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.
Esports and esports betting are both booming in the US, yet there is still some confusion about what the best esports betting sites are for players there. This esports betting USA guide will cover the best platforms to use, the most popular games to bet on, and the legality of esports in different states.
In recent years, esports has evolved from just a few thousand players to holding tournaments for millions of individuals all over the world.
This multi-billion-dollar industry has grown to embrace players and professionals who make a decent living from the sport. The USA has been leading this growth charge, with it being projected to have a viewership of over 43 million by 2023; and as the viewership increases, so does esports betting in America.
The USA is home to the world's most popular and lucrative esports market. Apart from hosting international tournaments, many teams and players come from there, and are well represented by fans who stream out to watch their favourite pro gaming events.
While esports betting is arguably the fastest-growing sport (especially in terms of betting) in the USA, sports betting and other forms of gambling remain a highly-regulated industry, with only a few states approving it. This has led many to popular esports betting sites located outside of the USA.
However, state gambling laws differ within the USA, so esports betting is completely legal in some, regulated in others, and outright illegal in the remaining states. It is important to remember that the laws pertain to offering bets, and not placing them.
While bookies cannot offer esports odds inside most US states, US citizens are not prohibited from gambling at the best esports betting sites overseas by any state or federal gambling laws, and this is what most Americans have resorted to. Many of these foreign sites are reliable, pay out wins, and allow easy deposits through crypto, credit cards, and sometimes wire transfers.
The sites listed in this article provide various esports betting sites that accept US players and the US Dollar. We discuss the best and safest deposit options to use when betting on your favourite players and teams online. These sites allow betting on the biggest games, like League of Legends, CS:GO, Dota 2, and VALORANT.
Below, we take a look at what each of these betting sites has to offer for esports bettors based in the USA.
Offering competitive odds for FIFA, Counter-strike, League Of Legends, Dota 2, Overwatch, King Of Glory, Arena Of Valor, and Mobile Legends, Betonline has quickly become a top destination for US esports fans who like to place a bet. Deposit options include a dozen cryptos, as well as credit cards, money order and wire transfer. If you are new to the site, you can get a 50% sports welcome bonus up to $1,000, and if you have never used crypto there before, you can get 100% 1st Time Crypto Bonus, again up to $1,000!
BetUS is a Curaçao-licensed betting site that offers virtually any type of betting, including esports. They guarantee the fastest payouts in the industry, where you get your winnings within three to five days (faster for cryptos of course). Additionally, they offer analysis and predictions for most major DOTA, CS:GO, and LoL events. New players can choose between the 125% Sign-up Bonus and the 200% Crypto Deposit Bonus (both up to $2,500).
MyBookie is a staple for American sports bettors, and their esports offering is excellent as well. You will find lines on VALORANT, DOTA, CS:GO, and LoL, as well as a dozen others. One drawback might be that the odds only appear relatively late compared with other sites; however, their bonus offering is definitely worth it! MyBookie will match your first deposit with a sign-up bonus up to $1,000. With a rollover of just 10x and plenty of other rewards, this is one of the best places for esports betting in the USA.
Here are the most watched games in the USA that are available to bet on.
CS:GO, short for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, is the follow-up to one of the first games ever played in the esports community. It debuted in 2012 and quickly became the most widely-played esports games by tournament revenue. This incredible first-person shooter (FPS) is undoubtedly among America's most widely watched and bet on esports games and isn't showing any signs of letting up.
There are also various betting types for it, like skin betting and fantasy betting. At the above sites, you will find some fantastic esports odds for CS:GO betting, no matter where you are in the United States.
Several CS:GO tournaments have been held in America in the past, though the biggest global event is undoubtedly the annual Major Championship, usually held in Europe, where 24 teams compete for a huge prize pool. Other CS:GO competitions and events that are popular for betting include the Intel Extreme Masters, Blast Premier, and DreamHack.
