Esports betting in the United States is one of the fastest-developing hobbies. As the country has hundreds of millions of esports fans, the esports betting industry has managed to find a way and thrive. There are many factors that determine the success of the best USA esports betting sites today. For the most part, though, it all comes down to esports fans' desire to be a part of the action. One way to achieve this is through esports wagering on the biggest events of the year or the week.
As a result, the United States has numerous esports betting sites that offer you a chance to be a part of this action yourself. Players who wish to place an online esports bet need not worry about the legality of the industry. In fact, esports bettors are free to access all websites and place the esports bets they like best. To make sure that you have access to the best esports games, markets, odds, and selections, though, we have made sure to go through the list of available esports betting sites ourselves and shortlist those options that would make the most sense to US players. Let's take a look.
Best Esports Betting Sites USA
As you can imagine, there are many esports betting sites out there. Some are based in the United States directly, while others are designated as offshore betting sites which operate without a license from a recognized esports body in North America. We have made sure to shortlist only those esports betting sites that you can trust, regardless of their regulation status. They include:
- Cloudbet
- FortuneJack
- 1xBit
- BetOnline
- Bovada
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These US esports betting sites have repeatedly proven that they are trustworthy, bring you a variety of free bets, great odds value, and cover an extensive variety of markets and esports games. Those include titles such as League of Legends, Dota 2, Valorant, Apex Legends, CS:GO, and numerous others.
While not all of these brands are regulated betting sites, they still make sure that the esports markets you get access to are fair and well-balanced, and that you can bet on major esports tournaments around the clock. The betting markets featured at these brands are also tailored to the needs of casual and sharp esports bettors.
These brands are considered legal USA betting sites from the standpoint of players, but they may be unavailable in certain states depending on local jurisdiction and current rules. Overall, choosing any of these brands would provide USA esports fans with a rich selection of betting opportunities on competitive video gaming.
How to Pick the Top Esports Betting Sites in the USA?
Choosing the right esports betting site as a USA esports fan is not that hard. What you need to focus on are several factors that will help you establish the credentials of the brand. For starters, you can quickly refer to one of our reviews here on Esports Grizzly. We have made sure to succinctly communicate each operator's strengths and weaknesses. Moving past that, there are other things that determine whether betting sites are actually worth your while. Here is the factors we take into consideration.
- Reliable Betting Brand: We always want to make sure that the esports betting sites we recommend are reliable. This means that we will carefully inspect every detail about an esports betting site. This includes mostly their reputation and honoring payouts. If those are met, we move on to the next factors.
- Legality and Licenses: It's often important to play at websites that have been licensed or have the right regulatory credentials. While some esports betting sites in the United States continue to operate offshore, we are confident that many of them constitute a safe place for US esports fans. Therefore, we only recommend the best esports betting websites while considering their legal status in the United States. For more details, you may look up our dedicated reviews.
- Esports Markets and Games: Online wagering on esports should come with a strong selection of markets to bet on. When you bet on esports, you want to have a variety of games, whether those are multiplayer online battle arena titles such as Dota 2 or LoL or first-person shooters such as the Overwatch League, Rainbow Six Siege, or Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. We make sure the sites we recommend have these and more.
- Esports Betting Markets: Apart from esports games, what makes some brands better at esports betting USA is the variety of specific markets. This means that esports bettors are looking to wager on more than just the match winners. This is where totals, spreads, parlays, and proposition bets are important.
- Easy Banking and Cashing Out: Last but hardly least, we factor in how easy it is to cash out your money from the esports betting site. Some brands, such as Bovada Esports make it particularly easy through the use of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies which guarantee very quick turnarounds.
Overall, each of these criteria plays a particularly important part in determining which esports betting sites are better for American bettors. We have made sure to carefully go through each and every one of them so that we know what to expect a little better.
Is Esports Betting Legal in the USA?
Yes, esports betting laws in the United States are already making it possible for esports aficionados to bet on video games and do so legally. Presently, no US state prohibits esports betting explicitly when you are doing so as a player. There are still some prohibitions about running esports betting sites but legal esports betting is becoming the norm. We have covered the issue at some length in our dedicated blog post entitled “Legal Esports Betting in the USA“.
Essentially, what you need to know right now is that there are over a dozen states in the United States that have made it completely legal to run online betting sites that cover esports markets. Meanwhile, there are many other betting sites that run their operations “offshore” and offer legitimate selections and esports matches coverage.
As a bettor, it's completely legal for you to bet on esports at an online sportsbook that you can trust provided that you meet the minimum gambling age requirement which will differ based on what state you are based in. Most American esports betting sites expect you to be at least 21 years of age, but some accept wagers from 18. Once again, this must be verified with your state legislation.
In a word, the esports legal status is still debatable but USA gamers of the appropriate age may go ahead and place their wagers just the same. The Amateur Sports Protection Act has now been struck down, which always USA's gaming fans to bet online and support their favorite esports teams. Whether this is the League of Legends World Championships, the Intel Extreme Masters for StarCraft II, or something else, there are tons of events to bet on.
