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Dota 2 leads the march of eSports betting |
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The world of eSports
may not be as inclusive as regular sports seen on terrestrial TV or
subscription sports channels but the millions of players and fans around the
world means there is a growing market for those who want to get more involved
by by taking part in esports
gambling.
Two straight forward elements lend Dota 2 to betting.
Firstly there are many tournaments all over the world where teams battle it out
against each other with a definitive winner and loser, and, secondly there are
large prize pools associated with some of these tournaments. So consequently
there are regulations and officials for all professional tournaments. Currently
the record prize-pool for any eSports tournament is held by Dota 2, the August
2016 International tournament, which is seen as their world championships, had
a record $20.8 million in prize money, $9.1 million of which went to the
winning team, Wings Gaming.
So What is Dota 2?
Dota 2 is a
multiplayer online battle arena video game developed by Valve as the successor
to Defense of the Ancients (DotA). The game is available through Valve's
content delivery platform known as Steam. Steam provides players with
installation and automatic updates on multiple computers and features like
cloud saving and in game voice and chat functions.
Each match is
straight heads-up fight between two teams of five players where the object is
to destroy the home base of the opposing team known as the “Ancient”.
Each player controls one of the 113 playable characters known as heroes, each
with different powers. Heroes begin each game with an experience level of one
but this increases the longer they last through the game up to a maximum of 25.
Each level rise allows them to another fighting ability or increase the potency
of one they already have.
In addition to having powers getting stronger
during the game, players are able to buy items that provide their own special
abilities. Items are not limited to specific heroes, and can be bought by
anyone. In order to obtain an item, players must be able to afford it with
gold, which is primarily obtained by killing enemy heroes, destroying enemy
structures, etc.. Players also gradually get gold over time during
play.
What are skins?
There has been a lot of talk in the
media about skins for eSports because sites have allowed them to be put up as
wagers on the outcome of matches, thus allowing underage people to essentially
gamble. Skins are a cosmetic item only and can be purchased to change the
appearance of your Heroes in the game. They are purely visual and do not affect
the abilities and powers.
Are the teams professionals?
Plenty
of professional players as well as teams around the world. Big companies have
added themselves to the sponsors list like McDonalds, Gillette and Red Bull who
sponsor pro-gamers and treats them like they do other athletes.
How
can I bet on Dota 2?
All types of betting occur with eSports and Dota 2
is no exception. Standard bookmakers offer odds on matches and tournaments,
exchanges run markets and even daily fantasy sports offer tournaments for all
the major eSports including Dota 2. If you want live game action with betting
coverage a specialist is best, https://gg.bet/en/dota2/ will give you live
video coverage and constantly updated prices.
Where can I watch Dota
2?
The easiest way to watch battles is probably Twitch.tv which runs
live streams pretty much 24/7 as well as many other eSports games like League
of Legends and Counter Strike: Global Offensive which is known as CS:GO. Also
the dota2.com site will show major events. ESPN is also a big supporter of
eSports and streams big events on their channels and have an eSports section
that rivals their coverage of Football or NFL. The finals are also broadcast
live on Twitter.
Others
The is no stopping the rise of eSports
progamers and other titles will be joining soon.
Professional
Status
2013 saw the US Government issue the first P-1 visas to League of
Legend players making them officially players in a professional sport. The visa
finally stops the inevitable battle to gain entry into the US and gives the
holder the right to stay up 5 years and a whole team for a period of 6
months.
The official League of Legends eSports tournament League
Championship Series was the first to be recognized as a fully professional
eSport by the U.S. State Department. Danny "Shiphtur" Le was the first progamer
to receive a visa acknowledging him as an "internationally recognized" athlete.
For Le, a native of Canada, the visa allowed him to go to the United States for
training ahead of the world championships.
Other eSports players have
been granted visas previously, mostly for one-off events, but Le was the first
who was able to make a salary during his stay. Convincing the visa bureau of
gaming's legitimacy as a pro sport wasn't easy. "We had to get endorsements
from participants and prove that this is a consistent, viable career path and
people can make a living playing games," Riot Games VP Dustin Beck
said.
The P-1 visa is applicable to aliens entering the US to perform in
a specific athletic competition as an athlete, individually or as part of a
team, at an internationally recognised level of performance.
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