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.
France is renowned for its football team, but its esports sector is also thriving, boasting talented players in FIFA, CS:GO, Dota 2, and Fortnite. G2 Esports stands out as a leading French team, achieving success in Rocket League, Rainbow Six, and CS:GO. Additionally, the country embraces esports betting, offering diverse markets on top betting sites. Read below to learn more about esports betting in France!
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As a French esports punter, you can check out our list of the best esports betting sites in the section above. However, to give you an idea of what to expect from these sites, we have highlighted the betting markets available at our top three France betting sites.
GG.BET is one of the best betting sites France covering over 10 esports games and a massive selection of betting markets. Top featured games include CSGO, LoL, Dota 2, and VALORANT. The site is licensed by the Curacao government; hence it operates within the stringent rules set to protect players’ interests. Additionally, the odds compare competitively to other top French sportsbooks, and you will likely find higher odds during live matches.
22Bet is a renowned bookmaker esport France, and the site has decent coverage of games. This site is an excellent option whenever you are looking for esports bet France opportunities for CS:GO, Dota 2, and League of Legends. You will find reasonable odds during major esports tournaments such as ESL Pro League, Blast Premier, ESL One, and League of Legends World Championship. This betting site is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission, and the site uses SSL encryption to safeguard your personal and financial details.
French punters are welcomed at Rivalry with one of the best betting bonuses in France of up to €100. There is a dedicated esports section where you can find betting lines for major and minor esports tournaments. This bookie covers popular esports such as Dota 2 and CSGO as well as less-known titles such as Wild Rift, Free Fire and MLBB. In addition to live coverage, Rivalry has a live streaming option that allows you to watch and bet on live games from the site.
The best betting sites France players can access offer a wide range of betting markets for various esports games. Some popular esports games among French punters include CS:GO, Dota 2, Call of Duty, and League of Legends. Depending on your preference, the bookies recommended in this guide offer competitive odds on major esports markets. Check out some of the options you can explore below.
Counter-Strike: Global-Offensive is a highly competitive game featuring many tournaments yearly. Some of the esports bet France events include Dreamhack Masters, Blast Premier, IEM Fall, and IEM Katowice. The betting markets vary depending on the event, but in most cases, the most common CS:GO betting markets include;
Top Dota 2 tournaments you can bet on include the International (TI) and ESL One. You can bet on pre-match or live bets. Top Dota 2 betting markets include;
Call of Duty (CDL) gets decent coverage on the biggest esports betting sites, and you can be sure to find a CDL betting line with reasonable odds. Typically, recommendable esports France betting sites such as Rivalry and GG.BET offer the following markets for CDL punters.
League of Legends (LoL) is another popular esports among French punters. You can bet on both major and minor tournaments held online and offline. Top LoL tournaments that are highly covered by most bookmakers include LCS, LEC, Mid-Season Invitational, and LoL World Championship. With these tournaments, you can place wagers on futures, moneylines, and totals. Examples of such bets include;
Esports betting is legal in France, but the country has one of the most stringent online betting laws. Despite the legality of online betting, the Regulatory Authority of Online Games (ARJEL), does not allow for online betting sites to be created in the country. Therefore, legal esports betting sites in France are licensed in other jurisdictions such as Curacao, Malta, and the United Kingdom. Nonetheless, these regulators also have strict rules and laws that aim to protect online players and provide a fair gaming environment.
Esports are highly popular in France compared to other esports countries such as the United States and Germany. The French people enjoy watching esports tournaments, and esports betting is equally prevalent. France’s topmost preferred esports games include CS:GO, LoL, Fortnite, Rocket League, FIFA, and Dota 2.
CS:GO is one of the most played first-person shooter games in France and globally. Valve holds several competitive CSGO tournaments in various countries, featuring huge prize pools. Team Vitality, a renowned French team, currently ranks among the top CS:GO teams. According to Esports Earnings, France is among the top ten countries for CS:GO. The best French CS:GO players include apEX (Dan Madesclaire), NBK (Nathan Schmitt), and shox (Richard Papillon). G2 Esports, Team Vitality and HEET are among the renowned France CS:GO esports teams that you can bet on.
This Riot Games’ title is among the biggest games in esports and is played by millions of people all over the world. LoL tournaments are equally famous and are highly featured in top esports betting sites. LoL leagues are categorised based on nine different regions: China, Korea, North America, and Europe. These leagues include LoL Pro League (LPL), LoL Champions Korea (LCK), LoL Championship Series (LCS), and LoL European Championship (LEC). Some of the best LoL French esports teams are Karmine Corp, LDLC OL, and Vitality.Bee.
