5 – Sony PlayStation 4 Console, or PlayStation 5 Console
Xbox – Nintendo’s Xbox Consoles
