The Ultimate Guide to Dota 2 Betting Sites

With the top tournaments offering over $10 million in prize money, Dota 2 is one of the most popular games on the planet. A surge in interest in eSports has led to an increase in those wanting to bet on the games. In this article, we select the best Dota 2 betting sites, and why we chose them.

A few years back, only a handful of sportsbooks would accept eSports bets. Thankfully that is no longer the case with the majority of online operators now accepting them. To save you the time and hassle of searching hundreds of Dota 2 esports betting sites, we’ve done the hard work for you, so here’s a list of the best sites by category.

• 🥇 BetMGM ✪ Best Dota Betting Site
• 🥈Betway ✪ Best Live Dota 2 Betting
• 🥉 Caesars ✪ Top Dota 2 Betting Venue
• ✪ BetRivers ✪ Great Dota 3 Betting Markets
• ✪ bet365✪ Most Dota 2 Markets

All you need to know about the Dota betting sites is summarized in the table above. You can see there is a top selection of eSports betting sites available for you to use.

Dota 2 Betting Sites: Getting the Best Value

Betting on eSports is no different from betting on traditional sports; therefore, you should ensure you are getting the best value for money with the sportsbook. An easy way to do this is by comparing the odds that the Dota 2 betting sites offer for a particular tournament. We take this one step further and work out the payout percentage for you.

As Dota 2 tournament games tend to be BO3 (best of three games), there is always a winner, and a draw is not possible. Due to this, it is really easy to work out the payout rate for a game. However, don’t worry if maths are not your passion; we selected four games in four tournaments at random to work out the data for you; you can see the results in the table above.

Dota 2 Betting: Plenty of Choice

As the number of people playing Dota 2 increases, so does the number of tournaments that are being held globally. In 2019, 24 major tournaments took place; this number was over 60 by the end of 2020. Giving bettors plenty of choice when deciding on what to bet on when at Dota 2 betting websites.

Dota 2 tournaments are classed in four different tiers. Tier 4 events are the lowest-ranked and usually have a prize pot of $3,000 or less. Tier 3 events offer prizes of $3,000+ and contain many up and coming players. Tier 2 offers $50,000+ and contains many top-tier teams. Tier 1 tournaments offer prizes of $300,000+. These games are usually played offline when possible.

Bet Types at Dota 2 Betting Sites

Choosing the right operator, for how you want to bet, is essential as not all sports betting types are available at all sportsbooks. It can be frustrating if, for example, you are a fan of handicap betting (we discuss this later) but the Dota 2 betting real money site only offers the ‘to win’ market. In this section, we look at the bet types that are available.

Tournament Winner Betting

One of the most popular bets, you are just deciding who will be the eventual winner of the tournament. However, the timing of this bet can be crucial. As Dota 2 betting sites will reduce or increase the odds they offer due to bets being placed, it can often make sense to place bets as early as possible, even months in advance.

Handicap Betting

Sometimes in betting, it is pretty obvious who is going to win. England playing the Falkland Islands in football or Ireland playing Tahiti in Rugby, it’s not a case of who will win, but by how many. In these types of games when Dota 2 betting, handicap betting is useful, you are shifting the odds in your favor.

Over / Under Betting

If you like your bets simple, then the over/under betting type may well be of interest to you. The Dota betting site declares the number of towers that will be destroyed, and you must decide if the actual number that is destroyed on a map is higher (over) or lower (under) that total. The target number is a decimal (for example 11.5), so this bet can’t be tied.

First Blood

Another popular Dota 2 bet is to predict which of the two teams will take ‘First Blood’ and make the first kill in a game. You’ll often find the odds are pretty even for both teams for this type of bet. You’ll also find additional bets you can place on a team such as first to destroy a tower, destroy barracks and to kill Roshan.

Live Betting on Dota 2 Online

Few innovations have changed how we bet more than the introduction of Dota 2 live betting. Also called in-play betting, you can now place bets while the action is actually taking place. As the odds constantly change to reflect the state of the game, it’s possible to take advantage of these fluctuations in odds. If a team are comeback kings, betting while they are in a losing position can pay dividends.

Another great aspect of online Dota 2 live betting is that you can watch the action while you bet. As long as you have a funded account, you can stream the action as it happens. You are saving you the hassle of having different Twitch or YouTube streams running.

Dota 2 Betting Bonus

Despite the growing popularity of eSports, it’s highly unlikely that you will find promotions that are directly aimed at Dota 2 betting. It’s not all bad news though, as there are still plenty of new customer deals that you can pick up at our recommended sites. You can use these promotions for almost any betting market.

If you are new to betting, parlay bets are worth considering as they are a way of combining bets to see a much higher return. In a parlay bet, your winnings from the first part of the wager is automatically placed on the second. On and on this can go stacking up a huge potential payout. However, if one bet on the ticket loses, the whole bet is lost.

