Valorant Betting Sites UK

A Guide to Valorant Betting in the UK

The popularity of esports betting is still growing at a rapid rate in the UK. More and more people are trying their luck betting on the outcome of esports events and games, including on Valorant.

Even though it is only a couple of years since the release of Valorant, it has quickly become one of the top esports around. The free-to-play first-person tactical hero shooter came out in the summer of 2020, with the game having over 14 million monthly active players since its launch.

That means a huge number of people are playing Valorant and while not quite as many are betting on Valorant, it is clear this is one of the biggest game launches of the past few years.

Valorant has been compared to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive due to the similar way that matches are structured within the game. With CS:GO being one of the top esports to bet on in the UK, it was always likely Valorant's developer Riot Games would have a big hit on its hands.

But for those who are new to Valorant betting, there is a lot to get to grips with. Read our full guide for absolutely everything that you need to know about betting on Valorant in the UK.

Introduction to Valorant Betting

Valorant betting has become more and more popular in the last couple of years, with the game being played by millions of people every month. While Valorant betting was not immediately available at most major betting sites on the game's release in 2020, most will now offer this.

Betting on Valorant works in much the same way as other esports betting in the UK. While for traditionalists the idea of betting on the outcome of a video game might seem to be a bit odd, the esports betting market is now being forecast to be worth as much as $5.48 billion by 2030.

That helps to explain why there is now a large number of Valorant betting sites in the UK. Bookies are offering odds on which team comes out on top in the largest Valorant events. It is also possible to bet on individual Valorant matches both before they start and live in-play too. Indeed, some of the best Valorant betting sites in the UK even carry live streams of the action. This means fans of esports betting can place a wager on the big Valorant game of the day then tune in through their betting site account to see whether or not they picked out a winning wager.

Valorant developer Riot Games is the company behind League of Legends - which has been one of the top esports to bet on for a long time - so it is no surprise the game's growth has been rapid. Riot set up the debut tournament, First Strike, to launch Valorant as an esport to watch.

The 2022 Valorant Champions esports event was seen as a landmark occasion for the game, with lots of Valorant betting on the outcome. Held in the Turkish capital Istanbul, LOUD beat OpTic Gaming 3–1 in the finals to replace the Acend esports team as Valorant world champions.

Popular Valorant Betting Markets

A big variety of markets are now covered for those exploring Valorant league betting, including:

Outright winner: For the largest esports events in Valorant, fans can bet on the team that will win the tournament overall. These outright markets are normally offered during the event too.

Match winner: As well as the overall tournament, Valorant esports fans can bet on individual matches. Here, it is as simple as any other sports bet, users just predicting which team will win.

Handicap betting: As with many other team sports, handicap betting is widely available on Valorant. This means that one of the teams either starts with a virtual head start or a handicap.

Correct score: Those who are sure how a Valorant match is going to play out might even want to have a bet on the correct score of the match. For example, betting on one team to win 2-1.

Map 1 winner: It is even possible to place wagers on the team that wins each map at the best UK Valorant sites. This is handy for those who think a Valorant team will get off to a fast start.

Total maps: Furthermore, betting on the total number of maps that will be needed to decide the winner of a Valorant match is also a very popular option for Valorant betting in the UK as well.

Popular Valorant Betting Tournaments/Events To Bet On

UK Valorant betting sites now offer plenty of different Valorant tournaments to bet on, including:

Valorant Champions Tour: The Valorant esports scene is heavily based around the Valorant Champions Tour, which sees tournaments taking place all over the world throughout the year. In the Valorant Champions Tour - normally referred to as VCT for short - a points circuit is used.

VCT 2023 - EMEA League: This tournament - covering Europe, the Middle East and Africa - is set to be played in Berlin from March to May, with 10 Valorant teams taking part. The top six will go into the playoffs, with the best three teams progressing through to the VCT Masters event.

VCT 2023 - Americas League: A similar setup is in place for the Americas leg of the VCT, which is set to be played on the west coast of the United States, in the city of Los Angeles.

VCT 2023 - Pacific League: The South Korean city of Seoul has been named as the host of the Pacific leg of the 2023 VCT event. Again, there will be 10 teams with three going on to Masters.

VCT LOCK//IN: Billed as the biggest Valorant esports event so far, this tournament is scheduled to take place in Brazil from February 13th to March 4th. There is a prize pot of $100,000 up for grabs for the top team at the end of three weeks of intense Valorant competition in Sao Paulo.

VCT Masters: As mentioned above, the top three teams from each area of the VCT competition go through to the Masters event, which is set to be played in Japan. The final team will come from the region that wins the VCT LOCK//IN event, bringing the total number of teams up to 10.

Valorant Champions finals: At the end of the year, the top teams will compete in the Valorant Champions finals. In 2022, LOUD won the Valorant world championship after beating OpTic Gaming in the finals, with the event having been played in the Turkish capital city of Istanbul.

VCT Challengers: Players who are rising through the ranks on Valorant can compete in the Challengers series, which is a chance to cut their teeth and make their way into the VCT. During the course of 2023, Challengers is set to encompass more than 20 leagues around the world.

Understanding How Valorant Games Work

Valorant was the winner of the Best Esports Game award at the Esports Awards 2022, capping its rise to becoming arguably the top esport for betting right now - but exactly how does it work?

In the game, players play as one of a set of Agents - which are characters based on several countries and cultures - and they are assigned to be on either the attacking or defending side. Players are given 13 rounds to attack and defend using all of their gunplay and tactical abilities.

At the start of a match, Valorant players choose their characters. This adds a bit of extra flair to a game of Valorant, with the flexibility enabling more interesting and exciting matches to be held.

As each of the game's Agents has its own characteristics, every match of Valorant is different. At the moment, Valorant players can pick from 20 different Agents: Brimstone, Viper, Omen, Cypher, Sova, Sage, Phoenix, Jett, Raze, Breach, Reyna, Killjoy, Skye, Yoru, Astra, KAY/O, Chamber, Neon, Fade and Harbor. However, Riot Games regularly adds new Agents as well.

The aim of a game of Valorant is for the attacking team to successfully place a bomb, which is known in Valorant as the Spike. Defenders are tasked with either preventing the Spike to be planted, defusing it after the attackers have planted it, or eliminating all of the attacking team.

The similarities between Valorant and CS:GO have been detailed elsewhere, but those who are familiar with how CS:GO works will probably find it easy to get up to speed on Valorant quickly. Indeed, a lot of the world's best Valorant teams feature players who switched over from CS:GO.

Understanding how Valorant games work is crucial to succeeding when betting on Valorant.