Dota 2 Betting Guide – Which are the best Dota 2 gambling sites?

Few games have managed to achieve such a phenomenal level of popularity in the esports realm as Dota 2. If you are looking to add an extra level of excitement to your Dota 2 viewing, here are three simple reasons why betting on Dota 2 is so much fun.

Best Dota 2 betting sites & offers 2022

Find all the best esports offers for Dota 2 betting here:

Dota 2 Betting 2022: everything you need to know

Dota 2 is a free to play video game created and published by Valve Corporation.
Dota 2 is one of the most successful Esports ever, and it is one of the biggest MOBA games out there with over 10 million active players. There are hundreds of professional teams and a professional circuit (called the Dota Pro Circuit) that holds around 25 big tournaments per year. Betting on Dota 2 is one of the best ways to add a bit more excitement into these events.

The major Dota 2 tournaments bring in arenas of thousands of fans. Even the minor tournaments have impressive prize pools, with majors typically giving away millions to their contestants. At the end of this circuit, a world championship takes place, The International. This event brings together the best 16 teams from 6 different regions: Europe, CIS, China, Southeast Asia, North America, and South America. It’s the culmination of the game for the year, and always a big draw. Dota 2 betting sites offering odds on this event can make even the biggest Dota 2 tournament more exciting.

How is competitive Dota 2 played?

Dota 2 is a complex game to learn. There is an awful lot going on, but even with all this complication high skill teams and the best Dota 2 players can do remarkable things with the game. Each match is played between two teams of five, in an area split down the centre. You’ll need to know how the more complex mechanics work to bet on Dota 2.

A round can last anywhere between 15 and 75 minutes, with a mixture of real-time strategy and role-playing game elements. Players pick heroes out of a pool of 115 possibilities. This isn’t just a choice of picking the best Dota 2 heroes, it also has to synchronise with their teammates in order to bring down the opposition’s Ancient, which is the most important structure inside a team’s base. When this building collapses, the game is over. The game itself is actually Defense of the Ancients 2, so it’s all about that ancient when you’re looking to gamble on it.

Three reasons why Dota 2 betting is exciting:

1. Backing the best Dota 2 teams

As Dota 2 is a team sport, you can have a great time working out which legendary Dota 2 teams to back. Whether you are doing some Dota betting on a top European side like Team Liquid, or a tough Chinese organization like Vici Gaming, there’s something endlessly enjoyable about watching these incredible gamers win you some decent profits.

2. Take part in the greatest Dota 2 tournaments

We all know how Dota 2 tournaments like The International regularly provide some of the biggest prize pools in esports. And even if we can’t take our share of the multi-million dollar sums that are awarded to the winners, we can all try betting on Dota for a similarly profitable outcome.

3. Picking the most profitable Dota 2 bets

And as more bookies are starting to offer decent Dota 2 bets, it’s also great fun to hunt down the most profitable odds out there. This is something that can get even more thrilling when you use a resource like Esports.net to compare how different bookies are rating your favorite Dota 2 teams and players.

Use your Dota 2 knowledge

Dota 2 is kind of a complex game, and so is betting on it. If you’re new to Dota or looking to bet on Dota for the first time, there are some things you should know. This is everything you need to get the most out of betting on Dota 2.

Research the game

Some people criticize Dota 2 for having a steep learning curve and too much complexity, but these are precisely the main reasons why betting on Dota 2 can be such a rewarding activity. After all, it’s only by having a decent understanding of the main gameplay features of Dota 2 that you are going to be able to win your Dota 2 bets.

There is a lot more to Dota than just defending and destroying the ancients. If you want to have fun betting, you’ll need to know the teams and the league. Past results can be as helpful to betting on Dota 2 as a cheat sheet in another game. Knowing about the past form of the top players and teams is vital if you want to make smart Dota 2 bets. In addition to this, many people have found that they need to do some homework on how different players perform in the different ‘hero’ roles in the game.

So that whether they are playing as an Earth Spirit, a Dragon Knight, or even a Legion Commander, we can try and predict how this will influence their team’s overall success. The best bookmakers will give you great Dota 2 odds if you’re going for the right team and predicting success.

What can you bet on?

