Esports betting on Stake Sportsbook - best competitive esports odds online

Competitive gaming, better known as Esports, have a global appeal, with massive tournaments held throughout the year in Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Players compete in games like Dota 2, League of Legends, Valorant, and Counter-Strike 2, earning huge prizes for tournament wins.

When you join Stake, you can start betting on Esports events like The International and the Esports World Cup. Here, we explain everything you need to know about how to place your bets at the Stake Sportsbook gaming website.

Esports games you can bet on at Stake

Stake covers a huge range of Esports events across all the most important games. Whether you prefer betting on fast-paced first-person shooters or extremely complex strategy games, our gaming platform has you covered.

First-person shooter (FPS) Esports betting

First-person games like Counter-Strike 2 are among the most popular types of Esports to watch and bet on. They’re typically simple to play, but have a high skill ceiling. Gameplay that revolves around gunplay, quick movement and lightning-fast reaction times is seen in FPS games like Call of Duty. Meanwhile, hero shooters like Valorant and Overwatch 2 also feature playable characters with unique abilities that players can activate.

MOBA Esports betting

Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) games combine complex strategy, character levelling and teamwork with fast-paced action. In League of Legends and Dota 2, players control characters with unique abilities as they seek to destroy their opponent’s base.

Strategy and RTS Esports betting

In strategy games like Age of Empires and StarCraft II, players collect resources, which are used to build bases and units. The ultimate aim is to win battles against the opponent and secure larger areas of the map. Real-time strategy (RTS) games are played in real-time, rather than taking turns.

Sports simulation Esports betting

Sports games aim to simulate real sports, letting players control athlete avatars to compete in virtual football, basketball or cricket. Popular sports simulation Esports titles include EA Sports FC, formerly known as FIFA, which lets players play virtual soccer. There’s also Rocket League, which allows players to play soccer using rocket-powered cars.

Major Esports tournaments and competitions to bet on

You can bet on all of the major Esports leagues & tournaments at Stake.com. We offer Esports odds for all major tournaments, including:

What to bet on in Counter-Strike 2

The biggest CS2 tournaments include the Majors, such as PGL Major Singapore, and the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM), such as IEM Cologne.

The CS2 BLAST Premier Series, which includes BLAST Open and BLAST Rivals, is also highly prestigious and features the world’s best teams.

Additionally, each year marks a new season of the ESL Pro League. Along with the IEM tournaments, it forms part of the ESL Grand Slam series. Teams that win 4 or more tournaments within the series will be awarded the Grand Slam.

Stake is also proud to announce our very own tier 2 CS2 tournament circuit - Stake Ranked. This event offers teams an amazing avenue to push the limits of their game at the highest level of competition.

CS2 is included in the list of games at the Esports World Cup, which offers the largest prize pools in professional Counter-Strike.

What to bet on in League of Legends

Professional League of Legends teams compete in regional leagues for a chance to take part in major tournaments. These regional leagues include LCK (Korea), LCS (North America) and LPL (China).

The LoL Mid-Season Invitational occurs in the summer, featuring the best teams from the mid-point of the season.

The Esports World Cup is held after the Mid-Season Invitational and features the largest prize pool of any LoL tournament.

At the end of the season, the best LoL teams qualify for the World Championships, better known as the Worlds.

What to bet on in Dota 2

In professional Dota 2, tournaments are held throughout the season, featuring the world’s best players and teams. The BLAST Slam series is one of the most prestigious.

Top Dota 2 teams compete at PGL Wallachia and ESL One events for a chance to win big prizes.

Dota 2 is played at the Esports World Cup, which currently offers the largest prize pool in Dota 2.

The most prestigious tournament in professional Dota 2 is The International, which takes place every year. Only the best teams are invited, with millions of fans watching it.

What to bet on in Valorant

Top Valorant teams compete in the Valorant Champions Tour (VCT), which is split between separate regions. Specific VCT regions include China, the Americas, the Pacific and EMEA.

By performing well in the VCT regional stages, professional Valorant teams can qualify for the Masters tournaments. These tournaments are held twice a year.