Since its release in 2017, Fortnite has become a favourite esport among video game players and punters. Powered by Epic Games, Fortnite features engaging gameplay, and the game is divided into three modes. These include Fortnite: Save the World, Fortnite Battle Royale, and Fortnite Creative. The Fortnite Champion Series is one of the most popular esports bet France tournaments. In France, the best Fortnite players include Snayzy (Idris Aichouche), Hunter (Corentin Tardif), and Andilex (Alexandre Christophe). Notably, based on total earnings, France is among the top three countries for Fortnite.
There is a wide range of payment options available at esports betting sites that accept French players. These include credit cards, e-wallets, prepaid cards, and cryptos.
The easiest way to make any transfer is with a credit card, and this has not changed in the last 30 years. Most betting companies accept Visa and Mastercard with no fees attached, making it also one of the cheapest ways to transfer money. American Express is another excellent option for French punters who prefer using credit cards.
E-wallets are great to use if your bank does not allow gambling transfers, or if you do not want the transfers to show up on your bank statements. The most commonly accepted e-wallets are Skrill and NETELLER, though some sites even accept PayPal. Other e-wallet options include Revolut and Paylib.
Prepaid cards like paysafecard can be used for online purchases. In many cases, you can even buy the card with cash at select outlets. These prepaid cards are a handy way to turn cash into digital money, though withdrawals will have to be made through a different payment method.
If you are a player in France, crypto betting may be your best option. Betting on esports with Bitcoin ensures your anonymity, even regarding the amount of your winnings from esports betting, and transfers are untraceable. Other crypto options include Ethereum, Dogecoin, Litecoin, Tether, and Ripple.
France is home to several excellent teams, many of whom have players in different disciplines. Below are four of the best.
G2 Esports is one of the top-performing esports teams in France. The team competes in various esports games such as CS:GO, League of Legends, Rainbow Six Siege, and Rocket League. The CS:GO team is the best performing, having won several major tournaments, including the IEM Season XVII-Katowice and the Blast Premier: Spring Groups 2023. The team also came in first position during the Blast Premier: World Final 2022.
Team Vitality was founded in 2013 as Renault Vitality but later rebranded in 2021. The company began with a FIFA roster but has, over the years, joined other esports, including CS:GO, Call of Duty, Rocket League, and Fortnite. They have won over 5 million for all competitions with the highest prizes coming from CS:GO and Rocket League. Team Vitality’s latest achievement was winning the IEM 2023 held in Rio.
LDLC is a French professional esports organisation that is based in Lyon. The team has won over $1 million in all competitions, with its teams competing in CSGO, LoL, StarCraft 2, and Call of Duty. The LDLC CSGO team has been the most active roster and has participated in several tournaments since 2013.
HEET has rosters in different esports, including CS:GO, LoL, Rocket League, and VALORANT. Although the HEET rosters have not participated in many esports tournaments, they have had a fair share of appearances during major CS:GO and Rocket League tournaments.
As one of the top esports countries, many notable players from France have had outstanding performances. The highest-earning players are from CS:GO, Fortnite, and Dota 2. Sébastien “Ceb” Debs is the highest-earning French player, with over 5 million won overall. Below is a breakdown of some of the top-earning esports players from France as of May 2023.
Since most esports bettors prefer betting on their phones, France betting sites have customised their sites to be fully mobile optimised. Better yet, some operators have also developed France betting apps which come in handy for users who prefer betting on their mobile devices. Some of the best bookmakers with native betting apps include 22bet and Betway. These two sites have downloadable apps for Android and iOS, which makes betting on mobile esports games seamless.
CS:GO, Fortnite, League of Legends, Dota 2, Rocket League, and FIFA are among the most popular esports games in France.
Sébastien “Ceb” Debs is the most established esports player in France. He is known for his outstanding performance as Dota 2 player in OG. Although he had announced his retirement in November 2021, he made a comeback in 2023.
G2 Esports is the best French Esports team, with over 40 million fans worldwide. This franchise has performed outstandingly in various esports competitions, including LoL, CS:GO, Rocket League, and Rainbow Six.
There are many French betting sites that offer esports betting markets in France. Our top recommendations include Rivalry, GG.BET, 22bet, Pinnacle, and William Hill.
Bet365 operates legally and is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission. However, the operator is restricted in France; hence, it does not accept French punters.
Hey! Peris here, an ardent content writer and sports fanatic. I have over three years of experience in sports writing, iGaming and esports. If not creating content, you will find me playing FIFA, Xbox, or Nintendo Switch games.