CSGO Betting Sites

A Complete Guide to CSGO Esports Betting

With more UK betting sites opting to embrace esports betting in recent times, this is an area of the industry many top experts believe is set to explode over the course of the next few years.

CSGO esports betting is one of the main areas seeing its popularity rise at a rapid rate, with more and more people opting to place wagers on the outcome of the video game contests.

With CSGO - which stands for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive - long having been seen as one of the best esports in the world, it makes sense it has become one of the top esports to bet on. The fact that the multiplayer tactical first-person shooter was released about a decade ago does not seem to be affecting its popularity despite the rise of Valorant and other more recent titles.

For those who have no experience of esports betting, it might seem strange to place wagers on the outcome of people playing a video game. But CSGO esports betting is especially popular among the younger generation, many of whom are more interested in esports than 'real' sport.

Anyone who wants to get started with betting on CSGO will probably have questions about how CSGO betting works, which CSGO betting markets to target and what tournaments are the best.

Introduction to CSGO Esports Betting

CSGO was released all the way back in 2012, becoming the fourth game in the hugely popular Counter-Strike series, following in the footsteps of the original Counter-Strike, Counter-Strike: Condition Zero and Counter-Strike: Source, which was a remake of the original Counter-Strike.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, which is developed by Valve and Hidden Path Entertainment, sees two teams face off in a battle for supremacy. In the game, the two CSGO teams - the Terrorists and the Counter-Terrorists, take each other on in objective-based game modes.

Global Offensive is often described as having one of the world's most popular esport scenes, with betting on CSGO naturally having become very popular over the course of the last decade. Valve-sponsored tournaments are known as Major Championships and are typically seen as the most prestigious to win in the world of CSGO esports, with betting on them particularly popular.

ELEAGUE Major 2017, which took place in the Fox Theatre, saw the first Global Offensive professional games broadcast, paving the way for esports to hit the mainstream. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic saw a lot of sports have to pause their action, with esports stepping in.

Today, many of the best CSGO gambling sites in the UK offer both pre-match and live in-play betting, as they would for other sports such as football, golf, cricket, tennis and so on. It is also often possible to stream live esports when betting on CSGO, with the sector still developing.

Popular CSGO Betting Markets

For those who are new to betting on CSGO, it can be hard to know where to start. Next up in our full guide to CSGO esports betting is an introduction to some top CSGO betting markets:

Outright winner: Naturally, for some of the top CSGO tournaments and events to bet on, the outright market is one of the most popular. Here, those who are betting on CSGO simply need to accurately predict which team will be crowned the champions at the end of the event.

Match odds: For each match in some of the main CSGO and events, it is also possible to bet on which team will be the victor. The match odds markets for CSGO work in exactly the same way as they do for other sports such as football, though of course there is no draw option here.

Handicap odds: As with some of the top sports to bet on in the UK like football, many CSGO betting sites also have handicap odds available to browse as well. The handicap is a great option as CSGO betting sites for matches where one team is strongly expected to win.

Total maps: Another option when betting on CSGO is to predict the total number of maps that will be needed in order to find the winner of the contest. This is displayed as an over/under a figure that works in the same kind of way as over/under goals markets in a sport like football.

Map winner: It is also possible to bet on the winner of each map at CSGO betting sites as well. This can be a good way for people to find value when betting on CSGO matches in the UK.

Correct score: As with sports like football, CSGO betting sites often offer correct score markets too. As the name suggests, users must guess the final score of the CSGO contest for this one.

Popular CS:GO Betting Tournaments and Events to Bet On

Betting on CSGO involves deciding which events and tournaments to bet on. The number of CSGO esports events it is possible to bet on is growing all the time, but the main options are:

Intel Extreme Masters: Claiming to be the longest-running global pro gaming tour in the world, the Intel Extreme Masters features various esports but CSGO is one of the most popular. IEM events take place throughout the year but the season finale is held in the Polish city of Katowice.

ESL Pro League: Established in 2015, the ESL Pro League is based in four regions: Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Oceania. Composed of 24 teams each season, ESL contests are known for being particularly unpredictable but this makes them very exciting to bet on as well.

BLAST Premier: Describing itself as the most explosive, engaging and entertaining esports event in the world, BLAST Premier is definitely one of the most exciting tournaments for CSGO betting in the UK. At BLAST Premier events, the season is split into spring and fall events with the action taking place both in Europe and in North America. The next world final of the BLAST Premier CSGO tournament is set to be held in December 2022, taking place in Abu Dhabi.

Champion of Champions Tour: This new global CSGO circuit is jointly organised by multiple tournament operators including the likes of FACEIT, Eden Esports, Relog Media, Black Molly Entertainment and Fantasyexpo, so there are a lot of organisations trying to make this work. With over 10,000 hours of broadcasting, the CCT is set to be a breakthrough CSGO event.

How CSGO Esports Games Work

For those who have never tried esports betting, working out how CSGO esports games work can be quite confusing. CSGO seems rather impenetrable at first, but it is quick to pick up. During a battle, two teams fight for control of a map, with strategy seen as being the key.

One team in each CSGO match takes the role of the terrorists (Ts), while the opposing team represents the counter-terrorists (CTs). Pro CSGO games are normally played in the 5 vs. 5 competition mode, where the Ts grab a bomb that must be placed in a special location. The aim is then to take out as many of the CT players as possible when the bomb goes off.