Best eSports Games to Bet on in 2023
We’re expecting 2023 to be a great year for eSports betting, so have compiled a list of the best eSports games to bet on in 2023. The industry has been on the rise since the big jump during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Tournaments now offer prize pools in the tens of millions, with the biggest yet being over $40 million USD at The International 2021. Whether you’re into League of Legends, Counter Strike, or Dota 2, there will be plenty of opportunities to bet on the greatest pro gamers in the world at Bodog Sportsbook.
This year’s edition of The International will take place live in Seattle in October. The following month will see the League of Legends Worlds take place in South Korea. Those are just two of the best eSports games to bet on this year; we’ve compiled a list of the top seven events to watch for, organized by game.
League of Legends (LoL)
Mid-Season Invitational
This year’s Mid-Season Invitational will take place in London, England from May 2 to 21. The format has changed a bit since last year’s event; we’ll see a greater number of teams competing this time and there will be a play-in series with double elimination plus a bracket stage. The winning teams from all nine regions from the spring championships will qualify automatically, as well as the second-ranked teams from Europe, North America, Korea and China.
With four titles to their name, China has been the major player in this annual event, and last year was no different. China-based Royal Never Give Up finished first for the second straight year and for the third time in four years. Korea-based T1 finished second and were also the runners up at the next event on our list.
Worlds Championships 2023
Home to the most Worlds champions teams to date, South Korea will host the 13th edition of this prestigious event. This is the biggest one on the League of Legends pro calendar and it implement et some format changes this year. 22 teams will compete through three levels of play that start with the play-ins, progress to the Swiss round, and then conclude with the knockouts.
The play-ins will see eight lower-ranked teams compete, and the top two will progress through to the next stage, where they’ll join 14 teams that pre-qualified. Teams will be paired up with evenly-matched competitors, and they’ll battle until three wins or losses are achieved. The knockout portion of the tournament includes the quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals, and have a best-of-five format. Last year’s Worlds saw South Korea claim a seventh title when DRX won.
Defense of the Ancients 2 (Dota)
The International 2023
For the 12th straight year, the Dota 2 Pro Circuit season will conclude with The International, which Valve organizes. This is the richest of all eSport events, as it’s partly crowd-funded and has reached over the $40-million mark. Leading up to it, there are three competitive tours: the Spring Major, Summer Major and Winter Major. Regional teams compete in the Majors and earn DPC points. At the end of the tours, the 12 teams with the most DPC points get invitations to The International, which has a total of 20 teams competing.
In 2022, Tundra eSports swept Team Secret 3-0 in the grand finale of The International, which took place in Singapore. The only other team to sweep their opponent in the grand finale was Team Liquid in TI7. Once the teams are established for the 2023 edition, betting will open up in our sportsbook.
Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO)
Paris Major
The first of the two CS:GO Majors Championships (Majors) takes place in Paris from May 8 to 21 this year. It has a $1.25 million prize pool—the biggest of any CS:GO tournament in 2023.
Traditionally, these events have been dominated by Sweden-based teams, but last year saw a first when Russia-based Outsiders took down Heroic at the IEM Rio Major 2022. FaZe Clan won the first Major of the 2022 season: the PGL Major Antwerp in May 2022. The second Major for CS:GO 2023 has yet to be announced.
Blast World Final
Every year, the best CS:GO teams in the world compete for ultimate glory at the World Final, which is set to take place December 13 to 17 this year. The prize pool is $1 million—and those are all the details available at press time.
Last year’s World Final tournament took place in Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi and also had a $1 million prize pool up for grabs. Half of it went to the winning team: Berlin-based G2 Esports, who beat Team Liquid 2-0 for the title.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG)
PUBG Global Championship
In November, we’ll see the return of the PUBG Global Championship tournament, which is newer to the circuit. This battle royale-style game tests the survival instincts of players who parachute down onto a deserted island and fight for weapons and resources. The last team standing wins. Like the other major eSport tournaments, the winners from regional events get invitations to attend the Global Championship and the winner of the Global Championship is declared the winner for the season.
The 2022 PUBG Global Championship was held in Dubai and had a prize pool that started at $2 million and increased to over $3.3 million USD with the addition of crowd funding. Over 185,000 concurrent viewers tuned in to watch the action from their homes, and by the end, Turkey-based S2G Esports walked away with the title.
Valorant
World Championship
This first-person shooter game tests players’ tactical skills in a 5vs5 team-based format. The biggest tournament on the calendar is Valorant Champions, which has 16 teams compete for the World Championship title. Qualifiers take place world-wide, and the best team from each region advances to the next level.
This is just the third edition of Valorant World Championship; last year’s event took place in Istanbul where teams competed for a $1 million prize pool. The winner was Brazilian-based LOUD. This year’s tournament will take place in August.
So now you have our list of the best eSports games to bet on in 2023, where will you head first?