Three years ago today, Cloud9 brought home North America’s only CS:GO Major win. Commemorate that historic run at Boston with the rerelease of one of our most classic jerseys now on our Amazon webstore! 🛒 https://t.co/YswY6twpIf pic.twitter.com/7QDd8U9u2i — Cloud9 (@Cloud9) January 28, 2021
Three years ago today, Cloud9 brought home North America’s only CS:GO Major win.
Commemorate that historic run at Boston with the rerelease of one of our most classic jerseys now on our Amazon webstore!
🛒 https://t.co/YswY6twpIf pic.twitter.com/7QDd8U9u2i
— Cloud9 (@Cloud9) January 28, 2021
Dota 2 (Defense of the Ancients) is a Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) game launched in 2013. It has since become a global phenomenon, featuring over a hundred tournaments – the biggest of them all being The International.
Seattle served as the host city for many years of The International. Even though it has since relocated abroad, this battle arena game has continued to rank among the top esports in the USA, attracting rabid fans and plenty of bettors interested in DOTA 2 betting.
The International rates as the top Dota 2 tournament, while the Majors and ESL are also hugely popular, with millions tuning in each year to watch these events. Esports bettors will find the best Dota 2 odds on the sites listed in this article.
League of Legends, commonly known as LoL, is a MOBA game that's arguably the world's most prestigious esport. Since its inception in 2009, it has become available on many betting sites.
The World Championship, which takes place at the end of the season, is undoubtedly the biggest and most watched LoL competition, with high stakes, tough opponents, and a massive prize pool. LoL betting is gaining popularity in the USA every day! LCS is the biggest league in the US, while American fans also enjoy LCK, LEC, and more.
VALORANT is an FPS game developed by Riot games in 2019 and played on Microsoft windows. Although fairly new to the esports market, gamers and bettors have fast taken a liking to the game, where each character has special abilities that can be used to the advantage of each team during the five-on-five battles.
Every year, the VALORANT Champions Tour showcases the best players and teams in the competition from all over the world. It culminates in the final champions event, which is the biggest event for VALORANT betting in the USA. Other well-known Valorant competitions include the VALORANT Masters and VCT Game Changers.
“Is esports betting legal in the USA?” is a question that has always been a complicated one to answer. Originally, sports betting was outlawed in the United States by the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA). However, there was a successful repeal of this act in 2018 after a sustained fight from New Jersey, and this kickstarted a mini-revolution in the sports betting industry.
Currently, like regular sports betting, esports betting is not covered by federal legislation in the US. Instead, it is up to every state to decide whether or not to permit esports betting. While several states now allow sports betting in many forms, esports betting remains uncharted territory.
It is still banned in most states and heavily regulated in others. As a result, only a few bookmakers are currently operating esports betting sites in the USA market because the majority are still undecided and waiting for favourable legislation.
So far, esports betting is only completely legal in Nevada and New Jersey. Twelve other states – namely: Montana, New Mexico, Delaware, Arkansas, Iowa, Mississippi, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington DC, Illinois, and Oregon – offer a form of regulated sports/esports betting. While the majority of states are still working to catch up to New Jersey, these states are locations where you can place a wager with legitimate bookmakers.
The gradual revolution is a process that must be approved across different levels of each state government, but the early signs are very promising. As the laws governing online esports gambling are evolving, it seems only a matter of time before you can legally bet on games like League of Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and VALORANT.
At the same time, several foreign betting sites offer esports betting, and market directly to US players. They gladly accept US players, are completely reliable, and offer great bonuses.
Remember that while it may be illegal to offer bets in certain states, there is no law preventing players from placing bets at foreign sites. Thus, these sites exploit a grey area in US law.
The global online gambling market is expected to reach $93 billion by 2023—a 40% jump from its value today Sports betting has been a major growth driver, after #USA Supreme Court legalized it federally in 2018#Online #Esports #casino #GamblingTwitter pic.twitter.com/4q6KPEalUr — Srinivasan G (@srinicaps) June 28, 2021
The global online gambling market is expected to reach $93 billion by 2023—a 40% jump from its value today Sports betting has been a major growth driver, after #USA Supreme Court legalized it federally in 2018#Online #Esports #casino #GamblingTwitter pic.twitter.com/4q6KPEalUr
— Srinivasan G (@srinicaps) June 28, 2021
As the American esports betting revolution kicks on, one thing is certain: USA esports enthusiasts have a lot to look forward to in the coming years.
