Bovada is virtually a one-stop shop for all e-sports bettors. They have a host of different games to choose from, but their League of Legends selection really outdoes itself.
Not only does Bovadaâs interface sort upcoming tournaments by start time, but it also lists live-betting options in order of increasing urgency, given how far along the matchup is. On top of that, they have lines for League of Legends tournaments well in advance, which makes them a great hub for futures bettors. Youâll have the full bracket slate laid out in front of you, and if you pounce early enough, you can capitalize on some of the marketâs best payout odds.
Bovada also does a pretty good job of including props. Theyâll show you how many props are available for each match, though these often arenât up until just a few hours before the opening bell.
The folks over at SportsBetting.ag offer all the same League of Legends luxuries as Bovada and BetOnline, but with a twist: Theyâre more committed to offering spread odds along with the traditional moneyline options.
In League of Legends, a spread is similar to what it would seem if you were betting on baseball or hockey. You might pick Team A to win at -1.5. This essentially means that you believe this squad will earn the matchup victory by winning at least two more League of Legends than their opponents.
Conversely, if you bet on Team B at +1.5, youâre essentially saying theyâll lose by fewer than two games or win. These lines arenât as lucrative as futures or picking outright winners, but theyâre easier to predict. The only hangup is they wonât be available too long before the matchup begins.
MyBookie wins our stamp of approval with its intuitive layout and implementation of props.
Like other LoL betting sites, they have their own League of Legends section. But they break down each individual matchup in order of the soonest start time, and they list the lines in big, bold squares so theyâre easy to read on a mobile device.
Best of luck finding another sportsbook that offers more props on League of Legends. They lay lines on each individual matchup, including bets such as how many battles will take place, which character will fare the best, how long the match will last and all that good stuff.
One potential downside that is far from a dealbreaker: Theyâre pretty last-minute with their odds. Moneyline wagers will be available in advance, but you have to wait inside 24 hours of most matchups to get specific spreads and prop lines.
Fair warning: If youâre expecting LoL betting sites to be dominated by smaller sportsbooks, youâve got another thing coming. This is too popular of a game. All the major players are going to distinguish themselves with their betting-type optionality and timely odds.
This includes BetOnline. Their e-sports section is robust, but they devote a special focus to League of Legends. This game has its own section in their sportsbooks. Like Bovada, theyâll provide lines for single matchups and entire-tournament winners weeks in advance. The only hiccup that can get in the way of odds availability is if thereâs another League of Legends tournament that needs to wrap up first. Theyâll only provide futures for one at a time.
In recent years, sports betting no longer consists solely of live-sports betting. The e-sports boom is real, and has spawned a number of LoL betting sites. Nearly every online gambling site carries odds on all the most popular tournaments, and even pro-sports teams have bought stakes in e-sports leagues. For example, most NBA franchises now have their own e-sports team for the NBA 2k. Thereâs a draft, contract signings and everything.
Among the most popular e-sports betting options is League of Legends, a multiplayer game in which participants go up against other players or computer-controlled champions. As its popularity continues to swell, itâs important to know what League of LegendsâLoL for shorthandersâis all about, where you can bet on it and what types of bets you can place.
Naturally, we have all the information you need below. Letâs roll.
In League of Legends, players take on whatâs considered the role of a âchampion,â who has unique abilities. Their champion will then take on other champions or a team of champions. The goal in every matchup is to take down the opposing sideâs âNexus,â which is a heavily protected superstructure located somewhere inside the base.
Terms of engagement vary by game and tournament type, but for the most part, all participating players start off with champions who are relatively weak. Theyâre mission, aside from the main one, is to build their character up by accomplishing various objectives, collecting items and experience and successfully navigating the role theyâve been assigned by their team. For example, someone can be in charge of swords and sorcery.
There is no easy way to become a pro-level League of Legends player. The competition is fierce, and the rankings are determined by a combination of skill and time logged, so even if you work yourself into a higher-up ranking that gives you a chance to enter the World Championships, you still have to upkeep your status from year to year.
Thatâs why the participants change so often. Players either canât make the time commitment or decide to move on to other things.
