No longer a niche option, esports betting is now available at many online bookmakers all over the world. Our detailed guide below has a list of the best esports betting sites in the UK, along with other useful information such as what markets are involved, what payment methods are best, and more!
- Top Esports Betting Sites in 2024
- The Most Popular Esports To Bet on
- The Legality of Esports Betting Websites
- Our Favourite Esports Betting Sites – Reviews
- What Are Special Esports Betting Markets?
- Payment Methods
- Live Esports Betting
- Are There Esports Betting Bonuses?
- Popular Esports Tournaments
- A Brief History of Esports
- Esports Betting FAQs
- ThePuntersPage Final Say
Top Esports Betting Sites in 2024
Bet £5 Get £20 18+ New Customers Only. Opt in and bet £5 on sports (odds 2.00+) within 7 days. No cash-out. Get 4x£5 Free Bets for set markets, which expire in 7 days. Selected payment methods only. Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. BeGambleAware.org #ad
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Bet £10 get £40 18+ New customers only. Opt in, bet £10 on any football market at minimum 1/1 odds. No cash out. Get £40 in Free Bets on selected events. Free Bets expire in 7 days. Debit card / Apple Pay payments only. Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. BeGambleAware.org #ad
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£10 Weekly ACCA Free Bet + 100 Free Spins 18+ UK only. Sports: Place a minimum 2x £10 pre-match 4 leg acca cash bet where odds accumulate to 3.0 (2/1) or more and get a £10 bonus funds to use on multiples (3 or more selection, min odds per selection 1.5 (1/2)). Cashed Out, Asian Handicaps, Draw no Bet wagers or bets with void legs do not qualify for this promotion. Free Bet credited every Monday by 12pm. Maximum 1 free bet per customer per week available from this promotion. Casino: New players only. 1 welcome offer per customer. Deposit and Stake £10 on casino slots and receive 100 Free Spins on ‘Big Catch Bass Fishing’. Spin value is £0.10. No wagering on winnings. Free Spins 7 day expiry. Full T&C's apply. Bet Responsibly. BeGambleAware.org #ad
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Up to £50 in Free Bets, Odds Boost Token, 20 Free Spins & £10 Casino Bonus 18+ New players only | Available until 23:59 GMT 31.12.2025 Each challenge has its own TCs. Eligible Bets must be placed for each respective Challenge during the Promotional Period including the following: ACCA, Football, In-Play, and Casino. Each challenge has its own set of TCs and can only be completed 1x. Available to claim: 20 Free Spins, Odds Boost Token, £10 Free Bet, 50% Back up Free Bet up to £20, £10 Casino Bonus when you wager £50+. If all are completed you will receive Max £20 Free Bet to be used on any sport. Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. BeGambleAware.org #ad
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Up to £50 in free bets 18+ Free bets and spins must be claimed within 28 days of opening. Free bet/spin stake not included in any winnings. Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. BeGambleAware.org #ad
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Bet £10, Get £30 in Free Bets 18+ New cust only. Deposit & Place a Bet within 7 days, and settle a £10 minimum bet at odds of 4/5 (1.8) or greater, to be credited with 3x £10 Free Bets: 1 x £10 Horse Racing, 1 x £10 Free Bet Builder and 1 x £10 Football. 7 day expiry. Stake not returned. Full T&Cs apply. Bet Responsibly. BeGambleAware.org #ad
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The Most Popular Esports To Bet on
While almost any multiplayer video game can be used for esports betting, there’s no doubt that some are simply much more popular than others. If you want more information, we have a complete esports guide for beginners to help further your understanding.
Here’s a shortlist of some of the biggest and most successful titles:
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Dota 2: This mobile battle arena game by Valve is considered by many to be the hardest to master.
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Rocket League: Football with cars was always going to be popular, but few predicted the depth of skill this game would produce.
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Counter-Strike: Classic team based first person shooter which revolutionised the genre in the turn of the new millennium.
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League of Legends: A top-down battle arena game which went from mediocre reviews to selling out stadiums. If you're interested, we've listed which are the best bookies to bet on LoL.
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StarCraft II: It may have slightly waned in popularity, but this real-time strategy sci-fi game is still adored by millions.
