Exploring Esports Betting Markets in Australia: From Dota 2 to League of Legends

Esports Earnings report that a total of 3,332 eSports players across 2,920 tournaments have received a combined reward of $26,965,847 USD, and that’s only in Australia. These numbers go to show how enormous the eSports market has become, which is no surprise considering it’s a branch of the gaming industry, which eclipses many others. Of all the eSports games out there, a staggering 29.8% of the total Australian prize pot comes from Dota 2, but let’s take a look at other important players.

Dota 2

Multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games are extremely popular, and Dota 2 is arguably the best, especially when it comes to eSports. Taking 2 teams of 5, the objective is to destroy the opposing team’s structures. The game is completely free to play through Steam, but many players purchase in-game items to enhance their chances of winning. 

If you like heroes, villains, and plenty of beasts plaguing fantastic lands, then make sure you check out Dota 2 the next time you’re exploring esports betting in Australia.

Rocket League

If you like football and driving, then Rocket League is the perfect game for you. The entire premise is that you’re a remote-controlled car and need to score as many goals as possible. Released back in 2015 by Psyonix (RIP), this popular title was initially a pay-to-play game. However, Epic Games acquired the studio in 2029, and the game became free-to-play in 2020.  

Fortnite

If battle royale games are more your speed, then Fortnite is certainly the most popular when it comes to eSports. Throwing 100 players onto a map, playing either solo, in pairs, or teams, the aim of the game is to be the last one standing. The gameplay is typical of other battle-style games, but the carnage takes place in an open-world environment, which makes this extremely unique. 

Apex Legends

Apex Legends was developed by Respawn Entertainment and published by EA (Electronic Arts). This is another free-to-play battle royale game, which makes it a direct competitor of Fortnite - and it’s doing extremely well. However, if you take a look at the player count, you’ll find that Apex Legends still falls behind Fortnite. 

When it comes to eSports, Apex Legends is an Aussie favourite. In 2022, a team call Dark Zero made up of Australian players won the Apex Legends Global Series, which was quite an achievement. 

FIFA 23

Sport is the clear dominant entity when it comes to placing bets, so there’s no surprise that the FIFA franchise has translated perfectly to the eSports space. In Australia, the most popular FIFA eSport event is E-League Australia, which is a nine-round event that’s widely accessible. Just like real football, a win rewards 3 points, a draw is 1, and a loss is 0. Additionally, this event can be tracked and bet on just as easily as real-life sporting events. 

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Coming back to the free-to-play combat action we’ve got Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO). In the list of top eSports games in Australia, CS:GO comes in at number 3, according to Esports Earnings. The premise is simple, 2 teams of 5 go up against each other and battle it out to see who wins. When playing competitively, the game pairs up players of a similar rank, which makes it much more enjoyable. 

Overwatch

Overwatch is a team-based FPS (first-person shooter) from Blizzard Entertainment, which is now owned by Microsoft. There are several different game modes to play, and 2 teams of 6 battle it out to win. The characters in Overwatch are unique, with each one having a certain role and class, which only adds to the appeal of the game. 

League of Legends

League of Legends (LoL) is a multiplayer online battle arena game, which was created by Riot Games. Even though it may not be at the top of the stack now, its impact on the eSports industry is hard to ignore. In 2017 and 2018, this popular fantasy title was nominated for the best eSports game - a title it won in 2019, 2020, and 2021. 

Esports is extremely popular in Australia, and its industry value is only going to continue growing. Whether you’re a Dota 2 fanatic or a LoL player, there’s an eSports tournament to suit everyone’s tastes.