ptkovsky Whether it's betting on horse racing like in ye olde days or placing wagers on high-pace CS:GO matches, betting is Australia's favorite pastime. This land down under is one of the biggest esports betting markets in the world. The number of esports bettors is staggering for such a small nation: a study by the Australian Institute of Family revealed that in 2015, over half a million Australians regularly engaged in sports betting. That's nearly 5% of the total population - a number unheard of anywhere else!
Different studies point to even bigger numbers. For instance, if electronic gambling machines (known as "pokies") are included in this calculation, it's estimated that 80% of the Australian population engage in gambling of some sort. For this very reason, Esports betting Australia market is considered the most important one worldwide.
- Crypto-focused bookmaker
- Competitive odds
- Live esports streams
- 11 esports games
- Lots of website languages
- Android and iOS Apps
- 9 esports games
- Trusted worldwide brand
- Best odds and markets
- Cryptocurrencies available
- Website supports many languages
- Low minimum deposits
- 10+ website languages
- Supports many payment methods
- Huge selection of game providers
- Bet $10 and get $5 on BALI MAJOR final
- 20+ esports titles to bet on
- Lightning-fast withdrawals in 20 cryptocurrencies
- Bitcoin betting at its finest
- Wide selection of top competitive games
- Comfortable pre-game and in-play betting
- 20+ esports titles to choose from
- Lots of gambling markets and live bets
- Brand with an excellent reputation
- Friendly 24/7 support
- Wagering-free promotion
- Fast cashouts
- Live esports and mobile betting
- Competitive bonus offerings
- Crypto and e-wallets with fast banking
- Focus on esports and virtual sports
- Fiat money and crypto supported
- Agressive marketing promotions
- Global open-source crypto gambling platform
- Focus on casino, sports, and esports
- Attractive website design and amazing bonuses
- Cryptocurrencies accepted
- Android app
- Live chat
- Top esports titles
- Licensed and secure website
- Lots of betting markets
- Lots of esports to bet on
- Attractive website design
- Variety of payment options
- One of the oldest and most reliable brands
- Separate section for esports gambling
- Lots of betting markets for popular games
- Diverse range of games
- Free bets and live gambling bonuses
- Old school brand with good reputation
- Top esports and many betting markets
- Nice welcome bonuses and daily cashbacks
- Lots of slots games to play with
- Crypto Accepted
- More than 35 sports
- Available in 8 Languages
- Different crypto options accepted
- Unlimited withdrawals
- Live streams
Top Esports Betting Sites in Australia
Let's start off with listing the esports betting sites of choice for many Australians. If you'd like to learn more, make sure to check out our general guide on how to bet on esports by clicking this link.
Ladbrokes
Labrokes is especially popular in Australia
A massive international brand with a large presence in Australia, Ladbrokes is a solid choice for sports and esports betting. Ladbrokes is a highly certified esports betting platform known for its excellent esports bonuses, great sports and esports coverage, and a wide variety of payment methods, including esports bets with PayPal and Skrill.
To bet online on esports with Neteller or other similar e-wallets is a great way to improve your transaction safety and privacy.
Unibet Australia
Unibet is one of the most trusted bookmakers in the world
Unibet is one of the world's most trusted and secure esports betting sites. Its Australian branch is consistently topping the charts in popularity since it offers the widest selection of esports games to bet on, a variety of payment operators (including blockchain esports betting), as well as some of the best esports betting odds and bonuses. According to aussportsbetting.com, Unibet Australia has the lowest sports betting margin out of all Aussie bookies.
Margin is the share of winnings taken by the esports bookmaker. The lower it is, the better the terms are for the customer.
Bet365 is great for CS:GO betting
Bet365
Bet365 is the most well-rounded option that fits perfectly for those wishing to pick a single bookie and stick with it instead of jumping between many different esports betting options. The bookie offers live betting on esports that is easy and quick to use and has above-average coverage of varioust sports/esports events.
It's important to note that Australian lawmakers are potentially making moves to ban live esports betting in the near future. A nationwide inquiry has been made to gather the public's opinion on two subjects: in-game loot boxes and live betting. It will possibly decide their fate.
Picklebet is great for mobile esports betting because of its app
Picklebet
We're rounding out our list with one of the best Australian betting sites for beginners. Its strong focus on the biggest esports tournaments makes it perfect for esports games wagering. Its best feature has to be its easy-to-navigate site and the best esports app on the market.
Australia's Favorite Esports For Betting
Intro aside, let's dig into what makes esports betting so exciting: the variety and ease of access to various titles. Australian esports betting sites are amazing at that.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Betting in Australia
Unsurprisingly, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is at the top of this list. After all, it's one of the most played and most-watched competitive video games out there. Australian esports betting sites take it to another level - Counter-Strike has always been Australia's favorite esport. Virtually all esports betting sites allow users to place wagers on CS:GO, with the live betting option being exceedingly popular.
The discipline itself is also massively popular among Aussies. In 2017 and 2019, CS:GO's most beloved event, Intel Extreme Masters, took place in Sydney
League of Legends Betting in Australia
League of Legends is one of the most popular games in the world, as there are nearly 200 million active players worldwide. No list of esports betting favorites can be without LoL! League's esports events are watched by millions of fans and are present on all esports betting sites. The League of Legends World Championship 2022 set an absolute record in viewership as more than 5.1 million spectators gathered to watch the grand final between T1 and DRX.