Dota 2 has regular tournaments throughout the year, the biggest is the International.  When Dota Pro Circuit events take place, they attract the attention of the entire Dota 2 community. These events are covered by the bookmakers and offer excellent betting opportunities. You can usually find good odds on more unrelated Dota events too, one-off tournaments.

Markets that bookmakers offer

Fascinating betting options

Just as players of Dota 2 can select many different ‘heroes’, you can also enjoy lots of different Dota 2 gambling markets with the Dota 2 betting sites. Betting markets are the different scenarios that bookies offer odds on. So that if you wanted to bet on Natus Vincere to win the next International, or hoped to win some money on Virtus.pro reaching the final of the next Major, then these are betting markets that most Esports betting sites should cover. What’s great is that more bookmakers are now starting to include betting markets on some of the more specialist aspects of the Dota 2 game. It is always good to have options when you’re doing Dota 2 betting with real money.

This means that you can now find bookies who will help you lay down some bets on the team to draw blood, the first team to get fifteen kills or even the team to slay the first Roshan. Dota 2 gambling now has a lot of different options open to you. You can also take some decent two-way bets that can give you a touch of insurance when trying out some Dota 2 betting. So that whether you are betting on the team to destroy the first barracks, or are even wagering on the region of the winner of the next International, it seems that the gambling markets for betting on Dota 2 are opening up all of the time.

These are some of the main markets you can bet on DOTA 2 in:

• Betting on a Match Result

This is the simplest type of Esports betting, you can pick which is going to win a match. Dota 2 matches are usually played in a Bo1, Bo3 or Bo5 (only Grand Finals) format, meaning that the winner is decided by going through a maximum of 1, 3, or 5 games, maps or rounds (the equivalent of sets in Tennis). For some tournaments, the organizers choose a format that includes Bo2 matches. These types of matches can also end in a draw. You’ll be able to do these bets on Dota 2 on pretty much any site, although some will give you better esports odds.

• Betting on a Match Result with a Map Handicap/Advantage

Bookies offer handicaps or advantages to teams based on how their performance is expected. So if a game seems like an easy win, this market will level things out a bit. For instance, betting that team A will win a match with a 1.5 map handicap against team B means that you believe team A is going to win the match with a score of 2 – 0. If it wins with a score of 2 – 1, your bet will be lost because of the handicap, which makes the final score 0.5 – 1 in favor of Team B.

In exactly the same way, if you bet that team A will win a Bo3 match with a 1.5 map advantage against team B, this means that you believe team A is going to win at least 1 game against team B. If it does that, even if this team loses the match with the score of 1 – 2, the real score after adding its advantage will be 2.5 – 2. This one is more complicated, but it evens out the odds of mismatched teams. The best Dota 2 betting sites will offer plenty of these.

• Betting on the Occurrence of an Event

This is a type of bet in Dota 2 that allows you to bet on a certain event that takes place during a certain game. Examples include: an Aegis of the Immortal being stolen by any of the teams, an Animal Courier getting killed, a player getting a Godlike streak (9 consecutive kills dying), or a player getting a Rampage (5 kills in quick succession). Keep up with Dota 2 news to get a handle on how common these events are.

• Betting on the Team which will be the first to accomplish something

This type of bet allows you to pick which team will be the one to do something within a particular game of the match. For instance, you may be able to choose the team that will kill the first Roshan, or destroys the first Tower or Barracks, or gets the first kill (First Blood), or be the first to get 10 kills on the scoreboard. The best Dota 2 betting sites are going to offer you a lot of different choices in this area. However, this can be a bit harder to predict. Even if a team is likely to win, it is harder to judge that they’ll be the first to achieve a specific thing.

• Betting on the tournament winner

This type of bet is available before the start of a tournament, allowing you to pick the team that you believe is going to claim the title. The odds on things like this are probably going to be quite high, even for favorites since there is a lot of unknowns at play.

• Betting on the tournament finalist

This type of bet is available before the start of a tournament, allowing you to pick a team that you believe is going to qualify for the Finals. As with betting on the winners, this type of Dota 2 is more unpredictable.

