Esports has undergone a massive boom in popularity over the past decade, and has gone from a fun way to pass a few hours to a developed, organised group of sporting competitions. After Picklebet led the way by opening up as a dedicated esports betting site in 2017, many other bookies have followed suit, and there is now a broad range of different esports betting sites and markets available to punters. Below, we’ll dive into where you can find the best range of esports markets, when to expect the biggest tournaments and more.
Best Esports Betting Sites Australia
How to Bet on Esports Australia
Esports punters are spoilt for choice when it comes to betting on esports in Australia, with a huge range of different betting sites offering markets for numerous esports leagues. To bet on them, take a look out our exhaustive list of Australian esports betting sites a couple of sections below.
Generally, if a betting site has esports betting markets available, you’ll find them in the list of ‘Sports’. Most esports bookies will have odds for various competitions, so if you click on the ‘esports’ link you’ll likely find a list of different esports types that you can bet on – for example, ‘fifa esports betting’, ‘lol esports betting’ or ‘csgo esports betting’.
There are a couple of exceptions to this. Given they started as a dedicated esports betting site, it’s no surprise that Picklebet has an entire section for it; on their site you’ll see a horse head symbolling racing, a jersey symbolising sports, and a controller symbolising esports. Likewise, BetRight has a separate section for esports; you’ll find it, believe it or not, under the title ‘esports’.
Esports Betting Markets
The kinds of markets that you can expect to find when betting on esports depends on the site, but the best esports betting sites, those with the most comprehensive selection, have no shortage of choices for you to browse. Obviously the range depends on the particular esports that you are betting on, but these are some types of markets that you can expect to find.
Head-to-head
No matter what esport event you’re betting on, at the end of it there will be a winner and a loser. As a result, you’ll find head-to-head markets for everything from NBA 2K to Call of Duty, generally right up the top of the list of things you can bet on for a particular event.
Line betting
Line betting is a very common bet type for regular sports, and while it varies in exactly what it means for esports it is generally available in one form or another. For actual computer sports such as NBA 2K and FIFA, this market is pretty simple to understand – one team gets a handicap, the other a headstart.
The same essentially applies for other types of esports, though what the line refers to differs a bit. For Dota 2, for example, you’ll find line markets which relate to the number of maps – so a line of -1.5, for example, indicates that team needs to win by 2 maps or more.
Totals
Again, this is a bet which you’ll find with most esports but which can differ in exactly what it means depending on the sport. Like with line betting, totals markets for sports-based games are easy to follow – you’ll get a points total, and you either bet on the over or the under, just as you would for a regular sports game.
For combat games, the total will often once again be related to the number of maps. Most of these games will be played as ‘best of x maps’, with the game ending when one player wins enough maps. If it’s a best of 5 maps game, for example, over 3.5 maps essentially means you’re betting on neither player winning 3-0, and at least four maps being needed as a result.
Outright winner
Betting on esports is not only limited to individual matches. Basically every one-on-one game you’ll come across in esports is part of a larger tournament, so with most Australian esports betting sites you can also bet on the outcome of the tournament overall. Typically this will just be in the form of outright winner, though some bookies might offer more detailed futures markets too.
What Esports Can You Bet On?
Gone are the days of yesteryear where esports referred to games like Mario Kart and Mario Party and your opponent was predominantly the computer, or a friend or two who had to be physically sitting next to you. Now, you can play a massive number of different games against players from all over the world, which opens up the possibility of competitions and betting markets for a huge range of different esports.
The number available to bet on depends on the betting site, but below are some of the most popular that you’ll come across.
NBA 2K
NBA 2K is one of the most popular sports-based esports in the world. The basketball video game was first developed way back in 1999, but a quick look at the graphics from that edition and it’s pretty safe to say that the game has come a long way since. Now, there are big money tournaments played around the world, with a range of markets available on them.
eSoccer
The bookies generally call it eSoccer to cater for numerous specific types of soccer-related video games, though obviously FIFA is the most well-known among them. Included bet types for this popular sporting game are much the same as the common bet types for real soccer – such as head-to-head, handicap and total goals.
Call of Duty
Call of Duty is a first-person based shooter game which was first released back in 2003. It had its moment in the sun as the game that everyone was talking about, and while it now has plenty of competitors it remains a massively popular esport both for gamers, and for punters.
Counter Strike
Counter Strike refers to a series of different first-person shooter games, with Counter Strike: Global Offensive the one which you will often see bulk betting markets for. The Counter Strike major tournaments which take place a couple of times every year are the biggest esports events both from a punting and viewership perspective in the world.
League of Legends (LoL)
League of Legends was first released in 2009 by Riot Games, and has since become one of the biggest gaming franchises in the world. There are some absolutely massive LoL tournaments which go on throughout the course of the year, gluing millions of people to their TVs, computers of whatever it is they stream it on, and generating plenty of revenue for betting sites.
Dota 2
Now to Dota 2, which was released in 2013 as a sequel to Defence of the Ancients. This is an online battle arena game, and while its biggest tournaments can’t match it with Counter Strike: Global Offensive or League of Legends for popularity, they come in as a healthy third.
Valorant
Valorant is another tactical first-person shooter game which was published by Riot Games, and which boasts plenty of the same features as Counter Strike. Developed in 2020, it doesn’t yet have the popularity of its more advanced cousin, but there are plenty of significant Valorant tournaments which go on throughout the year.
Honor of Kings
Honor of Kings, sometimes also called King of Glory, is a Chinese online battle arena game which was first launched in 2015. You won’t find markets for this more niche game – at least, niche in Australia – as regularly as for games like LoL and Counter Strike, but there is still plenty to sink your teeth into.