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Overwatch: A first-person shooter with a twist, unique abilities that give this game an enormous amount of variety and depth.
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FIFA betting: The biggest and most successful football video game franchise ever has understandably created a whole generation of online players.
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Call of Duty: Another highly popular first-person shooter, there’s a good chance you’re already familiar with this industry behemoth, which still remains a heavy hitter in the world of esports betting.
The Legality of Esports Betting Websites
One thing that we’re asked consistently with regards to esports is if there is any significant difference between its legality and that of traditional sports. The answer to that, quite simply, is no in the United Kingdom, and no in every other jurisdiction we are aware of.
Esports are just like any kind of sport you can wager on, just like there is no substantial difference we are aware of in any markets between betting on Wimbledon or the FIFA Club World Cup. Both are as legal, or not, as each other depending on the laws of the land.
In the United Kingdom, both are entirely legal, as is betting on esports. It also means that the top esports betting sites don’t just provide the best experience overall, but often the finest online gambling options to boot.
Our Favourite Esports Betting Sites – Reviews
The top esports betting sites provide the best value and diverse range of markets when it comes to wagering online. We’ll now take a closer look at how these operators have risen above the rest of the field and emerged as the best esports bookmakers around.
VBET
With an outstanding array of betting markets and a relevant tab directly at the top of the home page, it's clear that VBET takes esports very seriously.
Games you can bet on include Counter-Strike: GO, Dota 2, Call of Duty, Rocket League, and StarCraft II. The majority of leagues regarding these games are covered extensively, although in our research we discovered that VBET provide wider coverage on League of Legends, offering up to 130 markets at the time of writing. These include wagering on live games and outright options, such as championship winners.
To discover the value of the odds provided by VBET, we used a League of Legends match from South Korea pitted Team Dynamics vs Asura. Team Dynamics were given odds to win of 26/100, which translates to 79.4%, while ASURA had odds of 12/5, which translates to 29.4%. Together this comes out to 108.8%, showing that the prices here are indeed competitive.
- Extensive coverage of eSports
- Great value on eSports odds.
- eSports speciality
- Lack of live streaming
Unibet
While Unibet excel in so many different areas, we think that their esports options might represent them at their absolute best. In terms of coverage, they are tough to beat with not only monstrously popular titles like League of Legends, CS: GO and Call Of Duty available, but also classics like StarCraft.
Mix that with an amazing set of creative and interesting markets for every game with competitive odds and you’ve got one of the best esports bookmakers around. And all of this is without mentioning the incredible Unibet TV, which offers some of the finest esports UK livestreaming the online world has to offer. Last but definitely not least, there's plenty of promotions relevant often exclusive to esports too. An absolute triumph.
- Amazing market variety
- Consistently promotional offerings
- World class live coverage
- Some games available elsewhere are not here
bet365
When we look at pretty much any kind of list of the best UK betting sites, bet365 usually deserve a top position for several categories, scoring highly here once again.
One of the very few to stand toe to toe with Unibet in terms of sheer choice, one area in which bet365 truly excel is in their British betting markets. Put simply, bet365 have esports betting UK markets that few, if any, cover. Highlights are their FIFA and NBA2k22 options, which have outstanding markets, and livestreams of matches.
Their wide selection of relevant coupons really puts them on another level against all but the absolute best. If you’re struggling to find a place to bet on esports, you can never go wrong with bet365.
- Part of an all-around amazing betting product
- Great coverage of British esports betting markets
- Many great coupons available
- Use own platform for livestreaming rather than Twitch
Luckbox
Luckbox exclusively focuses on esports betting, covering all major games and placing themselves right up there with our top pick in terms of variety.
On top of that, they have excellent livestreams, statistics, and promotions. However, their emphasis esports could deter punters who desire a more rounded betting experience.
Nevertheless, we appreciated the great attention to detail in regard to their product.
- Dedicated esports betting options
- Amazing level of variety, including many niche markets
- Promotions built for esports
- Not much beyond esports to offer
- Traditional sportsbook not available at all in the UK
Ladbrokes
Perhaps because of their position as an industry heavyweight, one associated with tradition and the high street, people don’t always view Ladbrokes as one of the premier players in the world of esports betting. This is not a fair reflection of what they offer, though, because Ladbrokes bring the variety and the quality that they’re known for all around the betting industry to this world just as they would for something like Formula One or MotoGP betting.