• Betting on a tournament statistic

This type of bet is generally available before the start of very important tournaments, such as The International, allowing you to bet on things like the most picked hero (throughout the entire tournament), the most banned hero, the hero with the highest GPM (gold per minute) within a game, the player with the most number of kills within a game, and other statistics of this kind.

Who can you bet on?

Only the best players

Although Dota 2 now has a reported ten million players worldwide, you won’t be betting on all of them! You’ll only want to bet on the Dota` 2 players who are operating at the top level of the game.

So rather than losing money on the misguided playing antics of Dota 2 newbies, most bookmakers will be offering odds on the top competitions that only feature the world’s best Dota 2 players. As a result, you can look forward to placing your betting on Dota 2 stars like Mantumbaman and MinD_ContRoL who have helped Team Liquid become a major force in this exciting realm. And watch out for some of the current Dota 2 stars like Universe, SoNNeikO, and Miracle who can also help you get some decent payouts on your Dota betting.

Whilst there is plenty of debate about who is the best Dota 2 player in the world, if you see a bookie offering generous betting odds on any team containing legends like Resolut1on, Puppey or Misery, you’ll know that this could be a good Dota betting option. But regardless of whether you are backing a rising European star-like Nine, or an established Korean player like QO, you should always check into Esports.net to make sure that you are betting on Dota with the best odds possible.

Three reasons you need to try Dota betting today

Fun and profitable

Just in case you had any doubts, here are three great reasons why you need to place an esports bet right now.
Great way to boost your enjoyment of esports

Regardless of whether you’re watching Dota 2 matches or a Super Smash Bros battle, we all can agree that the on-screen action gets a whole lot most interesting when you have some money riding on the winner.

Bookies are offering great odds and tempting promotions

More and more bookmakers are now including esports as part of their betting options. And we’ve seen how some bookies are starting to provide evermore generous welcome bonuses and tempting odds to get new customers. So be sure to take them up on their offer whilst the going’s good.

More games being featured each year

And, if you eventually get bored on betting on Dota, then fear not as there are more great games being added to bookmakers’ websites each year.

Recently we’ve seen titles like Overwatch and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds become major hits in the esports gambling world, and it’s going to be fascinating to see which game will become the next esports sensation.

Tournaments happening all the Time

Global Dota 2 entertainment

As Dota 2 gaming is a worldwide phenomenon, you can expect to be able to place a bet on this classic battle arena title at any hour of the day. Whether you are betting on the legendary International tournament in Seattle, or the Perfect World Masters in Shanghai, you are sure to find some great odds being offered on Dota no matter what time zone you are in.

Obviously, it’s The International that receives the greatest amount of attention when betting on Dota 2 world. This legendary competition regularly produces record-breaking prize pools for its star players. But even when the dust has settled on this epic gaming event, there’s plenty more Dota 2 action out there. Events like the recent Boston Major showed how the ‘majors’ are starting to get many bookmakers interested in providing odds on these competitions. And with the Dota Pro Circuit giving us all a regular dose of top-level Dota 2 entertainment, it’s clear that we’ll have a calendar full of esports betting to look forward to. But regardless of whether you are betting on the Global Grand Masters or the Captains Draft, be sure to check back with Esports.net to makes sure that you are getting the best odds from the bookies.

Why is Dota 2 betting different from traditional betting?

Know the key differences

For most regular sports, the normal sports bookmaker have things down. However, offering great odds on the football doesn’t necessarily mean they’re the best spot for Esports. There are Dota 2 tournaments with matches of all sizes taking place all over the world. Not every bookmaker offers the best odds on all of them. Equally, it can take a bit of time for you to get used to the names of the teams, and the players who can give you some confidence when placing a bet.

The normal approach of going for the big names in each sport might not apply when you are betting on Dota 2. There’s something about the unpredictability of Dota 2 betting that’s capable of providing some decent payouts. As there is more chance of a big upset, it means that you have a better chance of getting one over on the bookies who haven’t recognized the talents of a promising new team. So whilst gambling on Dota 2 can be a leap into the unknown, it’s a great way to add to excitement to your viewing.

The best Dota 2 betting teams

Who are the all-time greats?

