Some legal sportsbooks in the US offer esports betting, but the availability depends entirely on your geographic location. In most states, both online and in-person sports betting are illegal. But even in the many states that have legalized betting, esports bets can be hard to come by.
However, you can bet on esports at online and retail sportsbooks in the following states:
DraftKings Sportsbook has been immensely successful in states such as Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Indiana for far more reasons than its $1,000 new user bonus. That gets us to the big four of California, Florida, New York and Texas. In the interest of simplicity, there’s no chance regulated sports betting comes to life in California this year.
- West Virginia
You can also bet on esports in-person at tribal casinos with sportsbooks in Michigan and New York.
Esports Available For Betting in the United States
Esports betting largely focuses on the biggest tournaments, but you can find regular matchups and qualifier events depending on the game. A common rule is that all participating esports athletes must be at least 18 years or older for the sportsbook to list the event.
The most popular esports tournaments for betting in the US include the following:
- League of Legends Championship Series
- League of Legends European Championship
- eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series
- CS:GO Legend Series
- Intel Extreme Masters
- DreamHack Masters
- ESEA
- BTS Pro Series
- ESL One
- Global StarCraft II League
States That Allow Draftkings Sportsbook Wild Card
The Overwatch League is also popular for esports bettors and offers more regularly occurring matchups. However, these can be tough to find because many events feature players below the age of 18, so sportsbooks will often simply omit the option altogether.
In Nevada and New Jersey, major esports events are approved for betting on an ongoing basis. But in Colorado and West Virginia, betting on a variety of esports is approved year-round.
Where Can You Bet On Esports?
Online And In-Person
Colorado allows for the most esports betting action than any other state with legal sportsbooks. You can bet on the following games both online and at retail sportsbooks:
- Call of Duty (COD)
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO)
- DOTA2
- E-Nascar
- League of Legends (LoL)
- NBA2K
- Overwatch
- Rainbow Six
You can find a complete list of games, leagues, and bets via the Approved Sports Catalog provided by the Colorado Division of Gaming.
West Virginia also allows any bet on esports as long as the competitors are legal adults. However, because Colorado boasts more bettors and more sportsbooks, it beats out West Virginia for availability.
States That Allow Draftkings Sportsbook Cheat
In Nevada and New Jersey, esports events are limited to approved tournaments, and a licensed sportsbook needs to request the line. So if you have a go-to platform, reach out to them to see if they’ll request an event you’re interested in wagering on.
Online Sportsbooks Offering Esports
A handful of online sports betting apps and sites in Colorado, New Jersey, and Nevada take bets on esports. These include:
- BetMGM Sportsbook (and Borgata Sports NJ)
- William Hill Sportsbook
- BetRivers Sportsbook (PlaySugarHouse NJ)
- Caesars Sportsbook
- PointsBet Sportsbook
Colorado may have a few additional online sportsbooks taking esports bets. If you already have a go-to app, consider reaching out to their customer service if you can’t find esports listed in the index of sports.
Retail Sportsbooks Taking Esports Bets
Outside of the states that allow online and retail esports bets, you can find lines for esports at the sportsbooks located inside tribal casinos in New York and Michigan.
For Michigan, that means the Detroit-area commercial casinos can’t offer the option, but the close to 20 other tribal sportsbooks across the Upper and Lower Peninsulas can.
For New York, most Upstate casinos are tribal-owned and operated, so most of the retail sportsbooks can legally take an esports bet. For example, Rivers Casino Schenectady takes esports wagers occasionally at their BetRivers Sportsbook.
Daily Fantasy Esports
FanDuel Sportsbook and DraftKings Sportsbook do not offer esports betting, even in states where it’s legal. We reached out to their customer service to make sure, and they confirmed.
But, interestingly, both FanDuel DFS and DraftKings DFS offer Daily Fantasy Esports for several different games. At DraftKings DFS, you can do Daily Fantasy:
- Call of Duty
- CS:GO
- League of Legends
- eNASCAR
- Rocket League
To play Daily Fantasy Esports, you build your roster within the salary caps and compete against other DFS players for real-money prize pools. It’s the same structure as traditional DFS, but with esports teams and players.
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