In fact, from map markets to tournament winners, it’s clear that they've given esports their maximum effort. Also, their consistent enhanced odds boosts are a huge positive here, as they are available on the sport of your choice. This opens up esports to the benefits we often take for granted in traditional sports.
- Utilise your bet boosts on esports betting
- Great market depth for available games
- No let down in quality from traditional sports
- Not many left-field esports covered
- Less innovation than some other options
BetVictor
As one of the titans of the betting industry, it comes as no surprise that BetVictor provide a top-notch esports betting experience for their customers to go along with their premier sportsbook. We were pleased to see that markets were provided on all major games, such as Call of Duty, League of Legends, Counter-Strike, and Dota 2.
BetVictor specialise in providing optimum value on their betting odds across their sportsbook, and we’re pleased to see that this continues in regards to their prices on esports. They’re competitive with the rest of the industry, although we would like to see a few more promotions provided to customers.
- Competitive odds for esports betting
- Good range of markets across a number of esports games
- Solid in-play betting options
- Lack of streaming available
- No specific esports bonuses
Betway
Betway are one of the best bookmakers for esports betting, providing extensive coverage of all major leagues and games. It became clear on our visit to their betting site and app how well they cater for punters from their vast array of markets, which was comparable to their coverage of major sports such as football, cricket and tennis.
They cover all the usual suspects, including Call of Duty, League of Legends, Counter-Strike, and Dota 2, but also Rainbow Six, King of Glory, StarCraft II, VALORANT, Free Fire, and Warcraft 3.
The most impressive aspect of Betway’s esports betting coverage comes with the form of their promotions. Betway provide price boosts on matches and competitions, especially for major leagues on Call of Duty and League of Legends. We were also delighted to see free bets designed specifically for League of Legends, offering bonuses up to £10.
- Great range of specific esports promotions
- Optimum value on esports odds
- Livestreaming available through site and app
- In-play offerings could be more substantial
Esports Betting Site – Paddy Power
Paddy Power are one of the best betting operators in the industry, and although esports is a new venture for many of the traditional powerhouses, they ensure they remain relevant with a terrific esports coverage. We found markets available for all of the major leagues, including FIFA, with their esports betting odds are among the most competitive in the industry.
Perhaps the standout feature of Paddy Power’s esports betting product is their in-play betting odds that provide premium value on events as they happen. Their acca insurance is another high point, also prevalent for major sports such as football and the NFL on their esports product.
- Good specials such as acca insurance for esports
- Excellent in-play betting options and odds
- Lack of market variety
William Hill
William Hill are an exceptional betting site when it comes to betting on esports, offering competitive value and extensive wagering markets. All of the major games are covered to a high standard, ensuring that you receive odds on all your favourite teams.
We also noted the impressive live betting options that were available, which at the time of our visit was offering in-play odds on League of Legends. William Hill usually set a high standard when it comes to their betting odds and markets, with their esports product certainly up there with the best.
- Solid coverage of esports
- Decent in-play options available
- Lack of depth regarding esports markets
- No live streaming available for esports
What Are Special Esports Betting Markets?
When you’re looking for an online betting site, you want to find a diverse range of betting markets. Simple betting options include backing a team to win an individual game or their respective league. However, the best esports bookmakers go above and beyond those usual wagering options to provide you with as much depth as possible.
Below are six examples of special markets on esports.
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Skins betting: If you do not want to bet with real cash but would like some form of stakes, then skins gambling is really innovative way of achieving exactly that. Essentially, this is the use of virtual goods that you have in-game as property to gamble. It is most popular in Counter Strike: Global Offensive with the cosmetic items known as skins. But it can be used on other games like DOTA 2 or Team Fortress, where cosmetic clothing (in other words, items that have no actual in-play impact) can be gambled. It is a really great way of innovating the actual currency of gambling itself – something that we can not really compare to anything in traditional sports.
