Esports Betting USA

How to bet on esports in the USA?

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Esports are a great deal in the USA, several fans and pro players from the country arise every year; and while console players abound, there is a huge market of PC players dealing damage in the most famous titles. But just as there has been a boom within the country, quite strict rules have been created that have focused on regulating everything related to gambling in the past, so knowing where you can go for esports betting in the USA or not is tricky.

However, is esports betting legal in US? The law is not something that has played completely against the esports community. Rather, different legislation can be achieved within each state in the country and, therefore, betting tends to be more popular in certain places.

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How to bet on esports in the USA?

In theory, the betting process remains the same for you. In the US you can find traditional bets as one of the most attractive offers in the market; this is mainly because people feel confident to bet in a way they already know.

But, this has also presented an evolution over the years. Today we can find how the esports betting sites USA that deals with esports betting have added elements such as fantasy sports, giving a breath of fresh air to betting and gaining a good reputation throughout the country –Especially in States where traditional betting is out of the table.

On the other hand, is Unikrn’s uMode where you can place bets on your own performance. Furthermore, some bettors may feel attracted to skin betting, which we don’t recommend –because almost all skin betting sites allow you to deposit money, but you can only withdraw skins, which is not what you want when you land a 3000$ win, is it?.

Finally, some bookmakers from all over the world open their doors to US citizens to gamble, nevertheless, you should stay as far away as possible from this option; you see, some bookmakers may be well-settled, but there is no warranty if you belong to a country where the bookmaker has no permission to work.

Is esports betting legal in US?

The United States is famous around the esports betting scene because different laws regulate gambling within the country. This is something that has been appealed overtime but not all have been successful in fighting these laws.

The most famous place where you can place a bet is in Nevada, but this does not mean that it is the only state where you can place this type of game. The fight against gambling prohibition has been spreading state by state and nowadays a good portion of the United States (About 18 States) allows esports betting.

At the moment some states are still reviewing requests to accept gambling within their limits, although these are slow processes that usually take years. However, 2020 brought several surprises with it by adding a couple of states where gambling is now legal.

The road ahead is long but it is noticeable that the United States is looking to expand the legality of gambling in its territory more and more. So, here is a nice list of the States where you can gamble, and what you can gamble with within them:

US States where all gambling is available

In total we have that among the 51 states that compose the United States there are a total of 18 states in which you can place a bet today, although it is important to emphasize that not all of them accept esport:

  • Nevada – 1949
  • Delaware – June 2018
  • New Jersey – June 2018
  • Mississippi – August 2018
  • West Virginia – August 2018
  • New Mexico – October 2018
  • Pennsylvania – November 2018
  • Rhode Island – November 2018
  • Arkansas – July 2019
  • New York – July 2019
  • Iowa – August 2019
  • Oregon – August 2019
  • Indiana – September 2019
  • New Hampshire – December 2019
  • Illinois – March 2020
  • Michigan – March 2020
  • Montana – March 2020
  • Colorado – May 2020

In which states can you bet on esports?

Esports betting in the USA is not available in all the places where bets are considered legal at first. Despite being different from a traditional sport, it is still a bet. The sites where you can make the most out of your esports betting tips are:

  • Nevada
  • Delaware
  • New Jersey
  • Mississippi
  • West Virginia
  • New Mexico
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • New York
  • Oregon
  • New Hampshire
  • Illinois
  • Michigan
  • Montana
  • Colorado

In which states can you play fantasy esports?

Fantasy esports are more legalized in the United States than another traditional esports betting. This is because it is considered fantastic rather than something that can be altered.  The states where you can place bets on CSGO Fantasy or other fantasy esports games are:

  • Nevada
  • Delaware
  • New Jersey
  • Mississippi
  • West Virginia
  • New Mexico
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • Arkansas
  • New York
  • Iowa
  • Oregon
  • Indiana
  • New Hampshire
  • Illinois
  • Michigan
  • Montana
  • Colorado

where can you play fantasy esports in USA - Draftkings

Where can you bet with Unikrn’s uMode?

Unikrn Umode is a special feature that makes online betting USA possible, based on your performance. This is something quite innovative because it allows you to simply profit your development through the game, but being based on esports, certain regulations apply. The states where you can play with the Umode are:

  • Nevada
  • Delaware
  • New Jersey
  • Mississippi
  • West Virginia
  • New Mexico
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • New York
  • Oregon
  • New Hampshire
  • Illinois
  • Michigan
  • Montana
  • Colorado

In which states can you bet on traditional sports but not esports?

Some states have given free rein to esports betting while others are looking to stay in the traditional. These States have a pretty special and strict law that has kept esports away from gambling. The usual argument is that being online-based and involving fewer players, results can be altered by players’ behavior easier than what happens with traditional sports. Nevertheless, here is the list:

  • Arkansas
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Montana

In what states is betting illegal?

Currently, there are 32 states where you can’t place any type of bet. This is because the laws either permanently prohibit it or are in the process of repealing it. At the moment, states such as Texas, Philadelphia, San Antonio, San Diego, Houston, Dallas, San Jose, Maryland, Tennesse, and California are not allowing any type of traditional nor online betting USA.

However, the list goes on, but this may change drastically in the next few years as most states have bills registered looking to ease the legislation.

What is the legal age for esports betting USA?