The League of Legendsâ official season typically begins sometime in January and runs all the way through November, with the culmination of the League of Legends World Championships (more on this in a second). During this time, eligible players and teams battle against one another to improve their rankings.
That ranking system is fairly complex. There are nine tiers each split into four divisions, for 36 divisions in total. Your tier and division will be locked in as an official rank for that year. The different ranks are then separated under the following categories (listed in decreasing order): Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Master, Grandmaster and Challenger.
As for the League of Legends tournament schedule, it can be difficult to parse. There are only three international ones per year for the championship series: the mid-season invitational, the world championships themselves, and then the All-Star tournament, which actually takes place during the offseason.
However, these are not the only tournaments that you can bet on. There are 12 professional leagues around the world that make up whatâs called Tier 1. The squads within these leagues compete in an individual championship and are aiming to achieve a certain spot, ranging from first to fourth place, that will qualify them for the World Championship.
Hereâs the list of the 12 different title qualifiers, with their specific region in parentheticals:
Certain leagues receive four entries into the World Championships, while others only receive two. Also, there are other leagues that qualify as Tier 2 or lower. They are considered play-in opportunities. They have to win their one league to gain entrance into the above leagues that will then allow them to compete for a spot in the World Championships.
Confused? Youâre not alone. This is a complex process. But LoL betting sites can help you follow along. They organize the tournaments by date and then organize the participants in each tournament by start time and line status. And while League of Legends doesnât have the most comprehensive stats available, you can view match history and specific stats from past World Championships with a simple Google search.
Finally, the best way to understand League of Legends betting is to watch it. Get a feel for how the game unfolds (it usually lasts under 45 minutes), and for which teams are particularly dominant that season. Tuning in isnât hard. Live streams are available at basically every sportsbook, and theyâre free of charge. Failing a commitment to watching, you should at least try to keep up with the standings as you get closer to the Mid-Season Invitational and World Championship seasons.
The League of Legends World Championship is the biggest LoL tournament and includes the most coveted prize pool. Riot Games sponsors the event, which marks the conclusion of each League of Legends season.
Every participating team is competing for âthe champion title,â the 70-pound Summonerâs Cup trophy and a prize to split between members thatâs in the millions of dollars.
This title event has become absurdly popular over the years. More than 100 million people watched it take place in 2019, including, at one point, 44 million simultaneous viewers. The prize pool has started to mushroom as a result. The 2019 championship awarded more than $2.2 million to the winning team.
Pretty much everyone expects this upward trend to continue with more record-breaking audiences and prize pools. In fact, there have even been talks about adding an esports category to the summer olympics, with a specific medal bracket dedicated to League of Legends.
When placing wagers on League of Legends, LoL betting sites usually focus on two bet types: individual matchup winners, and moneyline odds on tournament championships.
Individual matchup winners address a single game within a larger tournament. Youâre choosing between Team A and Team B. For futures odds, youâre betting on the outcome of the entire tournament. For instance, if there are 64 participating squads, youâd choose one of them to win the entire thing. These wagers are extremely difficult to hit on, but the long-shot odds make for potentially lucrative payouts.
Though this is where betting options often end for many e-sports fantasy games, League of Legends is different. It receives more gambling play than almost any other e-sport. Certain online gaming sites, for this reason, will offer special prop lines, particularly as you get deeper into tournaments. These will usually consist of odds on how long the match will take, which specific champion performs the best and wagers of that nature.
All of that being said, props can be rare in this instance. There isnât a central database for League of Legend stats, which can make determining catch-all metrics quite hard for oddsmakers. And when there are props available, they donât actually go live until moments before a game starts. Still, if you can, we recommend finding sportsbooks that offer prop options. This should diversify your betting experienceâparticularly if youâre looking to place wagers during live game play.
About the Author
Trent’s your man when it comes to all things sports. He covers a wide range of sports for Sports Betting Sites, and has been published in some pretty reputable outlets, such as USA Today Sports, Vice, Bloody Elbow, Fight! Magazine, UFC 360, and Narratively. Trent’s got the inside track on all the happenings in the world of sports.
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