eSports betting enters mainstream bookies Betway’s top 10

Mainstream sports bookmaker’s Betway are seeing a ‘huge surge’ in eSports flutters as the launch bespoke microsite.

The company, which offers betting options across a range of sports and other entertainment, such as poker and bingo, is now looking to capitalise on increased interest from eSports bettors.

According to Marketing Director Anthony Werkman, bets from eSports such as last weekend’s CS:GO finals at ESL Cologne feature regularly in the daily top 10 sports for the site’s turnover.

Betting on eSports is huge and will only continue to grow," Werkman said. "We’ve already taken high four figure bets on everything from CS:GO and Dota 2 to League of Legends and FIFA."

Betway is entering an already fraught contest between existing eSports betting sites using virtual currencies and item economies – such as CSGO Lounge where bettors gamble cosmetic in-game skins – and international startups like Rahul Sood’s Unikrn.

However the group has significant existing infrastructure, sound legal backing – something lacking from some of the more dubious alternatives in the wild west of eSports – and, importantly, experienced new hires.

"Our new dedicated portal was designed with significant input from our own passion for eSports," Werkman said. "The team already in place has years of eSports experience, and we are determined to ensure eSports customers get the attention they deserve in this growing sport."

The types of bets range from standard First Blood/Knife Round wins to multipliers on a team’s progress through tournament brackets.

But there are also unique Specials, including the odds that Hearthstone or Dota will become a Winter Olympic sport by 2030. At 99/1 and 79/1 respectively, they’re definitely worth a punt.