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Just like the world of traditional sports, competitive gaming also attracts an audience interested in predicting the outcome of the matches, looking to bet on esports. Naturally, the demand brought along a supply of such opportunities, and now we can safely say that esports betting is very similar to what it’s like when it comes to regular sports.

Which are the most popular esports?

League of Legends: the Riot juggernaut

Ask anyone with a cursory interest in gaming and chances are, they’ve already heard of LoL. One of the most popular games in the world, League of Legends is one of the two big MOBAs (multiplayer online battle arenas), the brainchild of Riot Games. Their yearly world championship, aka LoL Worlds, attracts massive sponsors like Louis Vuitton and Spotify alongside the usual gaming companies, making it a must-watch for any gaming fan, and a straightforward starting point for betting on esports.

DOTA 2: the biggest event in town

Often seen as LoL for brainiacs, DOTA is an almost indecipherably complex MOBA game but its intricate teamplay and many decision points sometimes offer an even bigger spectacle than the most exciting League matches can. No wonder it’s an auto-include on every esports betting site! However, there is a price to pay for this in the form of a steep learning curve and it can take some effort to get into the game. Here’s the thing: once you’re in, you’ll never want to go out again. Like, literally. You’ll be glued in front of your computer for thousands of hours trying to rank up in this thing.

There’s also the small matter of The International, the biggest of all esport events in the world, the conclusion of the year-long circuit with eye-popping amounts of money on the line thanks to robust crowdfunding.

CS2: the golden oldie that’s as big as it ever was

Counter-Strike is a first-person shooter. No, scratch that. Counter-Strike is the first-person shooter for many. The franchise has thrived for over twenty years based on the same ironclad gameplay formula: five attackers want to plant a bomb and five defenders want to defuse it.

Since 2013, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, now Counter-Strike 2, has been the top title, dominating Steam charts. Killing the other team is also an acceptable solution. The punishing gunplay and the fast-paced action coupled with a unique economy system meant that CS stood the test of time when many others haven’t, and it still reigns as the king of FPS esports, with some of the best esports betting stories coming from CS upsets.

VALORANT: the new kid on the block

Speaking of CS, there’s the game that shall not be named, the one whose name begins with V and ends in wehavecopiedValve’shomework. Let’s be real, it is very much like Counter-Strike but with a much more hands-on developer. Why, yes, VALORANT is made by Riot Games, them of League of Legends (meaning Dota but copied homework) fame! The game is often described as a mixture between Counter-Strike’s mechanics and Overwatch’s accessibility, with faceless and nameless fighters replaced with special characters with unique abilities. The game’s popularity has skyrocketed since its launch, especially with the creation of international tournaments like the VALORANT Champions Tour and Game Changers, the latter of which allows women a chance to compete.

Rocket League: cars playing football

Again, just for emphasis: it’s cars playing football! What else do you need to know? No other game has such crossover appeal for the traditional sports crowd as Rocket League, and the jet-powered flying cars with the oversized balls on a futuristic football pitch is the perfect setup for a fun gaming session, not to mention the wet dream of any young boy. Its rapidly growing scene now under the auspices of Epic Games, guaranteeing a ton of resources for any project aimed to propel Rocket League, just like the cars in the game, to the very top.

Overwatch: the most ambitious project in esports history

This game also warrants more than just a cursory mention when discussing Valorant. Though it clearly hasn’t lived up to the initial hype, Overwatch served as a natural development of the team-based shooter genre, taking the mantle of Team Fortress 2 into the new decade. Featuring Blizzard’s trademark polish and streamlined gameplay, Overwatch is a blast to play. It also happens to have the nuttiest competitive concept attached to it, a massive franchised league with big-money bigwig owners. Blizzard’s play to create an esport on a larger scale than any other title may have run into stumbling blocks but the game still remains more than relevant in the world of competitive gaming, and Overwatch 2 serves as a great tool to revitalize interest in the title.

League of Legend: Wild Rift

The latest entry into the League of Legends franchise, Wild Rift was designed to replicate the traditional LoL experience on mobiles and other handheld devices. Unsurprisingly, the mobile version of such a gaming juggernaut has turned out top be a smash hit it its own right, with a popular esports league and many imitators looking to get on the mobile MOBA bandwagon, as hard as it is to compete with Riot’s offerings.

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang

Sometimes stylized as MLBB, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is another entrant in the highly competitive mobile gaming MOBA space. Developed by ByteDance subsidiary Moonton, a Chinese company, it offers a different take on the 5v5 team battle setup, and it’s been among the most popular games in Indonesia, Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries back in 2017. The game is still going strong, with a robust competitive scene anchoring its pro play and high-level tournaments.

Call of Duty Mobile

It should be of no surprise that the most popular first-person shooter franchise on the globe also has its mobile version, which has proven to be a great success among gamers all around the world for many years. It’s no casual afterthought either: CoD Mobile has its own esports scene and official competitions, with its winners serving as some of the best players across the entire Call of Duty franchise.

Is esports betting legal?