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Fantasy betting: If you are aware of how fantasy betting works in traditional sports, such as fantasy football, then you will pretty much know what to expect here. You pick a roster and gain points based on different achievements, resulting in an incredibly creative way of betting. Perhaps more importantly, it shows a respect for the level of fan investment in esports betting, trusting that they know the players, the teams and their attributes deeply enough to get involved in a type of betting often reserved for the most passionate and obsessive sports fans.
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Map winner: One of the most popular esports betting markets which you will not find anywhere else is Map Winner. This is very much what it sounds like: instead of a team winning a whole match, they simply have to win that map. We think of it very much like how the Either Half Winner market
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Proposition bet: can split up a football game and how that can really help people think of football from a different strategic perspective.That is what we really love about Map Winner. It shows you that all sports, played on a field or on a screen, are made up of many different smaller segments that need to be understood just as well as the game as a whole.
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First Blood: As is commonly available on the best live betting sites generally, proposition bets are wagers that appear in moments and can be to do with just about anything that is going on screen. It could be whether a shot will be made or whether a certain tactic will be successful for instance. Really, the limit is the imagination of the bookmaker. Proposition bets are certainly not exclusive to esports, however many of the specific proposition bets provided can be. That is why it is so important to find a bookmaker that really pushes those innovations to make the most out of those possibilities.
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Social betting: It is great to have a betting market that can provide an instant update in intrigue at the beginning of a contest, and for esports, First Blood is exactly that. Most relevant to first person shooters like Call of Duty or Rainbow Six, this is exactly what it sounds like, and has you pick a team you think will pick up the first kill or elimination to kick off the competition. It is a nerve-shredding way to start things off.
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Group bets have become popular when wagering on sports, allowing a group of people to line up wagers on an aspect of the match – including for esports. These bets are not always placed in real money – as we have discussed, there are options for skin betting, among others. You simply have to find the correct market for social esports betting and agree on a wager with your group before placing your stake – whether it is a financial one or otherwise – on an esports game or event. Depending on the type of wager, the payout for a successful bet may come in the form of a percentage of the winnings paid into your account or the use of an item such as a skin that can be shared amongst the group. It is another example of the social aspect of esports that is become more common as its gains more popularity, especially with the ability to watch games together on platforms like Twitch and even betting sites.
Payment Methods
Many traditional forms of payment methods are accepted when betting on esports. The best betting sites accept PayPal, debit cards, Skrill, Mastercard, NETELLER, Google Pay, Apple Pay, Boku, paysafecard, Payz (formerly ecoPayz), MuchBetter, and NeoSurf.
Due to the rise of cryptocurrency in online mediums, a portion of betting sites are now accepting transactions made through Bitcoin and others. Out of the mainstream betting sites, only 888sport is accepting Bitcoin as a method of payment, although others will no doubt follow in the future. LuckBox also accept Ethereum, XRP, and Litecoin.
Skin betting is another form of payment method used for wagering on esports, although you will have to find a specialist betting site as traditional operators do not have that function yet.
Live Esports Betting
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Of course, we’ve already made it pretty clear that live betting and livestreaming are both things you should be able to expect from the best esports betting sites. However, we thought it’d be important to be a bit more precise about what you can expect.
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Not only can esports betting match up with some of the most popular sports in the world in terms of live streaming and coverage: it can often usurp them.
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At the moment at least, there’s not as many issues in terms of licensing deals, which are a key barrier to the live streaming of many sports. As such, esports betting often has fantastic live coverage, and you can catch many major events while you bet online. Even better, many of the best betting apps allow you to do so on the go.
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Betting sites either use their own platform to broadcast games as they happen or they use a Twitch stream embedded on their page or app. You will have more of a multimedia experience with the latter rather than a simple stream provided by a betting site, depending on your preference. It’s all down to personal preference, as the quality of the streams is of the highest calibre.
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In-play betting must be a staple of any quality betting site, and the ones that we have highlighted offer this level of coverage on the majority if not all of their games and leagues. The odds presented fluctuate just as they would with any live-action sport, therefore, the onus is on you to know when to wager on live events to get the best value.
Are There Esports Betting Bonuses?
