You might not be aware, but betting on eSports is becoming a big deal. Competitive video gaming has surged in popularity around the world – as we know full well – and subsequently, there are a growing number of betting markets available to people to bet on for eSports events and tournaments. The most common betting markets for eSports events covers first-person shooters, multiplayer online battle arena games and real-time strategy games.

The League of Legends World Championship saw audiences of more than five million people watch the action unfold live on live streaming platforms such as Twitch. This particular event saw a prize pool of more than $20 million, so it is clear to see that eSports is big business in 2018 and beyond. If you’re well-educated about the top talent in the eSports scene and you’re au fait with the rules of leading games such as League of Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Dota 2, you might wish to take a look at the following betting markets that are commonly offered to eSports bettors:

Moneyline

Moneyline is one of the most popular betting markets of any eSports event as it simply involves backing the team or player that you believe will win the contest.

Handicap

Handicap betting is popular in all forms of sports betting and it is working its way into eSports betting too. Handicaps can place negative starting scores on favourites to try and balance the contest for bettors. Teams with negative starting handicaps must win by more than the handicap set. Teams with positive starting handicaps must win, draw or lose by less than the handicap set.

Totals

Totals betting varies depending on the eSports game you bet on. In Dota 2 and League of Legends it is generally the total of ‘kills’, while in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, it was usually the total of ‘rounds’ in a game. Bettors must either bet ‘over’ or ‘under’ the set figure by a bookmaker.

Outright

Outright betting relates to wagers placed on the overall outcome of a particular eSports event.

eSports fanatics also have the flexibility to place these bets ‘in-play’ as well as pre-event, with live streaming of such events available to customers to help make informed bets.

Newzoo believes that the eSports industry could be worth more than $1 billion by the beginning of the next decade. That means there will be more people than ever becoming experts in the nuances of professional video gaming, and now people can turn that expertise into cold, hard cash.