What Esports Bookmaker is the best for Beginners?

The Best Esports Betting Sites to Get You Started

Know your esports but you’re new to betting? Or perhaps you’re a seasoned sports punter who’s new to the concept of gaming as a professional sport? You might even completely new to both concepts all together…

No matter what your mould is, Strafe.com has got you covered here. So if you’re looking to find out what esports bookmaker is best for beginners in UK, this is place for you! We’ll also explain how online sportsbooks work, how to read esports betting odds and more.

Our favourite bookies for beginners

1.

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What is Esports Betting - Everything You Need to Know

Esports betting refers to the concept of betting on gaming as a professional sport. Having started out a few years back as a niche area of betting, it has risen rapidly, and is now included within the UKGC’s sports betting regulations. As a result, it has risen up from the underground to be included within the online sportsbooks of some of the biggest betting brands in the UK, including Bet365, 888sport and William Hill. In addition, there are also plenty of dedicated esports only betting platforms.

Some of the most popular esports games to bet on include CS:GO, Dota 2 and League of legends. CS:GO, created by Valve can claim to be the original esports betting game, that was single headedly responsible for the rise of skin gambling. In addition to these titles that are favoured by traditional gamers, you can also bet on sports based esports, including Fifa, Madden and NBA2K. You can find more details about such things in our esports betting guide.

Where Can I Bet on Esports in the UK?

Esports betting in the UK is a bit more controlled and progressive than it is in some other countries, as it has been welcomed and incorporated into the wider online sportsbook industry. If you’ve never before placed an online bet on any sport, then online sportsbooks are essentially internet versions of the Ladbrokes and Coral shops that are staples of British high streets up and down the country.

Esports Betting in Online Sportsbooks

To keep up with demand, a great many ‘traditional’ online sportsbooks have chosen to incorporate esports betting into their platform, offering you the chance to bet on a number of popular esports and leagues, often including COD, LoL, and Hearthstone betting. As we mentioned above, some of the biggest betting brands to currently offer esports betting include Bet365, 888sport and William Hill.

If you’re completely new to esports betting, then using one of these big name betting sites is a pretty good place to start. Why? Because they are trusted and licensed operators that makes life easy for beginners. When starting out with esports, or any type of sports betting you want to first of all make sure you’re safe and secure, before you move on to understanding the odds and placing your first bet. Big name UK betting brands offer you the chance to do just that.

We’ll explain how to bet on esports legally and safely below in our esports betting legal guide.

Our recommended bookmaker for January 2026

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Dedicated Esports Betting Sites UK

As well as being incorporated into the larger world of online sportsbooks, you’ll also find some niche site that are dedicated solely to esports betting. Sometimes, these sites are even focussed on one single sport. However, as a complete beginner these sites are perhaps best avoided at first as they offer more niche odds and capabilities than you need at this stage. There’s also the question of legality, as many dedicated esports betting sites do not hold a UKGC license, which is a must-have for a UK betting site - we’ll explain more below.

Is Esports Betting Legal in the UK?

In a word, yes it is - but only if you do so on a safe and legal platform. The UKGC, the regulatory body for the gambling industry in the UK, has incorporated esports betting into its wider sports betting remit - which is why sports betting sites in the UK can offer esports betting legally within their sportsbook.

There are other betting license from across the world that include esports within the regulations, however in the UK it is illegal to use an overseas operator. Therefore in order to bet on esports legally from within the UK you must use a site that has a UKGC lciense. When it comes to esports betting sites that hold a UKGC license, you have much more choice when it comes to sportsbooks that include esports rather than dedicated esports-only betting platforms.

How Does an Esports Betting Site Work?

So we’ve covered what esports bookmaker is best for beginners in UK, but now we need to take a look at how they work. As beginners are better off using a a sportsbook site that already offers general sports betting, the good news is that the process of betting doesn’t differ too much. You have both pre-match and in play betting with the odds either displayed as fractions or decimals.

When it comes what you want to bet on, you can filter between sports, events and leagues, just as you can with most other sports. Then you simply need to click on your bets and they will be added to your betting slip. The difference comes in the types of bets that you’ll place with esports when compared to other sports, so we’ll take a look at this below.

Types of Esports Bet

The types of bets that you can place on esports differ depending on your game and/or competition of choice. For example, on games like CS:GO, your going to be betting on the number of kills or flags, with Dota 2 first blood is a popular bet among others. If you’re betting on esports such as FIFA or NBA2K, then translate your knowledge over from regular sports betting is far easier, as the bets are similar to those found in the real life game - match result, both teams to score etc.

Betting on Esports Players and Teams

If you’re going to get yourself fully invested in esports betting, then you’re going to need to get to know the best teams and players for the games your interested in. Studying esports players and teams records is quite easily done thanks to website such as Twitch, which allow you to follow them playing live. Additionally, these sites tell you the amount of hours a player has spent on them, so you can get a good idea of how much practice they’ve put in ahead of a big event.

When it comes to teams you can keep a close eye on how they work. Just as is the case in team sports like football, some esports teams from games like DOTA2 will rotate their squad. For example, they may use their weaker players for early competition stages or smaller tournaments, but bring out the big guns when it really matters. However, rather than being a tactic deployed for the sake of fitness, as it is in sport, this is sometimes used by esports teams to hide their best players’ style and progression from opponents.

Esports Betting for Beginners UK - The Verdict

Esports betting for beginners in the UK can be done safely, legally and relatively easily, as long as you follow some simple but essential pieces of advise. Firstly, only use a betting site that has a valid license from the UKGC as overseas sites, even if legal in their own jurisdiction cannot be lawfully accepted by us as UK players. Secondly, set yourself a budget and do your homework, to make sure you have guidelines for yourself before going ahead. Lastly, start off by betting on esports that you already play yourself - the benefits of doing so offer extremely simple logic. Remember, we've got plenty of guides to help you along the way. Whether you need Overwatch betting explained or perhaps in search of LoL ranks, we've got everything covered!

Quality bonuses to boost your esports bets

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What Esports Bookmaker is the best for Beginners in the UK FAQ