A Brief Overview of the Game

Dota 2, like other multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games, owes its existence thanks to the highly successful World of Warcraft universe. First developed in 2009 by developers Valve, the game is a battle of two teams each containing five players. A team wins by destroying the other team’s “Ancient”, a popular topic at the best Dota 2 betting sites.

Often called “the greatest video game of all time”, the free-to-play model means it is very popular with players with over one million gamers playing at the same time. Publisher Valve organises events which form the Dota Pro Circuit, players in these pro tournaments can win prize money in excess of $30m.

Dota 2 Online Betting: Hints and Tips

Betting on Dota 2 tournaments is the same as on any team sport such as football betting. Players can have an off day; communication can be poor between the team and plenty of other factors. To help newcomers, we’ve compiled a few of the basics that we follow to consider;

• Homework – Before you bet, check form and previous games.
• Use Twitch and YouTube to view what tactics teams use.
• Aggressive teams are good for “first team to” bets.
• Combine your bets in parlays if confidence is high
• Timezones can be important, does a team have an advantage?

As you can see from our list above, it’s a commonsense approach, and luckily all the tools you need are free and easy to use. Make the most of Twitch and YouTube to assess a team’s playing style and pick the right bet. Never underestimate backing the underdog, you’ll win less often, but the returns are often good when surprises happen.

Curiosities and Facts

Like most eSports, players of the game are often fanatical about every aspect of the game. When not playing, many players watch the action, hoping to pick up some tips or to watch the action. Dota 2 has a steep learning curve when making the jump from the casual player to a tournament player.

With this in mind, we scoured the internet to find some interesting facts and curiosities we discovered regarding the game. We were a bit surprised to find out that Asia is the best place to learn about Dota 2, the prize money involved and how we might soon see a repeat of Deep Blue’s triumph over a human player in chess with computers currently learning how to play the game.

Dota 2 Gambling vs. Dota 2 Betting

One thing that catches many people off guard is the difference between Dota 2 betting and gambling. In the context of eSports, the terms are different. Dota 2 betting is placing real money bets on professional Dota 2 matches, while Dota 2 gambling includes wagering on in-game items.

Another crucial difference between eSports betting and gambling is gambling involves the player’s own performance, typically in a 1-vs-1 game. Dota 2 betting, on the other hand, is a wager on other people playing the game.

Keep these differences in mind when you’re looking to bet on Dota 2, or eSports in general, as some websites are geared towards brokering 1-vs-1 matches between players looking to gamble in-game skins.

The Best Dota 2 Betting Sites: Our Conclusion

The last couple of years has seen a massive surge in not only those that not only play the game, watch the game but also want to turn this knowledge into profit. As Dota 2, and eSports betting, in general, is becoming more popular, choosing a Dota 2 betting website that is a good fit for you is important.

Among our main criteria is choice, simplicity and value. Were we able to find the Dota 2 game/tournament we wanted to bet on? Did we find it easy to place a bet using either a laptop or a mobile device? And did we receive decent odds compared to other US betting sites. We are pleased to state that all operators on our Dota 2 betting site list fulfilled all these.

FAQ’s about Dota 2 Betting Sites

We hope you have found our overview of Dota 2 useful, and we believe you’ll be delighted with the suggestions we have made on the best Dota 2 betting sites. In our last section, we’ll cover some of the most common queries we get on the topic;

🏆 What are the best Dota 2 betting sites?

They often say that choice is king and when Dota 2 betting, you certainly have plenty of choice and options available to you. The perfect sportsbook for you will depend on how you bet. For the casual bettor, it’s important to have a simple to use interface, for more serious bets, the choice of markets is important. The most popular Dota 2 betting sites have all you need.

🎁 Are there any promotions at Dota 2 betting sites?

Although you might not be able to find specific Dota 2 betting real money promotions, that doesn’t mean you cannot take advantage of the many excellent new customer offers that our recommended betting sites offer. You will find matched deposit deals, first bet deals and many others. Some bookmakers offer special bonuses when you combine your bets, find out more info here.

💡 Where can I get some Dota 2 betting tips?

Many of the basics to consider when Dota 2 betting, are no different to betting on any sports. Knowing a players strengths and weaknesses and how they contribute to a team can make all the difference. Doing your research on teams and watching previous games is important. Picking the right bet to place is also vital; why not check out our dedicated Dota 2 betting tips section.

🤔 Is betting on Dota 2 legal?

Absolutely, your safety and security is our number one concern, and that is why we only feature Dota 2 betting sites that are licenced by the state regulatory bodies. Regulation in the US is one of the most stringent in the world, ensuring the highest level of protection for players. Our independent reviews clearly show all licensing information.