Most legal esports betting sites that accept USA players are foreign, and there are therefore limited payment methods on these platforms. The best payment methods available at most sites include cryptos and credit cards.
In recent years, using cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Bitcoin cash, Ethereum, and Litecoin to fund betting accounts has grown in popularity.
With no deposit or withdrawal fees and great privacy, it is easy to see why many players also prefer this method. Esports betting sites have been encouraging payments through cryptocurrency by offering large bonuses to entice users.
Credit cards continue to be the safest and most practical method of payment thanks to their robust security systems and good reputation. This method also processes payments instantly, making deposits and withdrawals look seamless, making it a great payment choice for many online bookies worldwide. Most overseas betting sites that accept US players accept Visa and Mastercard for payment.
In 2022, it is projected that the revenue from the USA sports and esports betting market will be over 17,715.0 million by 2027. Data on esports betting is still minimal due to the complex nature of its operations in the USA.
The types of bets you can make on esports betting sites are very similar to those of traditional sports bets, and the primary betting markets largely cover all games and leagues. More betting markets are available because each game has a lot going on.
The most popular bets placed include:
Making Live Bets: Live esports betting enables you to wager on dynamic odds that change in real time as the games are being played instead of before the competitions begin. With live bets, punters can recover unsuccessful pregame bets, increase winning wagers, and place small side bets throughout the game on various esports player and team props.
Althought this is an understated skill, any bettor who wants to succeed must become an expert at managing their bankroll. The foundation of any bankroll management strategy is making sure you don't lose all your money on a single wager. Smart bettors regularly win several smaller wagers rather than hoping to win one big one.
META is a gaming term that means Most Effective Tactics Available. It refers to a strategy or tactic that is generally agreed upon by a gaming community and is seen as the best way to win a game. METAs change with game patches and updates, and having a basic understanding of them is essential when betting on any esport.
Follow your favourite team and players across social media platforms to keep up with the team news, tactics and strategies, as well as training regimes to make you feel confident enough to know who to place bets on.
There is the temptation to only place bets on tournament favourites. While this is a great strategy, underdogs provide the best value in betting odds because the favourites tend to receive much attention from bettors, thus driving down their odds to a point where betting on them seems unprofitable.
Betting on the underdogs has great potential value, and bettors who feel confident enough to do this might be in for some great wins.
Chasing steam is a betting technique where a bettor can act quickly to place a wager at a slower sportsbook that hasn't adjusted its line to match the rest of the market. Doing this can help a bettor get better odds than the market consensus, placing you in good stead for a quick win.
Follow esports betting subreddits to know the current trends and hot teams that are favourites to bet on. You can also find good predictions and betting tips to help you make more informed bets.
While the USA is leading the charge in the massive growth the esports industry has experienced in recent years, esports betting USA is still in its infancy. Few states have legalised it, but it is heavily regulated or banned in many others.
However, many foreign sites offer great odds for esports betting to US players, and accept easy payment options like cryptocurrencies and credit cards. With the upward trajectory of esports, the popularity of betting can only increase.
Yes, you can. Several foreign sites accept US players for esports betting. And if you are in the state of Jersey, you can bet at Jersey licensed sites.
Sportsbooks like Betonline, BetUS, and MyBookie all offer esports betting.
Yes. Esports betting offers are available at several platforms that also offer bets on regular sports, such as football, NBA, and hockey.
The laws governing esports betting laws are complex in the USA, varying from state to state. It is legal in certain states, heavily regulated in some, and outright banned in others. However, these rules pertain to offering bets, not placing them, meaning US players can still play at foreign sites.
Yes. New Jersey is one of the states in the USA that offers licensed sports and esports betting.
Through our in-depth guides and reviews, we are focused on providing the best insights into esports betting.