Players from Sweden will have noticed how in recent years, many bookmakers worldwide have rapidly turned their attention to eSports. As one of the world’s most productive countries when it comes to iGaming it is easy to see why there is always so much going on in Sweden when it comes to online betting. Major game developers are from Sweden and the same holds for some of the world’s biggest e-wallet payment solutions and even bookmakers. The latter explains why some of the best betting sites for sports are Sweden based or at least Sweden born. 

One of the features that makes us consider them among the best in the world is the way they deal with eSports. As we believe that a real bookie can’t fall behind when it comes to eSports popularity which is why we decided to take a closer look at international bookmakers and their offer of eSports on their platforms. In this listicle about the Esports Betting Sites we also considered their availability in Sweden. This gives us what we believe are the best options for players that are looking for the best esports betting sites in 2022. 

Top five Esports betting sites

There are lots of options available when looking for the best eSports betting sites in Sweden which is clearly something we’re very pleased with. The tough part for you, the player, is that you might get lost in how many online bookies there are. A lot of players therefore need help in sifting through to find the best out there and this is what we consider our job as this is where we step in. When looking at the best betting sites for eSports in particular, we make sure to cover all of the most important aspects, from the different markets to the odds that come with them. We suggest you carefully check out the options below before you sign up and start betting on eSports with real money in Sweden. Here are what we believe to be Sweden’s best options when it comes to esports.

1. Unibet

Unibet is one of the biggest betting brands in the world and has managed to become a billion-dollar international company that millions of players around the world use on a regular basis – including a lot of players in Sweden. Esports markets on Unibet are always available and one of the best parts of this originally British website is the major facility to bet in-play on a wide range of esports events, with games such as such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, League of Legends, and FIFA being some of the most popular games to bet on in this respect. Players also have the opportunity to bet on handicap results and over/under goals with markets that very much resemble those offered for real-life sports.

2. Betsson

Betsson is Scandinavia’s market leader when it comes to both offering an extensive range of online casino games and sports betting on the whole. With a wide array of betting markets there is no better place to feel at home when playing at Betsson as these also include plenty of eSports betting options too to cater for the needs of this niche group. An important part of the complete iGaming experience offered by Betsson are the different promos available for both new and existing players. But that’s not all, Betsson also makes sure that players are in full control giving them a complete bet builder for sports games. Whether it’s real-life sports or eSports you’re interested in, there are lots of options.

3. Betsafe

Also one of the most used betting websites in Sweden and actually one of the most accessible websites when it comes to betting on games of chance such as sports betting and casino games. If we take a closer look at Betsafe’s esports markets, we’re happy to let you know that there’s a whole host of different matches, markets, and events to bet on under the featured section on the website. It also gives players the facility for in-play betting, ensuring that every player will find the options he or she is interested in. We find the Betsafe site to be very user friendly and easy to place bets on. Betsafe has managed to distinguish itself from other bookies by offering a self-explanatory site for eSports too.

4. 888Sport

888 is one of those bookmakers that happens to be on the rise and doesn’t look to slow down any time soon. It also offers a great welcome deal that relates to a lot more than individual sports teams winning a match. The eSports section of the website even has a lot more events to make a wager on, which has made 888Sport stand out from most other options available in Sweden. One of the major benefits of their eSports platform is the availability to see the most popular bets for that match day within the eSports markets. This can help a lot of players narrow down what to place a bet on. The competitions category also gives all the info of the matches that will become available to bet on.

5. Comeon

With more than 200 million viewers worldwide, eSports’ popularity continues to rise which is something ComeOn definitely noticed when it was launched in 2008. Since then, ComeOn has had an amazing journey growing from a small start-up company to one of the biggest operators in the market. ComeOn is now what we would label a safe and strong middle-ground option for users that consider themselves somewhere between a skilled eSports bettor and a recreational bettor. Comeon’s betting platform is slick and offers attractive odds on a wide coverage of esports games and their respective markets. 

What are eSports?

Betting on Esports is a relatively new way of sports betting where bets are made on virtual games instead of real sports events. eSports, or e-sports, stands for electronic Sports, which are competitions in which professional gamers compete against each other, usually as a team. Betting mainly happens on large scale tournaments of popular games such as Counterstrike, League of Legends, or DOTA2. This form of online gambling has started to gain popularity in Sweden as well, especially among young people. Online bets are made at bookmakers. Nowadays almost all professional gamers that compete are affiliated with an eSports organisation. These organisations pay the professional gamers to promote their company in addition to playing the games for the prize pot. The launch and growth of streaming platforms like Twitch, YouTube and Azubu has given eSports organisations a huge financial boost, sometimes paying players as much as $100,000 a year.