The betting age in USA varies depending on your State, so here we guide you a bit:

Legal age at 18

While in States such as Idaho, Wyoming, Minnesota, and Iowa you can bet on anything at the age of 18, other States will allow 18-year-olds to bet depending on the type of bets. Furthermore, on 35 states you can bet in the most you can aim to bet starting at the age of 21.

Legal age at 21

  • Arizona
  • Minnesota
  • New York
  • Oregon
  • Texas
  • West Virginia
  • Wyoming
  • Alabama
  • Arkansas
  • Colorado
  • Delaware
  • Idaho
  • Indiana
  • Kansas
  • California
  • Florida
  • Iowa
  • Maine
  • Michigan
  • Mississippi
  • Nevada
  • Illinois
  • Maryland
  • Missouri
  • New Mexico
  • North Carolina
  • Oklahoma
  • Pennsylvania
  • New Jersey
  • Ohio
  • South Dakota
  • Washington
  • Wisconsin
  • Connecticut
  • Louisiana

betting in USA esports

Best legal bookmarkers for esports betting USA

Within the United States, we can find a variety of sites where we can place bets. Even though it is a country with so many regulations within this scope, the states in which gambling is allowed have taken advantage of this market wildly.

There are even a couple of companies that are considered pioneers in what they do, such as Draftkings esports which is considered one of the best fantasy sports sites.

Another of the most important websites that we can find in the United States and that has gained worldwide fame is Unikrn. The site is not only considered one of the best platforms for esports betting overall but they have added innovative options, such as the Unikrn uMode which allows you to profit from your gaming performance by betting on yourself.

Moving on, another option for esports betting USA is Bet365. Bet365 in USA is a site with quite a long history that has remained with traditional options while constantly innovating.

But now, is Bet365 legal in USA? Yes, as long as sports and esports betting are legal in your State then this is one of the safest esports betting sites USA.

Bookmarkers that allow US players

Although there are great options to play within the US you may feel attracted to some international options. It is always interesting to play in more than one site, especially when the permissions are as changeable as is the case in the United States.

In this regard, you will see that international sites may have better bonus offers or include gaming events for esports betting USA that you don’t see in local esports betting sites. Yet, we still recommend you to stick to local law-abiding sites to guarantee a safe betting experience.

If you decide to look for an international option, consider Bet365, Draftkings, Unikrn, William Hill, Fan Duel as good options. These are 100% safe in their target countries and allow US players to tackle in. But again, you get no guarantees when it is not legal to play in your State.

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Most important games and tournaments in the USA

The United States could not ignore the fact that they have favorite games and that it will attract more attention. The same happens with the tournaments, especially when we take into account that this type of betting is growing and the gamer community is present in more and more countries.

That’s why we can find some favoritism within some games and with it, the tournaments of each game. The most important games for Americans are:

  • League of Legends
  • DOTA 2
  • Counter-Strike
  • Smite
  • Hearthstone
  • Call of Duty

Each of these games is important in its way, although if we think about prizes, without a doubt the prize is DOTA 2. The biggest prize pool in history is held by them with more than 40 million in prizes in a single edition of The Invitational, followed closely by fans who also aim for betting on LoL worlds :

Major League of Legends Tournaments

  • League of Legends World Championship
  • League of Legends Championship Series
  • LCS Season Series

Most important DOTA 2 tournaments

  • The Invitational
  • ESL One
  • DOTA Summit Americas

Counter-Strike Tournaments

  • ESL One
  • CSGO Major League
  • Intel Championship Series America

Smite Tournaments

  • Smite World Championship
  • Console Wars Smite
  • Pro League: NA

Hearthstone Tournaments

  • Hearthstone Global Games
  • HearthStone Gold World Cup
  • EMEA BattleGrounds Cup

CoD Tournaments

  • Call of Duty League
  • CoD Mobile World Championship

us esports betting usa

While most gamers prefer riding on a computer, console gaming is more popular in the US than in most countries, making games like Smite and CoD wildly attractive for esports betting due to the number of tournaments and active players. In fact, most of the great esports players coming from USA are based on CoD.

Tips for safe betting for US bettors

Now that you have a better idea about esports betting Nevada and esports betting las vegas, we decided to give you some extra tips for betting safely regardless of your location:

1. Get to know the game in-depth

Whenever you are looking to place a bet you should know the game you are betting on. This will allow you to take some advantage since you will know in depth the characters that will be used, maps, among several other things.

2. Study the teams

Before placing a bet, it is always ideal to analyze all the data about the teams or participants that will be playing. This way you may get a better idea of the final results.

3. Analyze the players’ performance

If you are looking to gamble individually, always look to analyze how well a person has played. You may be a renowned player, but this doesn’t take away from the fact that you may have a bad streak that ends up affecting our betting.

Also, check out their social media. Just like in traditional sports, a sad player usually has low performance, so any personal life information may be a game-changer in the end.

4. Take advantage of live betting

Live betting is very appealing. This will not only give us more opportunities to win money, but also a couple of additional options to bet. Besides, if you see a player take advantage or prepare an event that may give him or his team an advantage, you can use this to bet in your favor.

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About the future of esports betting in the USA

The United States will undoubtedly continue to seek to keep up with other countries in terms of esports betting. At the moment, we can say that this market will continue to grow as the years go by, even if there are obstacles in the way.

At the moment, several States have bills placed to legalize sports and esports betting within them. So, as this market keeps growing abruptly, the companies interested will move their lobbyists towards esports betting USA freedom.