Gaming seemingly went from this niche thing to a billion-dollar industry overnight. Now, adults of all ages are fully invested in the many sectors of gaming. The rise has been driven primarily by first-person shooters and sports titles.
There is another sector of the online gaming world that has grown in popularity: eSports. Some of the most popular games like Fortnite and Dota 2 have become popular enough that online sportsbooks have added them to the catalog. Here are the most popular titles that garner action at online sportsbooks.
Fortnite
As hard as it might be to believe,New Jersey Sports betting and other places has come to include wagering on professional gamers. As one of the most popular titles in the entire gaming world, Fortnite has naturally emerged as a top title to wager on at online sportsbooks.
The gaming behemoth has generated more than $174 million in total prize money since being released in 2017. Major tournaments like the Fortnite Fall Skirmish Series and Fortnite World Cup Finals bring in millions of viewers online, providing a litany of betting scenarios to choose from. Bettors can wager on things like the number of kills by a player, who will win each round, and who will win the tournament as a whole. Just like traditional sports betting, eSports wagers have evolved to become even more comprehensive.
Dota 2
Speaking of giants in the gaming world, Dota 2 has awarded the most prize money of any eSports game. The sequel to Defense of the Ancients: All-Stars, Dota 2 has become extremely popular all throughout both North America and Europe. The International tournament is one of the reasons that more than $340 million in prize money has been awarded.
The game is typically played in teams of five. Each team must defend their area of the map and can win the game by destroying the “Ancient,” a structure in the other team’s base. Like Fortnite, bettors can wager on a wide array of things throughout the tournament, ratcheting up the already intense action.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Valve Corporation delivers again with a monster title in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. First-person shooters have become arguably the biggest niche in all of gaming. Though the most popular titles come from the Call of Duty series, CS:GO has managed to become the second-most bet on eSports title so far.
Released in 2012, CS:GO tournaments – like the PGL Major Stockholm – have handed out $162 million in total prize money. The fourth edition in the Counter-Strike series, the game features two teams: terrorists and counter-terrorists. The former plants bombs and takes hostages while the latter attempts to undo it all. A simple, yet effective premise that has kept millions of viewers coming back for more than a decade.
League of Legends
One of the oldest of the eSports mainstays, League of Legends has been out since 2009. During that time, it has emerged as a favorite in the eSports betting world, garnering more than $105 million in total prize money awarded in that time. The LoL World Championship is one of the most-watched events of the eSports year.
The gameplay itself is quite similar to that of Dota 2, though Legends hit the market first. Two teams, with either three or five players on each side, battle it out by attempting to destroy a structure. In Legends, that structure is called the “Nexus” and is also located within the opposition’s base. Many of the top players come from the Far East, with names like Ho Seong Lee and Jun Sik Bae dominating the tournament landscape.