The Esports World Cup also features a Valorant tournament, which teams qualify for based on their performance in the VCT.

At the end of the Valorant season, the Valorant Champions tournament is held. This is the most prestigious event in the game, offering the biggest prize pool.

Valorant is also featured in the Esports Nations Cup, which sees national teams competing across multiple Esports.

What types of Esports bets you can place on Stake

There are various ways to bet on Esports at Stake, with some events featuring hundreds of markets. Bear in mind that the availability of these markets depends on the game itself and the popularity of the event.

• Match winner: This is a simple bet on the team you think will win an Esports fixture. Bear in mind that most matches are played over multiple games and usually follow a best-of format.

• Tournament winner: You can also place an outright bet on the winner of one of the major Esports tournaments. For example, which team will win The International, LoL Worlds, or the Esports World Cup?

• Map Handicap: Handicap betting lets you pick the outcome of the match, with a handicap applied. For example, if you pick Team Vitality -1.5, they’ll need to win by 2 maps.

• Map winner: You can bet on the team that you think will win a specific map (or a specific number of maps).

• Totals bet: Bet on the total number of maps that you think will be contested in a game. The over/under is also available for the total kills in the game, or total kills by a specific player.

• Correct Score: This lets you predict the eventual final score of the match.

• Prop bets: Prop bets are specific bets that aren’t directly linked to the final outcome of the game. For example, you can bet on which player will get first blood or whether an Ace will be scored.

• Parlay: A great way to build value into your Esports betting slip is by combining multiple selections. This is known as a parlay bet, and each selection needs to win for your bet to win. Same-game multi bets are also possible on some matches. If you're a fan of parlays, you can place protected multi bets using Stake Shield.

How live Esports betting works and where to watch matches free

Stake offers pre-match and live betting options on all major Esports events. To see the latest in-play betting odds, live scores and stats, just open the match while it’s ongoing.

You can even enjoy all the action as it happens thanks to our free live streaming service. Refer to our guide on how to watch live sports for free on Stake.com and browse the live markets. As you watch live matches, you can place a host of live bets as the action unfolds.

How to improve your Esports betting with basic strategy

1. Check which teams are in form and look at how they typically perform at specific events. This is particularly important ahead of major tournaments like The International. Don’t just bet on your favourite Esports team, look to see which teams are currently in form.

2. If you’re new to Esports, it helps to understand the game mechanics before betting on it. Games like LoL are free to download, so you can play for yourself before betting. Alternatively, tune into some Esports live streams so you have a good idea about the gameplay before placing a bet. You can also read our Esports betting guide and get more Esports betting tips from our game-specific guides.

3. Take a look at our picks, predictions and expert analysis.Our Stake blogs features the latest news and Esports betting tips including details on major upcoming Esports tournaments. We are also partnered with legendary Esport teams such as Team Vitality and Astralis, allowing us exclusive insights from the best players in CS2. Take a look at our latest analysis before making your own picks.

How to deposit funds to bet on Esports at Stake

To have the best betting experience at our Esports website, you’ll need to set up your account and add funds. Here’s how you can make a deposit:

1. Log in to your Stake account and check your current balance by opening the wallet.

2. Select the deposit option and choose any payment method and available local currency.

3. You can deposit with crypto at Stake too. We support a wide range of crypto betting options, including BTC, ETH, USDT, EOS, DOGE, LTC, TRX, and SOL.

4. Send your coins to the deposit address provided or use Swap Connect or Mesh for seamless crypto integration.

5. Once your deposit arrives, store your coins in the Stake vault for security.

Betting promotions and VIP rewards on Stake

As you bet at Stake, you can also boost your bankroll with the latest sports betting promotions. Or join our Stake VIP Club for even more exclusive rewards. As you place bets to level up your account, you stand to enjoy regular rakeback, reload bonuses and even your own VIP host. More details on how the VIP club works are available on the VIP FAQ page.

You should always bet responsibly and within your means. You can refer to the Stake Smart guidelines for responsible gambling tools and tips.