Esports Betting vs Sports Betting, Which is Better

Competition is one of the most natural things about humans. We like to compete with each other to see who is the best at a particular skill. To do that, we have sports like football and basketball. With the help of advancements in technology, we also have access to esports. 

Where there is competition, there are bets to be made. People have been making bets on competitive events since the first-ever sporting events. Both esports betting and sports betting are super popular these days. If you want to learn more about esports betting and sports betting and which is better, you are in the right place. Here is our extensive take on esports versus sports betting.

Differences Between Esports Betting & Sports Betting

To understand which type of betting is better, we need to understand the differences between esports betting and sports betting. To help you with that, here are some of the major differences between esports betting and sports betting. 

Events

As you probably already know, the main difference between esports betting and sports betting is the events. For esports betting, you place bets on events for competitive video games. 

For example, you can bet on the Intel Extreme Masters for CSGO or the Global Series finals for Apex Legends. While these events might happen in one building with all the competing players in the same place, the games are played digitally on a computer. 

On the other hand, you bet on competitive events for regular sports in sports betting. For example, you can place bets on the finals for football or maybe the NBA finals. You can also place bets on other sporting events like horse racing or dog racing.

Unlike esports events, sporting events take place physically. In other words, players physically enter the field and compete with each other using their skills, whereas players play video games on a computer or maybe a game console.

Betting Markets

The other difference between esports betting and sports betting is the betting markets. You can think of betting markets as betting options or possible outcomes in a particular event. The types of possible outcomes are different for esports and regular sports events.

For example, think about sports like basketball and football. One possible outcome in a football or a basketball match is that a particular team wins the match. Other possibilities include Team A getting the first goal, Team B getting 10 points first, or the competition ending with a particular score. All these are betting markets, or, in other words, possible outcomes where you can place bets. 

Now, think of video games like CSGO or Dota 2. Matches for these games might have possibilities, like Player A getting the first kill, Team A becoming the first to destroy all towers or Team B becoming the first to kill Roshan. All of these betting markets are way different than betting markets for regular sports. 

With that said, there are some similar betting markets for both esports betting and sports betting. For example, Team A wins the match, the match ends at a particular score, and the match gets drawn. There are betting markets available for both esports betting and sports betting. 

Predictability & Betting Odds

Another significant difference between sports betting and esports betting is the predictability of the two. Sports matches are much more predictable. For example, let's say a football match is going on between one of the top teams in the world and a team that is not as skilled. It is highly unlikely that the team with the lower skill level will win the match. 

Not only that, but the decision of a sports match usually gets made within the first half. Comebacks are very rare in sporting events. Because of the predictability of regular sports events, betting odds usually don't change much as the match progresses. 

On the other hand, esports betting is much more unpredictable. It is common to see the underdog team win against some of the top teams in esports matches. One of the reasons for this is that new and talented players are entering the esports scene almost every other day. 

Also, the outcome of an esports match changes within a few seconds. The outcome of a match can change in the final few minutes, with a team making an unpredictable comeback. For that reason, the odds of esports betting also keep on changing. 

Luck

One of the main reasons why esports betting is more unpredictable than sports betting is because of luck. When it comes to regular sports, luck is rarely a factor that affects the outcome of a match. 

On the other hand, esports matches have a ton of variability. Take Apex Legends, for example. Where the final circle is and what loot a player gets are both factors that may determine which team wins. Both of those are completely random and won't be affected by a player's skill level. 

Length Of Matches

If you are into live betting, the length of a match probably matters a lot to you. It is also an area where esports betting and sports betting are different. Sports matches generally tend to be on the longer side. On average, an NBA match lasts 2 hours. Some sporting events last even longer, like cricket, which can have matches taking over 7 hours to end. 

On the other hand, esports matches are much shorter. An average Dota 2 match lasts around 40 minutes. However, it can also end in under 30 minutes. The same is true for other games like CSGO and Valorant. 

Number Of Matches

Since the length of matches is different between esports and sports, the number of matches held to decide the victor is also different. It is extremely rare to see more than one match taking place to crown the winner in regular sports. Take football finals, for example. There is only one final match, and the winner of the match is the winner of the entire tournament.

On the other hand, esports matches have best-of-three or even best-of-five style matches for the finals quite often. It only makes sense that matches that end within 30 minutes would have this format for the finals. You can't expect a best of three for matches that can take over 2 hours to end.

Which Is Better?

Both esports betting and sports betting have certain differences. Esports betting can be much more exciting because of the unpredictability of esports matches. Also, the esports betting space is expanding at a rapid pace, with new titles entering the esports scene. On the other hand, sports betting can be much more reliable because of its predictability. 

However, either one of the two is not better than the other. Which type of betting you choose, between esports betting and sports betting, depends on which you are an expert in. If you have been playing a particular esports game and know a lot about it, it doesn't make sense to start betting on horse racing. For that reason, you should pick the type based on what interests you and where your expertise is.