Why these sites?

Because we play on them as well. Seriously, we do. We would only recommend websites where we would deposit money ourselves and make real money wagers. We label ourselves as iGaming-experts, but above all we consider ourselves players. It is our job to test igaming websites, but we do so from a player perspective. This means we explicitly add websites to add top lists that are worth your real money wager. When we take new websites that open up to the Swedish online casino market to the test, we do so by going through a large list of performance metrics. This concerns a lot more than just evaluating the catalogue of eSports games and actually involves a complete, top to bottom audit. We analyse every website in terms of its user friendliness, its mobile compatibility, its customer service, bonuses, and overall games assortment. Working with an extensive number of performance metrics gives us the opportunity to compare websites and see how well they perform in comparison with the market average. Only the best sites get a top list spot and those that perform poorly will get frank reviews why we consider them poor options. 

What eSports games can you bet on?

Although the exact catalogue will clearly depend on the operator you choose to sign up with, there are currently 5 major games that you can bet online on at bookmakers:

1. LoL (League of Legends)
2. Dota 2 (Defense of the Ancients)
3. CS:GO (Counterstrike)
4. Starcraft 2
5. FIFA

Other games that are fairly common are Hearthstone, Smite, Heroes of the Storm and Overwatch. With most of our recommended eSports betting sites it is possible to bet on the big 5. Almost all tournaments and leagues are offered as betting options. Tournaments or leagues are usually streamed on Twitch.tv or through a dedicated app or site, and are commentated live by well-known eSports presenters.

Which payment methods can you deposit with?

Banking methods on eSports betting sites are divided into different categories, typically including traditional methods such as credit cards with Visa and Mastercard being the most common options available. Then we’ve got the e-wallets which are particularly useful as they tend to be a lot faster than bank transfers or credit card payments. E-wallets like PayPal, and more importantly Skrill and Trustly have gained popularity in Sweden in recent years. Trustly is a Swedish banking method that facilitates instant payments avoiding the need to wait for banks to deposit the funds or payout withdrawals. This can be especially frustrating when someone wants to make a bet during the weekend or after business hours. Vouchers like Paysafecard offer an independent solution that are considered more discrete, but do require the player to buy the voucher before a payment can be made. Bank wire transfers are usually available for withdrawals and sometimes for deposits as well, but they tend to be a lot slower due to the previously mentioned reasons. Volt, a Swedish Open Banking Payment-method, facilitates immediate bank transfers which is done via your bank account, but without depending on the bank’s business hours.

Is it safe to bet on eSports?

Yes, eSports are safe to bet on as long as you stick to websites that hold a valid licence and not foreign, non-regulated markets such as Canada . In this aspect, betting on eSports doesn’t differ much from betting on other sports or playing regular casino games. Players are advised to stick to operators that hold a licence which can be checked in the website’s footer by looking up the licence number. An alternative is to stick to recommended betting sites on trustworthy affiliates as they usually only work with licenced partners. Moreover, most affiliate sites provide full reviews as well so players have a better understanding of the operator’s offer and overall market performance. Betting on eSports is safe as long as you stick to licenced websites and play responsibly. Betting on eSports is only allowed by players who are 18 years of age or older.

What does the Swedish gaming licence say about eSports betting?

The Swedish Gambling Authority, Spelinspektionen, isn’t happy with eSports which is caused by its target group and not necessarily because of the eSports event themselves. For most traditional sports events, making a wager isn’t a big deal as players tend to be 18 years or older. But as many of eSports’ biggest stars are teenagers, a lot of the spectators, and thus potential bettors, tend to be minors too. Swedish authorities have therefore prohibited betting on eSports by underage players and operators are closely audited to avoid that bets are made by teenagers. The Swedish Gambling Authority has already issued numerous penalties to operators. As the Swedish Spelinspektionen is widely known to be a very strict gaming authority it is not expected to loosen up any time soon, which in this case is perfectly understandable as users younger than 18 years shouldn’t be able to bet.

What is the age requirement to bet?

Every individual making bets on games of chance will need to be 18 years of age or older. That is the minimum age in Sweden to be legally able to make bets on eSports. The same age applies to other sorts of real money bets including casino games and sports events. Underage betting is therefore considered a crime and strictly prohibited. Every user signing up to an operator will need to verify his or her identity in order to avoid underage users signing up. eSports betting sites are required to refrain from targeting minor users.

Disclaimer: Play responsibly. Players must be over 18. For help visit https://www.gamcare.org.uk/.