Esports guide
Esports are video games played competitively by professional teams, from BGMI on mobile to Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2 on PC. Betting markets work much like cricket: you can back a series winner, a single map, or totals such as kills and rounds.
This guide covers how each major game is played, which markets go with it and what really decides a match.
Updated By Malik Mumbai Desk
7
Esports titles explained
10
Betting markets covered
Bo1 · Bo3 · Bo5
Series formats
BGMI
India's biggest esport
Not for real money. The Online Gaming Act 2025 bans online money games, and betting on esports is one of them. The same Act backs esports as a competitive sport, so playing, competing and watching are all fine. Our guide to betting law in India explains where the line sits.
The basics
Esports betting is placing a bet on the result of a professional video game match, such as who wins a Valorant series or how many kills happen in a Dota 2 game. The matches are played by real people, so form, tactics and team news matter just as they do in cricket.
Game by game
Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, League of Legends and Valorant carry the most markets worldwide. In India, BGMI is the biggest esport by far. Sports games like EA Sports FC round out the list. Each game has its own rules and markets, so check which game and which tournament a fixture belongs to before you bet.
01
Battlegrounds Mobile India is Krafton's Indian version of PUBG Mobile and the country's biggest esport. Teams score points for where they finish and for every finish (kill) they get, and an event runs over many matches.
What to watch: With 16 or more teams in a lobby, even the best squad loses most single matches. Tournament points tables tell you far more than one result.
02
One team attacks and tries to plant a bomb, the other defends. It has the deepest esports betting coverage in the world, with markets on every map and often every round.
What to watch: Series are decided by map vetoes. A team with a deep map pool is safer in a best-of-three than in a best-of-one.
03
Riot's shooter mixes Counter-Strike rounds with agents who each have special abilities. India has a growing pro scene and a large viewing audience.
What to watch: Win rates swing hard by map, and agent changes in a patch can reshuffle which teams look strong.
04
Two teams of five heroes battle across one map to destroy the other side's base. Games often swing late, which makes Dota 2 popular for live betting.
What to watch: The draft, which heroes each team picks and bans, shapes the whole game. Following the current meta is a real edge.
05
The most watched esport worldwide. Similar to Dota 2 but faster, with objectives like dragons and Baron that carry their own betting markets.
What to watch: Regional strength matters. Teams from Korea and China have dominated international events, so compare regions before backing an underdog.
06
Teams fight over objectives using heroes with set roles: tank, damage and support. Each map in a series uses a different game mode.
What to watch: Map modes rotate within a series, so a team that is strong on one mode can drop the next map quickly.
07
Real players compete in football, basketball and ice hockey video games. Markets look like real sport: match winner, handicap and total goals or points.
What to watch: These are short games between individuals, so form swings more than in team esports. Results are played by people, which separates them from virtual sports.
Markets
Match winner is offered on every esports match. Map winner, map handicap and total maps cover series, while kills, rounds and objectives give you markets inside a single map. Tournament winner bets cover the whole event. Check whether a series is best of one, three or five, because the format changes every map market.
| Market | Games | How it works | Settles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Match winner | All | Pick the team that wins the series. Two-way in most cases; a best-of-two can end level, which adds a draw. | End of series |
| Map winner | CS2, Valorant, Overwatch | Back a team to win one named map, such as map 1 or map 2. Useful when one side is much stronger on that map. | End of map |
| Map handicap | Bo3 and Bo5 series | The favourite must win by more than a set number of maps, for example 2-0 in a best-of-three. Better prices than match winner on a clear favourite. | End of series |
| Total maps | Bo3 and Bo5 series | Over or under a number of maps played. Over 2.5 in a best-of-three pays if the series goes the distance. | End of series |
| Round handicap and totals | CS2, Valorant | A rounds head start for one team on a map, or over and under total rounds. A close map runs to 24 rounds or more. | End of map |
| Total kills | Dota 2, LoL, CS2 | Over or under the combined kills in a map or game. Aggressive drafts and long games push totals up. | End of map |
| First blood and race to kills | Dota 2, LoL, CS2 | Which team gets the first kill, or reaches 5 or 10 kills first. Settles fast, so it suits live betting. | Within minutes |
| Odd or even kills | Dota 2, LoL | Whether the total kills finish on an odd or even number. Close to a coin flip, with no research edge. | End of map |
| Objectives | Dota 2, LoL | First team to take Roshan in Dota 2, or the first dragon or Baron in LoL. Objective control often decides the game. | When taken |
| Tournament winner | All | Back a team to win the whole event before it starts or while it runs. In BGMI it is the main market, since single matches are so random. | End of event |
Many of these work like cricket markets you may already know. Our cricket betting markets guide and live betting explainer cover handicaps, totals and in-play pricing in more depth.
Research
Map pools, game patches and roster changes move results more than reputation. A big name on a weak map, after a bad patch or with a stand-in can lose to a team ranked well below it. Check the confirmed line-up and the latest patch notes before you bet.
In CS2 and Valorant, teams ban and pick maps before a series. Check each team's record on the maps likely to be played.
Game updates change heroes, agents and weapons. A team built around one style can struggle after a patch.
Players move often, and a stand-in for one match can change everything. Check lineups on the day.
Some teams play much better on stage at a LAN event than online from home, or the other way round.
Upsets are common in a best-of-one. A longer series gives the stronger team more room to recover.
Match-fixing has hit lower-tier esports events, where player wages are low and fewer people are watching. Odds also move fast because bookmakers have less data than in cricket, and rosters change between events. Top-tier tournaments run by the game publishers have the strongest integrity checks. Read about avoiding emotional betting if you follow a favourite team.
What readers ask most about esports markets, formats and the law in India.
Not for real money. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 bans online money games across India, and betting on esports matches falls inside that ban. Playing and competing in esports is legal; the Act sets out to promote e-sports as a competitive sport.
Esports are real people competing in video games such as BGMI or Counter-Strike 2. Virtual sports are computer simulations where a random number generator decides the result, with no players involved.
BGMI is the biggest, thanks to India's huge mobile gaming audience. Valorant and Counter-Strike 2 follow, and PC titles like Dota 2 have a smaller but loyal following.
Match winner, which works for every game. After that, map winner and map handicap are standard for CS2 and Valorant, and total kills is popular for Dota 2 and League of Legends.
Best of three. The first team to win two maps or games wins the series. Bo1 is a single map, and Bo5, used in finals, needs three wins.
Rosters change often, patches reshape the game every few weeks, and lower-tier teams have short records. Bookmakers have less data to work with than in cricket or football, so prices move quickly.
It has happened, mostly in lower-tier events where player wages are low. Major tournaments run by game publishers have stronger integrity checks.
Still unsure? Ask our team
18+ only. Betting involves financial risk.
Many esports fans are young, and betting is for adults only. Use the tools in our responsible gambling guide to set limits and stay in control.
Kabaddi, esports and racing hubs, plus the live-betting basics they share.