Rainbow Six
Rainbow Six has been one of the most influential tactical shooter games in history. Developed by Ubisoft Montreal and released in 2015, its had a big impact on boosting the popularity of tactical shooter games and remains a popular one among gamers.
Overwatch
Overwatch is another first-person shooter game which doesn’t have tournaments at the level of many other leagues on this list, but for which you’ll still find plenty of markets when they roll around. Punctuated by its funky future-based aesthetic, it’s a team-based action game with plenty of fans.
Rocket League
Clearly, the bulk of esports that you can bet on are action-based games, but Rocket League is a little different. This is a vehicular soccer game, which is basically exactly what it sounds like – you drive a car around and try to put a ball in the back of a net. Markets for Rocket League are more limited, but you can find the ones you’d expect like head-to-head, totals and handicap.
Starcraft
Starcraft is another slightly more obscure esport, but one which you can nonetheless bet on. It’s a military science fiction franchise set in the 26th century, and is based around a battle for supremacy among for different species.
Biggest Esports Betting Tournaments
Throughout the course of the year, there are numerous esports tournaments which capture the attention of the esports fanbase like few others. By and large the biggest events are for Counter Strike and League of Legends, and invariably, these are the events for which there is the most interest from punters and the broadest selection of markets as a result. These are some of the biggest esports betting tournaments on this year’s calendar.
Blast.TV Austin Major 2025
The first Counter Strike Major championship took place in Copenhagen in 2024, and these majors have rapidly risen to the top of the tree in terms of interest in an esports tournament. The first edition of 2025 drew nearly 2 million viewers at its peak, and had a projected betting value of more than $200 million.
LCK 2025 Season
LCK refers to League of Legends Champions Korea, which is the biggest LoL competition in South Korea. There are two seasons per year, with more than 1.5 million viewers watching at one point and over $100 million in projected betting value.
IEM
IEM refers to the Intel Extreme Masters, for which there are numerous editions throughout the course of the year. The January 2025 edition in Poland boasted a massive $1.25 million prize pool and drew in nearly 1.3 million viewers at its peak, while a few months later the Melbourne incarnation of the event put up similar numbers.
List of Esports Betting Sites
Take a look below at the list of sites for esports betting in Australia.
Brand Name | Why We Like Them | Special Feature |
PlayUp | High-quality mobile app | Esports live betting available |
Unibet | Massive range of markets | Fast withdrawal feature |
BoomBet | Aussie-owned and operated | High-quality BoomBet blog |
Dabble | Adds a social element to betting | Follow other punters’ bets |
Betr | Elite mobile app | Great range of bonuses and promos |
EliteBet | Competitive odds for a new betting site | HOT Bets feature |
Bet365 | Huge selection of esports markets and great odds | Massive live streaming range |
Palmerbet | Covers all angles including head-to-head markets and specific in-game bets | Cash out feature available |
BetRight | Specific esports-dedicated section on website and app | Ability to ‘request a market’ |
FAQs About Esports Betting
Let’s finish things off by taking a look at some of the most frequently asked questions punters have about esports betting.
Can you bet on esports?
Yep, and this page would be a serious waste of time if you couldn’t! Esports betting might be a little more niche than, for example, betting on footy or rugby and often new betting sites won’t offer it, but there is still plenty of interest in it and many bookies that do have markets for it as a result.
How does esports betting work?
Just in the way that betting on sports or racing does. Simply locate a betting site that provides esports betting market – you can check out our full list of esports betting sites in Australia above – locate their esports betting section and scroll through the available markets to find what you wish to bet on.
Is esports betting legal?
It is, and we wouldn’t be writing about it at Australianbettingsites if it wasn’t. Betting on esports is every bit as legal in Australia as betting on sports or racing, provided that you are using a licensed and regulated site, which all of those we have mentioned on this page are.
Is esports betting profitable?
That depends how good you are at it! With most niche sports, the potential to make a profit is certainly there if you know what you are doing because betting sites simply don’t put as many resources into the development of the odds. As a result there is more likely to be value available – finding that value, of course, is a different story entirely, and as always requires a combination of knowledge, research and discipline.
What is esports betting?
Esports betting is simply the process of punting on the range of different competitions collectively known as esports. This includes sports-based games such as NBA 2K and FIFA, as well as combat games like Counter Strike, Call of Duty and League of Legends.
How to win esports betting?
There is no one way to ensure that you win when esports betting, just like there is no surefire way to win betting on sports or racing. It’s simply a question of predicting what is going to happen better than the bookies, doing your research, and remaining disciplined.
How to research esports betting?
There is obviously a wealth of resources available when it comes to things like AFL tips and NRL tips, but what about something like esports? You might not have quite as many people putting in their two cents when it comes to upcoming esports events as you do for major sports – though that’s not necessarily a bad thing! There are still plenty of esports tips out there, and certain forums are also a great way to get a little more info on expected outcomes.
How big is esports betting?
Esports betting clearly doesn’t have the reach of more mainstream sports and racing, and you’ll have a lot more choice for soccer betting, tennis betting and the like. The biggest esports leagues, however, still get a huge amount of interest from punters. The biggest esports event in 2025 had a projected betting value of over $200 million, the second at over $100 million, and plenty more sit not all that far below.
What apps have esports betting?
There are a growing number of betting apps that offer esports betting. Take a look at our exhaustive list of esports betting websites above to find out which apps will have markets available.