Rocket League Betting in Australia
Rocket League is a game in the funky genre of "soccer, but with rocket-powered cars". Its esports scene has grown significantly, with the 2022 World Championship having a prize pool of $2 000 000! Despite having quite an unusual genre, Rocket League has been nominated for "eSports Game of the Year" in 2017-2019 by the Golden Joystick Awards and Australian Games Awards.
Fortnite Betting in Australia
The most popular Battle Royale game makes it to the list of Australian esports betting picks. Fortnite's esports department is very much alive and kicking in Australia, as it returned to be a part of the Australian Open tournament in 2022. Fortnite is one of the most prominent esports markets globally, with the recent Fortnite World Cup 2020 featuring an eye-watering total prize pool of $30,000,000, making it the second-largest prize pool in the history of esports.
Esports In Australia: Best Esports Events
Australia's esports scene is truly unique. While the country's geographical location and historically low internet speeds make simple practice scrims nearly insurmountable, Australian esports teams persevere and show up on the international stage.
In esports, "scrims" are practice matches between two professional teams. While not part of any tournament or competition, both teams give their best to better themselves - and their opponents.
The global rise of esports has not left Australia behind. In 2017 and 2019, the much-beloved Intel Extreme Masters series took place in Sydney, Australia. This massively popular series gathered over 50,000,000 hours of watch time in 2019 alone, peaking at 300,000 viewers on live streaming platforms such as Twitch and YouTube.
Intel Extreme Masters
As it stands, IEM is the longest-standing esports competition in the world. Established in 2006, this series features competitions in many titles, most famously CS:GO, StarCraft II, and others. It's been a part of the history of many other popular titles of the past (and present), such as WarCraft III, StarCraft: Brood War, and League of Legends.
Recently, the Northern Territory Racing Commission, the Australian legal body overseeing horse racing and sports betting, has declared esports a sporting event. With this decision, Australia esports betting industry flourished.
Is Esports Betting Legal In Australia?
Short answer: yes. Long answer: if you're a resident of Australia and 18 or older, you can easily use any of the world's hyper-developed esports bookmakers to place wagers on your favorite titles, teams, and players.
There's an obstacle for domestic esports bookmakers, however. This obstacle is called the Interactive Gambling Act of 2001.
In essence, the Interactive Gambling Act of 2001 states that it's illegal for Australian-based bookmakers to provide gambling services to the citizens of Australia.
However, thankfully legal loopholes allow Aussie esports betting sites to operate within the bounds of the law. Alternatively, users can freely access overseas betting platforms without using these loopholes.
Best Australian Esports Teams In History
As we've mentioned, Australia's esports pros are very resilient. Despite the challenges imposed by their location, they continue turning heads worldwide with their international performances. Let's take a look at some of the most-known orgs!
Renegades (CS:GO)
Perhaps the most-known Australian esports brand, Renegades, is an international gaming organization headquartered in Detroit, United States. What brings it to this list is its fully-Australian CS:GO roster. Most known as Australia's most successful CS:GO team in the region's history, Renegades' dominated the Oceanian and Asian-Pacific competitions for years, earning over $1,000,000 in winnings.
Order
Order is an Australian esports organization. Founded in 2017, it has acquired active rosters in League of Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Valorant, Rainbow Six: Siege, and other popular esports titles. Its League of Legends roster won its first domestic title in 2022, competing in the ESL-hosted League of Legends Circuit Oceania.
100 Thieves (CS:GO)
100T is another American organization with a powerful Aussie CS:GO roster. The organization entered the Oceanian CS:GO scene in 2019 with an acquisition of the former Renegades team. The team's approx. winnings: $200,000.
Esports Betting In Other Countries
| Esports betting in the United Kingdom | Esports betting in UK is the most successful esports betting market. The United Kingdom is the king of betting thanks to the country's open-minded laws and regulations. |
| Esports Betting in the United States | The US esports betting market is a notoriously tough nut to crack. However, the recent developments in the country hint toward the total legalization of esports wagering in the coming future. |
| Esports betting in Canada | Legal esports betting in Canada is possible. However, each province has its own local laws regulating this practice, so click the link to find out more. |
| Esports betting in Germany | Esports betting in Germany has a complicated status. A 2008 treaty has declared domestic bookies illegal - however, residents of Germany may legally access overseas esports bookmakers. |
| Esports betting in Japan | Local laws prohibit local sports bookies. Click here to find out how to bet on esports in Japan using overseas betting sites. Don't worry: it's legal. |
| Esports betting in Singapore | Esports betting in Singapore has the opposite problem. It's illegal to place wagers on offshore operators. However, the domestic esports betting scene is very underdeveloped, leaving Singapore's esports fans in a tough spot. |
| Esports betting in Brazil | Esports betting in Brazil has been a hot topic of legal debate for the past four years. Esports is Brazil's national passion, and it's possible to place bets on it legally. |
| Esports betting in the Philippines | Is esports betting legal in the Philippines? Good news: despite the country's tight restrictions on the subject, it's still possible to legally place wagers on esports teams. |
| Esports betting in Malaysia | Malaysia's laws prohibit the operation of bookmakers on its soil. Legally betting on esports in Malaysia is impossible due to the country's strict adherence to Sharia law. |