One of the most anticipated StarCraft 2 tournaments is just around the corner, with the world's best players getting ready to fight for their share of $500,000 in prize money.
A legendary esports event, the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Katowice is a CS:GO tournament held in Poland. In this guide, we'll go over all the participating teams, details about the schedule, as well as everything you need to know about IEM CS:GO betting!
The Dota Pro Circuit is in full flow. The next big tournament in this seasonal circuit is the PGL Arlington Major. Texas is the location, Esports Stadium Arlington is the venue of choice, and seventeen brilliant Dota 2 teams will be eyeing their chances here.
The LEC (League of Legends European Championship) is entering a new decade starting with the inaugural Winter split. From team rosters to an all-new tournament format, the league will be seeing much more competition.
In China, esports betting has become a burning topic for several reasons. For this reason, we want to provide you with everything you need to know. You can check our guides to other esports countries here.
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The esports betting scene in China is considered to be largely unsafe and unregulated for punters. Illegal betting sites are cheating their customers out of their money, which is a big problem, especially for the still-evolving scene that is esports.
To help you avoid being scammed, we have listed three highly trustworthy and reputable sites below with short descriptions of what they offer, and why they are worth signing up with. If you are from China and esports betting is something you are interested in, read on for our expert recommendations.
Licensed and regulated by the appropriate bodies, bet365 is one of the most popular betting sites around the world, and is also available in China. The drawback, however, is that they do not accept Chinese currency, meaning you will have to exchange your money in order to be able to bet.
Their esports range is superb, with titles like King of Glory, League of Legends, Dota 2, and CS:GO covered in-depth. It is also important to mention that bet365 also cater to the Asian esports scene, and you will find a lot of markets for regional tournaments and leagues.
There is also a variety of payment methods for you to choose from. Standard ones such as credit cards are available, as are WeChat Pay, AliPay, and UnionPay. Bear in mind, though, that bet365 does not accept crypto deposits or withdrawals.
Lastly, be sure to claim bet365's great welcome bonus. By signing up for an account, at the time of writing, you can get yourself up to 100€ in bet credits.
Find more facts about this bookie in our bet365 esports review.
Offering their customers an overall enjoyable experience along with quite a number of perks, 22Bet is licensed and regulated by the government of Curaçao, meaning you can register an account with total peace of mind.
From our standpoint, 22Bet offers some of the absolute best esports coverage. Not only will you be able to place bets on the most popular esports, but you can also bet on China-esports games that are considered to be more niche.
22bet also caters to the China esports market by providing odds for regional events, qualifiers, and leagues. You will be able to find roughly around 20 betting markets for every match offered.
There are a couple of factors why we believe China-esports betting at 22Bet is excellent. First and foremost, you can use your local currency to place bets. We also understand that cryptocurrencies play a big role in Asia, with most punters using them as a payment solution as they are cost-effective, fast, and instant. Therefore, you will be glad to learn that 22Bet accepts various cryptos.
At the time of writing this article, by signing up for an account with 22Bet, you are entitled to 100% up to €122 on your first deposit.
This particular bookie is a “local” betting site that has been around for a while now. Dafebet acquired a licence from the Filipino government early on, and is even widely known as the main sponsor of football clubs Celtic F.C., Norwich City, and Burnley.
China-esports betting at Dafabet has got its own specially dedicated section on the site. Naturally, all the most popular markets are thoroughly covered, as well as plenty of other China-esports events and teams that you can bet on.
VISA, GoCash88, Mastercard, and ZOOM Payments are ranked amongst the most popular payment options used here, while e-wallet services such as Skrill, ecoPayz, and NETELLER are also accepted, as is paysafecard. Those who prefer to use cryptocurrency are offered the use of Bitcoin to make deposits and withdrawals.
Before we conclude our list of China-esports betting sites, we should mention Dafabet's current sign-up offer, which, in our opinion, is by far one of the best out there. By registering for an account, you can get 150% up to 450€ on your first deposit.
Get an in-depth insight into this operator by reading our Dafabet esports review.
While we have discussed payment methods in some depth above, we should mention that those used in Europe and the USA are not that popular in Asia. With this in mind, we have listed below a few of the most popular ones used for esports betting in China.
As a payment method, cryptocurrencies offer a fast and swift way of depositing funds and withdrawing your winnings.
Even though there are fees attached, they are not even that high, and in most scenarios, you will only lose a couple of dollars on big-sum withdrawals, while deposits are free. Although Bitcoin and Ethereum are the leading currencies within the crypto gambling industry, certain betting sites also accept Litecoin, Ripple, and others. Check out our guides to Bitcoin esports betting and Ethereum esports betting to learn more.
A leading e-wallet service in China, UniPay also tends to sponsor Chinese esports teams. Since they are heavily invested in the industry, it makes a lot of sense that many betting sites to accept UniPay as a payment method.
Even though it is not as fast as cryptocurrency, UniPay does allow instant deposits, while withdrawals can take up to 24 hours depending on the betting site you are using. You should also know that deposits carry no fees, and certain sites will even allow a couple of free withdrawals per month.
This mobile and internet money transfer network is the most popular payment method in China, providing a safe, secure, and reliable way of moving your funds from one place to another.