Despite the unfamiliarity of many Dota 2 team names, there are a few organisations who have helped punters place some bets with a reasonable degree of confidence. OG had been the Dota 2 team to watch for many years. The European organisation had a string of big successes that included resounding wins at the Dota 2 Major Championship in Frankfurt in 2015, and a surprise triumph at the Manila Major in 2016.

But as Dota 2 has grown in popularity, it has seen many more great teams forming a formidable challenge. The Chinese team, LGD. Forever Young have only been around for just over one year, but already they have seen how stars like Monet and Super have helped them get some great odds for the forthcoming MDL Macau competition. It would also be unwise to bet against teams like Virtus.pro. This Russian side are one of the oldest teams in esports, and they use over a decade’s worth of experience to consistently perform well at the toughest Dota 2 tournaments.

Just over the border, Natus Vincere are a Ukrainian team who have also made a big impression in the Dota 2 world. Although they might be more commonly associated with CS:GO betting, it’s clear that they offer a strong challenge at any level of Dota 2 gaming.

DOTA 2 Betting Tips

These are some Dota 2 betting tips for doing as well as you can:

Know the Markets

Betting on the outcome of a match is the simplest way of betting in Dota 2, but it isn’t always the most exciting. Betting on specific game events and outcomes can be a bit more interesting and get you better odds. For example, betting that Team Liquid will be the one to destroy the first barracks in a game against a team like SG e-sports is a game event consistent with a victory in favor of Team Liquid. However, the odds of such an event are always significantly higher than the ones associated with a match victory in favor of the stronger team.

Betting on specific game events is usually possible only when using the services of one of the Esports dedicated bookies listed here. Most bookmakers don’t bother too much with their Esports section and only provide odds for the matches themselves, going with a dedicated Esports bookie is a better call. Do some research on your bookie beforehand. For example, if you’re using Unikrn it is best to read a Unikrn review to make sure you’re using the right site and getting the best bonus that you can.

Look for specific signals and drafting strategies

Look for hero compositions that are designed to put early game pressure on the opponent. These are used against drafts that revolve around defending until the late game when the carry hero can overcome the entirely enemy line-up (Anti-Mage or Terrorblade drafts for example). In these scenarios, the team that goes for the early push draft will often be the one to kill the first Roshan. Especially if it has a hero like Troll Warlord, Ursa, or Templar Assassin in its lineup. Looking out strategies can help you a lot when you’re betting on Dota 2. Dot 2 gambling isn’t going to be something you can predict entirely, but knowing a bit more about the deeper strategies at play can help you.

Stay informed

New game patches, roster changes, stand-ins, and other similar events can significantly change the results of a match or a tournament. Subsequently, you need to stay informed about these things if you want to be successful as a Dota 2 bettor. At esports.net, our news section is designed to help you with this and keep you up to date with the most important events that are shaping Dota 2 and its professional scene.

Only bet what you can lose

Betting on Dota 2 can be a lot of fun, but you need to make sure it just stays fun. Damage control strategies that involve doubling down on betting aren’t the best solution. Make sure you only bet what you can afford to lose. This way, the game stays fun and betting makes watching games even more fun. If it comes more about the betting than the game, then you might need to cool off for a bit. Most bookies offer deposit limits that can help with this.

Find the perfect Dota 2 bookmaker

There are a lot of Dota 2 bookies out there. Since it is one of the biggest Esports, most normal sports bookies even offer markets on Dota. To choose the best bookie though you’ve got to look at a few things. Offering a variety of markets and ways to bet is a bonus, some bookies much more than others. You’ve then got to look at average odds for each bookie. They can vary quite greatly between site to site, so you’ll want to find the best odds for Dota 2 betting. Therefore, if you want to add a bit more excitement into Dota 2 events you should definitely try betting on Dota 2, and with sites like Unikrn UMode, you can even bet on your own performance.

Who offers the best bets?

As Dota 2 is one of the most popular esports to bet on, you should be able to find a decent bookie offering you some good odds on this iconic battle arena title. Traditional bookmakers like William Hill have quickly adapted to the Dota 2 betting craze, and they now feature simple bets that allow you to wager on specific games and teams. However, their markets are more limited for games, they don’t cover as many events, and you might not be getting the best odds compared with more Esports-centric bookies. Going for one of these bookies will make it easier to bet on Dota 2 well.