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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.
If pre-match betting has ‘gone stale’ for you, then why not try your hand at live betting? LoL live betting, in particular, has seen a big rise in popularity over the years, and with the changes to certain esports tournament formats, it’s the perfect time to try it out!
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bet365 is one of the most well-known esports betting operators in the world, with a long-lasting tradition of offering betting options to punters of all kinds. Having been active since 2000, the bookie has massively improved their esports betting features in the past couple of years.
One incredibly useful feature of bet365 live betting is the live scoreboard that you can see on the right side of the screenshot. It shows all the crucial information of the match you’ve selected, which comes in handy for placing bets on the fly.
You’ll also find that their LoL live betting odds are excellent, especially when it comes to highly prestigious League of Legends tournaments. On top of that, their website is incredibly easy to use and navigate, and you’ll also be able to use some of the most popular payment methods, including PayPal, Skrill, credit cards, paysafecard, and more.
GG.BET is another household name in the esports betting industry, despite only having been around for seven years. However, in this time, GG.BET has broken through in the market and is now one of the go-to sites for beginner bettors.
Placing in-play bets on GG.BET is as simple as it is seamless. Everything is nicely designed and positioned with crucial information on the right side. The betting markets themselves are in the bottom half of the page. You can also watch the livestream of the game, so everything you need for live betting is located in one place.
This bookie also offers livestreams of most LoL esports events, so your in-play LoL betting experience will be seamless and quick. Another great feature of GG.BET is that you’ll receive a 100% deposit on your first deposit, which will help you get started on the site.
If you want maximum security related to your account and high maximum bet limits, then Pinnacle might be the bookie you’re looking for. This bookmaker was formed in 1998, making it the oldest out of this bunch, but it's also highly reputable and respected.
There are two ways you can place in-play bets at Pinnacle. The first is through the quick-access screen that shows up once you select a live match (as evidenced by the screenshot above). The second involves using Pinnacle’s bespoke Live Centre, which shows more information about the current match. You’ll also be able to customise your live betting experience however you want through the Live Centre.
You can expect to find some of the most competitive League of Legends betting odds in the industry. Pair that with some exciting betting markets and it’s easy to see why Pinnacle is one of the fan favourites.
Last but certainly not least, we have Rivalry. This is a fairly new bookie that was formed in 2017, offering both live betting and livestreams of League of Legends tournaments. Rivalry is fully regulated and holds a licence from the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission.
Rivalry has arguably the simplest live betting website section out of all the bookies that we mentioned, and this is not a bad thing. On the contrary, everything is clear and easily identifiable. The livestream is located at the top of the page and the markets (with odds) are at the bottom. You can quickly switch betting markets by clicking on specific categories.
In any case, this bookie is excellent for beginners because of the website’s ease of use and speed. The odds are also great, albeit slightly behind some other bookies from this list. Lastly, you’ll be able to place live bets on most of your favourite LoL tournaments with a variety of betting markets.
Live betting differs from pre-match betting in the sense that it doesn’t have as many betting markets. However, this doesn’t reduce the popularity of live betting and the thrill of reacting to on-screen activities. Let's take a look at the three most popular betting markets for League of Legends live betting.
This type of betting market is only available when the tournament the teams are participating in features a Best-of-3 or Best-of-5 format. In essence, this betting market revolves around you placing a bet on the team you think will win the current map (not the entire match between the teams).
The odds for this one aren’t usually as high as for some other bets, but they’re great for knockout-style tournaments, even with the fluctuations that live betting odds experience.
Match-winner bets are the bread & butter of LoL live betting, seeing how they’re the only bets that are available for all matches and tournaments. These bets have better odds when you’re betting on a team to win a Best-of-3 or Best-of-5 series since the risk is higher.
However, you’ll still be able to adjust your bets or place new ones as the match goes on, so if you want to play it safe, wait for a team to come close to winning the series and then bet on them. Keep in mind that there’s always the possibility of the other team making a comeback.
Special bets aren’t exclusive to in-play betting, but they aren’t as ‘rich’. Still, special bets are interesting because they aren’t related to a team winning. Instead, you’ll be betting on the team you think will have more kills when the game ends, the number of map objectives (Dragon or Baron) that will be taken, and more.
These bets can be bookie-specific, but the examples we mentioned are the most common ones found across all bookies. Special bets can also be more susceptible to fluctuating, which makes them somewhat risky as well, but with great odds.
If you’re just starting out with your esports betting adventure, we advise against participating in live betting until you’ve spent some time placing pre-match bets. There are a couple of reasons for this.