While testing things out, however, we noticed a couple of things. Although AliPay's security standards are very high, it can take time for payments to be processed. At times, you will have to wait for your funds to arrive in your betting account, so keep that in mind if you're looking for a speedy deposit method.
Esports betting in China is strictly forbidden. However, there are a couple of regions that do not fall under Chinese law, like Macau or Hong Kong. There, you are free to explore the world of esports betting.
Bear in mind that there is a list of banned sites that China’s government will not allow you to even visit; they are also known to monitor the internet activities of their citizens. This also introduces a grey area, as there are some sites that have not yet made it onto these lists. Until then, you can freely use them without any repercussions.
It might surprise you to learn that first-person shooter (FPS) titles such as CS:GO or Valorant are not even close to being popular in China. However, if you are a hardcore esports fan, you will already know that the Chinese esports teams and markets are mostly focused on MOBA esports games, as well as those that are based on strategy.
King of Glory is a mobile MOBA title released for Android and iOS devices. While it is not even in the top 20 esports in both Europe and North America, it is by far the most popular esport title in China. If you want to place KoG bets, you will be glad to hear that all three operators from the list above will offer odds on King of Glory matches. Head over to our complete guide to King of Glory betting to find out more, along with an article about other mobile esports games.
If you are a gamer and MOBA fan, then you've probably heard of Faker, who has inspired so many fellow LoL esports athletes. At the time of writing, there are many teams competing in the LCK LoL League and LPL LoL League, where they will have a chance to represent the entire Asian region on the big stage. Read our guide to LoL betting here.
Somnus丶M and fy set pillars for China-esports games like Dota 2, winning over $6 million combined. There is no denying that this MOBA title is very intense, which makes it perfect for betting. If you enjoy nail-biting moments and thriller games, why not try to place a couple of wagers on Dota 2? For more information, check out our guide to Dota 2 betting here.
There is not much that separates China esports betting from other, more traditional sports markets, as you'll find out in our section below.
If you want to bet on matches before they start, pre-match betting is naturally the way to go. This type of betting is widely offered by many operators, and is available with a variety of betting markets too. The most popular of these include Round Handicap, Correct Score, Total Number of Maps Played, First Blood, First Baron, First Dragon, and plenty more.
In-play betting is very popular in China, especially with games such as League of Legends, King of Glory or Dota 2. In these titles, there are two types of heroes available: late-game heroes who are capable of winning matches themselves in the late stage of the game, and early-game heroes who thrive without many items, and who can shut things down early on. This is where logic, research, and game knowledge come in handy – check out our guide to live esports betting to pick up a few useful tips.
If someone told you a couple of years ago that you would, some day, have a chance to bet on the tournament outcome in esports, you would probably not have believed them. Lately, however, more and more operators are adding this selection to their plethora of esports betting markets.
We believe that this is a perfect bet type for casual bettors who want to spice things up while watching events. The odds on these bets also tend to be insanely high. Combine that with all the potential excitement in store, and you really will be getting your money’s worth. For more on this, check our guide to esports tournaments here.
Below, we have listed some of the best Chinese esports teams that are at the very top skills-wise, and who stand to offer a good return on your bet.
Let’s start things off with one of the few CS:GO rosters based in China. Not only did Tyloo win every single Asian-based Counter-Strike tournament, but they were also able to go head-to-head with some of the best teams like Astralis, Natus Vincere, and others.
Founded back in 2011, Invictus Gaming really is one of the oldest living esports franchises in China. Dota 2, CS:GO, LoL, StarCraft II, Overwatch, and Hearthstone are some of the games Invictus Gaming is invested in. The amount of sheer professionalism and dedication this franchise offers really means that betting on Invictus Gaming holds a vast amount of potential, profit-wise.
Royal Never Give Up have mostly been involved with Dota 2, Overwatch, and League of Legends. Notably, they've acquired the most success in the latter's esports scene, meaning their League team really is the best option for you as a bettor.
Formed back in 2013, EDward Gaming is one of the most talked-about Chinese esports teams in the region. Since 2017, they hold the record for most games won, and have the highest win ratio out of all the teams competing. That has to stand for something when placing your bets, right? Currently, they are beating everyone in the LPL Spring series.
FPX is another Chinese franchise who have rooted themselves in the entire region over several titles. By far their most popular roster is their LoL team, who have won numerous prizes and trophies. Not so long ago, they also announced their acquisition of the GODSENT roster. From our point of view, this team has a lot to offer, if guided correctly.
Partnered with one of the most popular football teams in the world, Paris Saint-Germain, only the best players are allowed to be part of PSG.LGD. There is no denying that their Dota 2 roster is on another level when compared to any other Chinese Dota 2 franchise. All in all, the smart money is definitely on PSG.LGD’s Dota 2 squad.
Last but not least, ViCi Gaming has been around since 2012, and they are also one of the founding fathers of the Chinese esports scene. Despite not enjoying a lot of success lately, ViCi Gaming is a force to be reckoned with, and they should never be taken lightly. This franchise is involved in several titles, including StarCraft II, Overwatch, CS:GO, Hearthstone, and LoL.