What Esports Games Can You Bet on in the USA?
Esports betting sites in the United States offer extensive coverage of extensive esports games, including RTS games, FPS titles, and massive online battle arena simulators such as League of Legends, Dota 2, and others. There are other titles, including digital card games that you can also bet on, represented by Magic: The Gathering and Hearthstone. Overall, the games you can bet on are many and varied.
Esports bookmakers in the USA will cover popular franchises and games, including StarCraft II, Warcraft III, Age of Empires IV. There will be extensive coverage for Dota 2 and League of Legends, but the esports industry is bigger than that. The biggest esports events there also include coverage of Overwatch and Call of Duty by Activision Blizzard.
Other viable esports betting markets include Rocket League, Apex Legends, R6, Honor of Kings, Fortnite, Valorant, FIFA, PUBG, NBA2K, and even Garena Free Fire. Whether all of these esports titles are covered at all online bookies available is another matter, but you will always find a mix of betting options readily available for you.
There is no obligation to bet on any esports title that you are not familiar with, but the sheer variety of markets is reason enough to see why esports betting in the USA is thriving. Players and fans are welcome to place a bet on those titles that they understand best.
Online sports betting laws are currently being modified in places such as Nevada, which signals an even stronger adoption of the industry. More is to come so stay tuned as these developments take place in real-time.
Top Esports Events You May Bet on in the USA
Esports is a global phenomenon and because most esports online are available in every part of the world, there is no particular need to only bet on tournaments that are taking place in the United States. If anything, US esports fans are very welcome to bet on any tournaments no matter where they are taking place and which the hosting country is. Some of the biggest events to look forward to usually include:
- ESL Pro League
- BLAST Premier
- Dota Pro Circuit
- League of Legends Championship Series (LCS)
- Overwatch League
- Call of Duty League
- Valorant Challengers
- Fortnite World Cup
There are naturally many other events that take place all over the world and are extensively covered by esports sites in the USA. Players can effectively bet on every regional Dota 2 or League of Legends event by simply picking the right online sportsbooks first.
There is no need to bet on the events with big cash prizes only. The way esports betting works is to reward those players who have made the best wagers. That is why any mainstream esports event is possible of yielding a great and valuable online gambling opportunity. In other words, you don't have to bet on American esports only as there are dozens of high-profile events out there.
What Esports Bets Can I Place?
Esports betting USA can be a lot of fun and to enjoy it yourself you may want to be familiar with the types of bets sites accept. So, when you bet on esports, you will probably first think about Match Winner bets. Those are the type of wagers where you pick a side and back it up to win.
In a Best of 3 series, for example, a Match Winner is a team that wins 2 out of 3 games, regardless of the score, i.e. 2-1 or 2-0. Then, there are other options as well. For example, you may bet on Correct Score – this is a proposition bet.
There are many great and valuable esports wagering opportunities here. For example, you may know that a team will lose the series, but you feel confident that they are going to score at least one game. |this is where a Correct Score can be quite worthwhile.
Totals count the total games, points, kills, and so on scored in a game. Then there are the prop bets or Proposition Bets where you will be asked to bet on particular outcomes of each game. Players are welcome to bet on which team would score first blood or which team would capture the first flag, destroy the first building in one of the games, and so on.
These bets vary and they also depend on the game you are playing. Overall, there are many esports betting options out there and the best esports betting sites available in the USA will make sure to provide you with those and more. Online betting is fun, quick and easy and by choosing the most trustworthy websites, you are in for a treat.
Esports Betting Sites in the USA: Final Word
Overall, US esports wagering is quite vibrant. The United States has one of the most developed esports scenes and naturally – one of the most active esports betting crowds. There are millions of people in the country who enjoy esports and a good number of those people are happy to place their online esports bets.
As the country moves towards the full and official regulation of esports betting, we can only expect more such opportunities to become available to fans. Betting sites will be securing licenses from state authorities which will make them even more legitimate in the eyes of fans and betting enthusiasts. Stick with our list of the best esports betting sites in the USA in the meantime for the best esports wagers.
FAQs
Is esports betting legal in the United States?
Yes, esports betting is legal in the USA. Some states are already formally authorizing betting sites to operate and offer esports bets. Other states do not prohibit players from participating in esports betting.
What's the legal betting age for esports in the USA?
21. In most cases, the legal betting age on esports in the United States is 21. Some states may make an exception and list their legal betting age as 18. It's important to always double-check what the legal age that applies to you is.
What esports titles can I bet on in the US?
You can bet on virtually every esports game out there from League of Legends to Overwatch, to Rocket League, and more. CS:GO, R6, Call of Duty and dozens of others are available options to bet on esports online in the United States.
What is the best esports betting site in the United States?
BetOnline.ag. However, this depends. BetOnline.ag is not licensed directly in the United States and you may want to stick with DraftKings or FanDuel, depending on what state you are based in.