First, you’ll be more acquainted with the whole esports betting ecosystem, and you’ll also learn how things work. Esports bookmakers offer a wide range of betting markets and esports games to bet on. And although the overall betting process is largely the same across all options, there are certain differences that you’ll only learn about by betting.
When you’ve gained some experience and have figured out the ins and outs of esports betting, you’ll be ready to start placing live bets. Keep an eye out for the regional League of Legends leagues (eg. LCS, LCK, LEC, LPL, and others) as they provide constant betting opportunities and are easier to get into than smaller tournaments.
You should also aim to place your bets sometime during the middle of the match because the strength difference between the teams will — in most cases — be more evident then, allowing you to have a better idea of which bets to place and when.
Although live betting is relatively straightforward when it comes to how it works, getting good at it does take some practice. And even then, things can simply go awry sometimes. Here are a couple of common mistakes and tips on fixing them that should improve your betting experience and your chances of winning.
Some people think that since live betting is a bit ‘skinnier’ (has fewer betting markets) than traditional betting, it’ll be incredibly easy to win your bets. After all, you can adjust your bets while the match is happening, right?
Well, no. Sure, you can place a bet each time the tides change, but when the dust settles, will your winnings make up for the amount you’ve wagered? On top of that, if you don’t know what to expect from the competing esports teams, your bets will be 100% based on luck and that’s not what you want while actively participating in LoL live betting.
Although live betting is fairly specific, one of its biggest pros is that it keeps things fresh and exciting. Some punters prefer having to make quick adjustments to their bets or jumping from one tournament to another, trying to place a bet while in-play bets are allowed. However, this excitement could end up being your downfall.
People can get carried away when betting, especially when they see one of the two teams take the reigns and get closer to victory. This is when most inexperienced bettors make a mistake — they bet their entire bankroll, hoping to get even larger winnings. But, this is risky. If that team doesn’t end up winning, you could lose everything; so always be careful and don’t go overboard with your bets.
While it might seem enticing to react as quickly as possible after something big happens in a match (e.g. one team gets a Pentakill and Ace, wiping the other team off the map until they respawn), you should generally wait for a while before committing.
The reason for this is that certain teams aren’t as good at utilising such an advantage as others and a team that got Aced may manage to claw back and win. It’s best to carefully analyse the situation and if a team is fairly far ahead in terms of Gold and Items (ie. they’re much stronger than the other team at that point of the game), then place your bets to maximise your chances of winning.
Live betting on mobile devices is a convenient way of staying on top of the matches you want to bet on because you can carry your phone or tablet with you basically everywhere. However, not all bookies that offer live betting allow the same for mobile devices.
The good news is that most of them do, and you’ll either use their mobile-optimised websites to do it or a betting app if they have one. However, be mindful when it comes to using your mobile device because the speed with which you can react depends on your mobile internet speed. This is especially true if the bookie you’re using also provides livestreams of the matches, which will require greater internet speeds.
Live betting is arguably a more exciting way to place League of Legends bets because the situation in the match may change at any given time. It also requires more focus from the bettor due to the unpredictability and fluctuation of odds. This makes live betting somewhat riskier than pre-match betting, but also more rewarding.
As always, be mindful when betting…and may the odds be ever in your favour!
LoL live betting is the process of placing your bets during matches. Live or in-play bets allow for betting flexibility because they fluctuate based on what’s happening in the match. If it’s becoming evident that a team is getting close to victory, the odds will change accordingly.
Live betting, although fun, may be too difficult for beginners because it takes quite a bit of practice to know when to place your bets and on which team or player. Since there are a couple of factors that you need to be wary of at all times, it can be a potentially overwhelming experience for newbies.
If you’re a beginner at League of Legends betting (or esports betting overall), it’s best if you start with more traditional and easier betting markets such as match-winner bets.
There is no real answer to this question, but the odds can more often than not be better than for pre-match bets. However, if you get the timing right, you could potentially get some nice winnings. Keep in mind that esports betting should still be considered only a hobby; not a full-time source of income due to it being primarily luck-based.
bet365 and GG.BET are excellent choices for League of Legends live betting. They offer the widest range of LoL tournaments and also some superb odds.
This all depends on the bookie you choose. Certain bookies allow live betting only for the biggest League of Legends tournament — the World Championship. Others don’t differentiate between tournament prestige and size, basically allowing you to bet on all kinds of tournaments, from small regional leagues to the MSI and Worlds.
Through our in-depth guides and reviews, we are focused on providing the best insights into esports betting.