Once again, the answer to this is yes. Unlike livestreaming, though, we would say that there are generally fewer promotions than other sports for the most part. Esports are unfortunately, still not as big in the betting world with bookmakers, and the more popular a market is for bets, the more attention it tends to get from promotions. This can even be the case in some of the top esports betting sites.
There are exceptions to the rule, however, and if you pay close enough attention, you'll find decent enough offers. In our research, we found offers from Betway that included bet £10 get £5 free wagers on Blast Spring and bet £10 get £10 offers on League of Legends.
Betway also provided price boosts on major esports events. Paddy Power are on the mark with acca insurance when it comes to accumulators over five legs, providing your stake back if your selection loses by a single leg. Elsewhere, 888sport provide free entry into their Shoot Out game to win free bets if you wager £50 or over on esports.
Given the fact that these operators are beginning to provide solid bonuses, we believe more operators will be inclined to follow suit to keep pace with their rivals, which is very beneficial for esports bettors.
Popular Esports Tournaments
Football
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FIFA Global Series – December 2022
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FIFAE World Cup – December 2022
A Brief History of Esports
The popularity of esports exploded alongside online gaming, a product of an increasingly online world in the turn of the millennium. But we’ll get to that in a moment. The earliest serious competition was actually held in 1972 for the game Spacewar: a predecessor to the epically popular Space Invaders.
The next big competition was actually the Space Invaders Championship held by their developer Atari in 1980, with over 10,000 participants. The first national video game teams emerged in 1983, and esports even aired on television in America in the early 1980s. In the 90s, new titles emerged, with Street Fighter being a standout of the earlier years of the decade. Fighting games remain a staple of the esports world to this day.
The late 90s saw the beginning of the explosion which would turn both the gambling and the gaming world on its head, as more people got access to the internet and began playing against each other online. This time period saw early versions of huge titles like StarCraft and Counter-Strike.
The new millennium saw internet access accelerate and with it, so did esports and online gambling. These two have had a lot of parallels in their histories. One interesting curiosity is that esports aren’t very popular in Japan, a country perhaps more associated with the medium of video games than any other. Many believe it is down to their very strict gambling laws.
By the 2010s, serious money and viewership had taken esports betting to the next level, with the emergence of many ultra-popular new titles – some of which are still commonly played today, like DOTA 2 and Call of Duty. Suddenly, esports were big business, and could be found on betting sites throughout the world, with an ever-increasing selection of interesting markets.
Just as important during this time was the emergence of several major tournaments and platforms, with Twitch being the most lasting and successful this far. What is clear is that today, just like any other major sport, esports are major entertainment and betting extravaganzas with millions of loyal fans.
In other words, if now you’re not taking esports betting seriously, you’re simply behind the times!
Esports Betting FAQs
Yes. You will see the same types of betting markets and odds as you would any other sport as you find with esports.
Top betting sites will provide livestreaming for esports for the majority of matches. Alternatives include Twitch and YouTube along with other online mediums.
Yes, in any jurisdiction where sports betting is legal, esports betting should be legal as well.
Counter Strike, Dota 2, Call of Duty, League of Legends, and Fortnite are a few examples of popular esports.
This is a form of betting with in-game currency, most notably aesthetic models that can be added to characters or weapons known as “skins”.
The growing prominence of esports means almost every online bookmaker offers esports coverage to some degree.
There are multiple bookmakers that offer extensive esports coverage, but the likes of bet365, BetVictor, and Betway stand out among the very best esports betting sites.
The word ‘esports’ is short for ‘electronic sports’, a term that refers to video games played competitively on a global scale. They have now become so popular that game developers and the like have even organised tournaments and leagues for professional teams of gamers – events that you can now place bets on, as you would for any conventional sport such as football or basketball.
ThePuntersPage Final Say
Not only does the future look great for esports, but the latter serve to symbolise the infinite possibilities of the betting sphere. Right now, online betting has never been more versatile, varied, or innovative. You should not only view esports betting as a great thing on its own, but as part of a fabulous betting buffet filled to the brim with possibilities.
Finding the right betting site for you for esports can be a challenge in the sense that there are so many great options. Our job is to make sure you don’t settle for less simply because you’re overwhelmed by choice.