New Zealand
Players Welcome
As with regular sports betting, online eSports NZ betting offers up the opportunity to put money on individual matches as well as popular tournaments. Outright, or tournament betting, is a popular concept to most NZ punters, with plenty of people placing wagers on events like the NBA championships, the Formula One series, the MLB World Series, Wimbledon, the Australian Open and the Big Bash League.
Tournament bets can include predicting the outright winner, the teams to reach the finals; group winners and which group the winner will emerge from. Bets can be placed weeks or even months in advance, which means you tend to get higher odds and better value.
If you are keen to get into betting on eSports, take a look at some of the most popular tournaments in the industry to give yourself a head start.
League of Legends World Championship
League of Legends (LoL) tops the list of popular MOBA games. The LoL World Championships is the premier tournament in the industry, and consists of multiple events held throughout the year. Seeded teams from different regions participate in the multi-stage event leading to the round-robin finals, which are played as a single-elimination competition. The top teams then head to the main event, which is the highlight of the electronic sports calendar, and the ideal opportunity for punters to get their wagers in.
Dota 2: The International
Defence of the Ancients 2, more commonly known as Dota 2, is one of the most popular MOBA games in the genre. If you are going to be betting on eSports, Dota 2 is a good place to start. The International is the largest and most prestigious competition in the world. and one with the highest prize money. Hosed by Valve, the International attracts thousands of visitors to the stadium while the games are streamed live to millions of viewers around the world.
ESL Pro League
The ESL Pro League is one of the largest and most popular eSports leagues in the industry. Organised by ESL, the world’s largest provider, the Pro League is a multi-stage tournament where the top CS:GO teams go head to head for a chance to collect their share of $1 million in prize money. Running successfully for over six years, the main event is the finals, which is held at a live stadium and streamed across the globe.
Intel Extreme Masters
The Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) is the longest running electronic gaming competition in the world. Hosted by Intel, the event is ideal for punters who want bet on multiple games on the same event. The IEM is a global multi-event tournament where teams compete in multiple games and genres. The games featured include Overwatch, StarCraft, League of Legends and Counterstrike. For eSports NZ betting, the IEM provides ample opportunities for all types of wagers. The last IEM event attracted over 173 thousand spectators, as well as 43 million online viewers.
Capcom Cup
The Capcom Cup was the first official competition dedicated to the popular fighting game Street Fighter V. The inaugural event took place in 2013 and was a resounding success. Since then, it has increased in popularity as the best players gather once a year to do battle for bragging rights and their share of the generous prize pool.
The Capcom Cup is strictly an invitational event where the top 32 players in the world compete in round-robin event. While it is certainly not one of the biggest eSports Leagues, the Capcom Cup does have its advantages. For punters, it provides unique opportunity to bet on markets normally not seen at bookmakers.
These are just some of the more popular competitions, but as the sport gets bigger and bigger, there are plenty more that are up and coming.