Yes, it is. Our Isle of Man Gaming License is one of the most reputable ones in the gambling industry and we have many country-specific ones secured as well alongside it to make sure that you can sleep well at night once you’ve deposited your funds with us. We’re entirely transparent in our dealings and we go out of our way to support organizations like ESIC to ensure that the esports scene remains fair and solid all around. Relax, sit back and enjoy betting on Rivalry!

Why is Rivalry the best place to bet on esports?

We’re all gamers here and have been involved with the scene long before Rivalry came to be, and we’ve channeled our enthusiasm and passion towards esports into creating a kickass platform for you where you can safely bet on esports events, making sure to dot all the i’s and cross the t’s in the process. As mentioned, we're licensed by the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission to ensure you're always in safe hands.

Better still, we believe that our love for gaming helps us create a better product with many unique features you won’t find elsewhere on another site that just happens to offer esports betting. Some of our Rivalry-exclusive products include Chicken Out (aka Cash Out), Quick Combos and Same Game Combos, where you can combine multiple bets into one parlay to truly test your esports brain.

What else does Rivalry offer for esports betting? We're glad you asked!

Bet on esports using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies!

We're not just oddballs among other bookmakers because we only focus on esports and our peak memes, but also because of the quality and high technology involved in our services.

A trendsetter in more ways than one, in addition to our unique features, you can also bet on esports with Bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies on major events like LoL Worlds and The International with Rivalry.

We can even say that you win when you bet on esports here! You'll earn something you won't find on any other site, the infamous NUTZ! This is like a passive skill of our class, the more you bet, the more you earn these points. Collect and grow your NUTZ to the point of exchanging them for a real cryptocurrency, the Rivalry Token. Not just any token, you can use $RVLRY to play more and more on our betting platform!

Here's how to start earning NUTZ on Rivalry.com.

1. Log in or create an account at Rivalry.
2. Connect your cryptocurrency wallet or learn how to create one.
3. Opt-in to start collecting NUTZ. Check your NUTZ rank, multipliers, and more.
4. Have fun with our online games, place bets, and win more NUTZ.
5. Exchange these NUTZ for $RVLRY Tokens (when it launches), or collect more and see where the journey takes you.

Your NUTZ will be converted into $RVLRY Tokens upon our official $RVLRY Token launch. Learn more about the Rivalry Token and NUTZ here.

We're not just another bookmaker that accepts Bitcoin looking to grab your money and run, we offer unique benefits aimed at the player to level up your experience. Try your luck today with matches of League of Legends, Valorant, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang or any other esport you can think of, we probably have it!

Welcome Bonuses and Promos

Big love to our new users! First deposit? On the house – no catch! Feast your eyes on our promos page for all the latest goodies and welcome bonuses. Better still, all our promotions work when you're betting using crypto! Wins all round.

Betting is always more fun with friends, you can invite more friends to join the Rivalry fun with our Refer-A-Friend program. What's in it for you? You AND your friend will both get bonus funds to use on your Rivalry bets. What more could you ask for?

Secure Transactions, Always

We know you want your money quick and fast; why wouldn't you? That's why we're proud to offer a variety of depositing methods, including crypto. Some of our deposit methods include, but aren't limited to:

• BitCoin
• Ethereum
• BitCoin Cash
• Ripple
• Tether
• Visa
• Mastercard
• Skrill
• PayMaya
• Bank Transfers
• PaySafeCards
• Cash Vouchers
• And many more!

24/7 Customer Support

As a site made for gamers by gamers, we know how annoying it is to encounter glitches, bugs, and errors. Therefore, it goes without saying that we want everybody's Rivalry experience to be as smooth and stress-free as possible. That's why we have a dedicated FAQ help center and responsive customer support, ready and waiting to answer any of your questions.

Mobile-Friendly

Betting from the toilet? NP! Rivalry's sportsbook and casino is 100% mobile-friendly, whether you're using Android or iOS. Unlike our competitiors (not naming any names), our UI is sleek and easier to navigate than Pornhub. Provided you have a stable and secure Internet connection, you can place esports bets on the go wherever you are! We even offer two free apps! iOS (Ontario region only) and Android (PH and MY only), so you can always have the thrill of betting in your pocket.

Finally, we at Rivalry know of the games and teams many of the big sites have never even heard about, and our team is always working on fancy new social betting ideas and fun features alongside some spicy esports betting markets you won’t find anywhere else. What are you waiting for? Create a Rivalry account today and join in the fun.

Frequently asked questions

What is considered to be an esport?

Here’s a rule of thumb: is it electronic and are people competing? Congrats, it’s an esport. If any of these aspects are missing, you might be looking at an exception. Chess, for instance, though it may have been played online for big money by the top players owing to the pandemic, doesn’t attract the kind of screaming fans a massive Dota event, like The International would.

What are the most popular esports?

The list above should give you a good idea. In terms of player count, LoL, CS:GO and DOTA stand head and shoulders above the rest, though VALORANT will no doubt enter this conversation very soon.

How to bet on esports?

It’s easy as pie – just register with the gambling site of your choice (you’re currently visiting a pretty awesome one), deposit funds, navigate to the desired betting market and select a match. Make sure to check out the Rivalry Academy for an awesome breakdown on how to gamble responsibly and intelligently!