
TL;DR
- Odds are calculated and displayed differently depending on the country. The most common types of odds are moneyline, decimal, and fractional.
- No longer just an afterthought, there are now platforms, such as BetUS and GG.Bet, that are focused on esports betting.
- Factors like past wins and losses and the game’s patch all have a major impact on the odds set by operators.
Esports gambling is still a very new niche, but it’s growing every year. As esports gain popularity worldwide, more viewers are interested in placing bets on their favorite teams and athletes. Calculating esports betting odds is an essential skill for regular gamblers.
If you’d like to turn a profit, you’ll need to understand how to calculate esports betting odds and how they’re displayed in each country.
We will walk you through everything you should know about esports gambling odds and what you can bet on.
Esports betting in 2025
Esports encompass a wide range of competitive games, including first-person shooters, battle royales, and even MOBAs. You can bet on major competitions, with wagers focused on things like eliminations, victories, and even the score. The profit you can make is determined by additional factors, also known as the odds.
Odds-setting factors in esports betting
Odds-setting factors vary between different games and competitions. Bookmakers will usually use a mix of analysis and essential information to determine the statistical odds of a bet being correct. In esports, factors like past wins and losses, and the game’s patch all have a major impact when calculating the odds of a bet.
Bettors will often find the odds for a wager listed on the esports betting platform, but you can also use bet calculators on websites like EsportBetting to better understand the risks and rewards of a bet.
We’ve listed the most crucial factors in esports betting that help bookmakers determine odds.
- Map/character lineup
- A game’s latest patch
- Athlete age & experience
- Athlete performance statistics
- Team performance statistics
- Win/lose streaks
- A competition’s significance
The different types of odds
The best way to calculate esports betting odds remains the same between all systems, but there are a couple of different ways to categorize them.
Below, you’ll find an explanation for each way betting odds may be displayed, which varies based on country.
- Decimal odds – You’ll find that decimal odds are most common in Australia and some parts of Europe. Bettors multiply a specific stake by the decimal odds to calculate the return on a bet. For example, a $100 bet with odds of 3.5 would translate to a $350 return.
- Moneyline odds – Moneyline odds are primarily used in the US, but there are two versions: positive and negative odds. For positive odds, you’ll see numbers like +200, which would indicate that placing a $100 bet will earn you $200. Negative odds are less profitable but also less risky; for example, you’d only receive $100 for placing a wager of $150 on a bet with odds of -150.
- Fractional odds – Popular among bettors in the UK, fractional odds offer a transparent way to understand your potential return. If the odds are 3/1, then you’d receive $3 for every $1 you put down upon winning a bet.
A stark difference from sports betting
Physical sports and esports are different in many ways. Basketball doesn’t change its rules very often, whereas a game like Fortnite or Call of Duty offers a new competitive meta to learn in every patch.
Due to the evolutions most multiplayer video games go through, bookmakers have to consider rapidly changing factors that may influence an athlete or team’s performance. If a competitor’s main operator gets nerfed, their chances of winning the next tournament drop.
Team rosters change more often and chaotically than a traditional sports team, so substitutes and new athletes may alter your chance of winning a wager.
There are also fewer statistics to pull from for analysis while calculating odds, since esports is a very new industry compared to physical sports.
What can you bet on?
In esports betting, you can place wagers on who will win a competition, in addition to individual statistics, like the athlete with the most eliminations or goals at the end of the match. Prop bets let bettors gamble on very specific things, often making them riskier but offering higher rewards.
You can bet on all sorts of competitions for games like League of Legends, Dota, and Fortnite. Bets can even be placed while a tournament is live. Though you can gamble on many factors, there are a few bets that you may want to prioritize.
The most popular esports bets
As with sports betting, the simplest esports wagers are typically the most popular. A common example is betting on a team’s placement in a competition or a match’s winner, also known as a moneyline bet.
For esports where players’ characters can die, it’s also common to bet on which athlete will end up with the most eliminations. Certain bets require specific requirements or conditions to be met, though those are usually more niche wagers.
Esports betting platforms with the best odds
Esports betting platforms have different features. For example, some betting operators allow you to use cryptocurrency, while others don’t. The list below details a few of the most notable platforms for esports betting. Availability to use each website may vary depending on your country.
- BetUS
- GG.Bet
- 22Bet
- Thunderpick
- Betway Esports
- BetWhale
- MyBookie
Disclaimer: Gambling carries financial risk and can lead to addiction. Always gamble responsibly, play within your limits, and never bet more than you can afford to lose.
Understanding odds
The odds of winning each bet are important to understand, as well as the best websites to place bets on in 2025. Esports betting will likely only get bigger as competitive gaming grows in popularity, so gamblers should study now to avoid being left in the dust.
Bet probability is the biggest hurdle you’ll face when entering esports betting.
Calculating the odds is the most difficult part of making a wager, but with the tips you’ve learned here, you can better understand how to calculate odds of winning in your country.
FAQs
Esports betting odds are calculated by bookmakers while taking into account a plethora of factors, like athlete performance and previous wins. By understanding how athletes and teams perform against one another, experts can analyze a match or competition for the most likely odds. Countries also have separate ways of displaying the odds of a wager.
Fans can start calculating esports betting odds by considering the primary influencing factors of a match, like how an athlete performs on certain maps or a previous win streak. The decimal, fractional, and moneyline systems help simplify how bettors determine the reward and risk of a wager.
There are a variety of betting odds calculators that can help you determine which wagers are worth it and convert the odds to your preferred system. EsportBetting offers one of the best esports betting calculators geared toward competitive gaming tournaments.