ptkovsky League of Legends is the absolute king of esports. Ranked the most popular video game in the world, LoL makes all other popular esports seem like small niche titles with its sheer popularity. With a huge fan base comes a vast pro scene - and with a flourishing competitive aspect comes League of Legends betting.
Best League of Legends Bookmakers In 2023
Being at the top has its perks: for League, it means having all the esports bookmakers giving hard priority to all the LoL esports. When seeking where to bet on esports, it is worth paying attention to several factors:
- Event coverage;
- Payment options and security;
- Customer protection;
- Bonuses;
- Best odds;
- Best mobile app;
In League's case, its popularity makes picking out great bookies easy since there are just so many of them. Still, here's a short list of the best LoL bet sites - all tested and reviewed by TIPS.GG:
- Main esports included
- Huge promo bonus
- Windows, iOS, Android apps
- 11 esports games
- Lots of website languages
- Android and iOS Apps
- 9 esports games
- Trusted worldwide brand
- Best odds and markets
- Esports betting on popular games
- US-oriented bookmaker
- Crypto and generous bonuses
- 20+ esports titles to choose from
- Lots of gambling markets and live bets
- Brand with an excellent reputation
- Live esports and mobile betting
- Competitive bonus offerings
- Crypto and e-wallets with fast banking
- Global open-source crypto gambling platform
- Focus on casino, sports, and esports
- Attractive website design and amazing bonuses
- 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
- 12+ esports games
- Attractive website design
- Lots of betting markets
What Makes League Of Legends The #1 Choice
The game's moderate approach to the multiplayer online battle arena genre catapulted it into the incredible popularity it possesses today. This alone makes it the most popular choice for esports betting - but there are more:
| Popularity and availability | Yes, we've mentioned it multiple times before, but it simply can not be overstated. League of Legends is the most popular PC video game title in the world, averaging 128 Million active players a month. |
| Year-round LoL esports events | League of Legends developers, Riot Games, have taken a unique approach to managing their esports scene. Instead of sporadic competitions and long lulls, League features nearly constant esports leagues in addition to substantial international events. This fact makes LoL betting a most reliable market. |
| The game's complexity | Ensures virtually infinite replayability and opens avenues to unique betting markets based on various in-game mechanics. |
| The game is free! | It's easy to try it out and see if you enjoy it - and delve deeper into the rabbit's hole if you do. The game is also not hardware demanding at all. Players with weak-end PCs can freely enjoy it. |
Types of League Of Legends Betting
There are many different ways a bettor can approach League esports betting. Here's a quick overview of the most prominent esports betting avenues.
Real Money Betting
Present on any LoL betting site, this is the most popular option among bettors is to bet real money on League of Legends matches. As esports betting steadily wins over cultural and legislative acceptance worldwide, its markets begin to rival even that of traditional sports betting. The digitalized platform allows for distinct advantages over the latter - for instance, live betting. More about that later!
Social Betting And Tips
Some sites - including TIPS.GG - offer opportunities to test your game and team knowledge by making tips. These tips are publicly displayed and function as a way for veteran players and bettors to share their game knowledge. This form of League of Legends betting is free, and might help beginners to understand pro team dynamics better.
Fantasy Betting
When it comes to fantasy betting, the bettors create their own teams! The players assemble fantasy rosters out of the pool of available real professional athletes, and then compete among each other based on their players' real in-game metrics. As this type of LoL betting is not as heavily regulated as real money betting, it's a perfect choice for those residing in regions with stricter anti-gambling laws.
League of Legends Betting Markets
Two factors combine to create the greatest variability when it comes to LoL betting markets. Since the game is the number one most watched esport, online betting sites give it special priority and attention. The second factor is the game's complexity: with thousands of different mechanics at play, each match is entirely unique, creating thousands of different betting options. Compared to other MOBA games like Arena of Valor, Heroes of the Storm, and Pokemon Unite, League of Legends stands head and shoulder above in game complexity.
Let's take a look at some of the most popular League of Legends betting markets and different bet types.
General Betting Markets
| Match Outcome | This is the simplest type of bet universal to any traditional sport or a digital competition. The players bet on League of Legends matches and attempt to predict the winner. The betting odds, in this case, are determined by the relative strength of the participant-teams - and the bookies' numbers. |
| Handicap Betting | This type of bet works essentially just like Match Outcome - but with a twist. It's not uncommon for a substantial skill difference to occur in esports matches. This type of League of Legends betting seeks to remedy this issue by giving the stronger team a virtual handicap. For instance, the bookie provides the stronger competitor a one map handicap in a Best-of-3 match. If the underdog manages to win at least a single map, the bookie will consider them the winners in this bet. |
| Over/Under | The bettors are given an arbitrary number representing an in-game stat (for example, the amount of Elemental Drakes taken). Then, the bettors attempt to guess whether this in-game statistic goes over or under the bookie's number. |
| Tournament Outcome | This is an example of a long-term LoL bet. Instead of betting on a single match, the bettors attempt to guess the winner of an entire series. Some of these wagers must be cast months in advance. For instance, if you'd like to bet on the League of Legends Championship Series split winner, keep in mind that it lasts nearly two months! |
| Live betting | As opposed to the long-term bets, esports live betting is instant! This type of bet is unique to esports betting, and offers bettors pretty much instant resolution of their wagers. |
League Of Legends Specific Betting Markets
Let's take a look at some of the sports betting markets that delve deeper into the game's mechanics present on most League of Legends betting sites. Some of these are pretty universal to the MOBA genre, while some are exclusive to LoL betting only.
| First Blood | The first elimination scored within a game rewards the killer with bonus gold. Some teams elect to pick champions that facilitate this objective - and the bettors need to guess which team will take it. |
| First Turret | In League of Legends, taking down the first turret of the game rewards the players with additional gold. It's very similar to First Blood, but with structure takedowns instead of champion kills. The players place bets, trying to guess the one team to secure this bonus. |
| First Baron Nashor |
 Baron Nashor, League of Legends. Baron Nashor is a powerful neutral objective. When slain, it grants a massive gold and experience boost in addition to a teamwide buff that makes it significantly easier to siege the opponent's base. The bettors attempt to predict which team will take this objective first. |
| Elemental Drake/Soul Present | Over the years, League of Legends has evolved to include a huge variety of this Dragon-type objective. Different Drakes grant different powerful and permanent buffs - and they even affect the map's terrain layout in creative and surprising ways. In this type of LoL betting, the players try to guess the kind of Elemental Drakes that will spawn, whether the team will claim the Elemental Soul, etc. |
| Player Metrics | A pro player's performance within a game can be measured in many different ways. Things like GPM (Gold Per Minute), total damage, minions killed, champion takedowns, etc. All are viable betting markets represented on many different betting sites. |
| Player Of The Game/Match | Top League of Legends pro events have post-game sections where esports analysts vote for the most impactful player of the game/match. In this case, the bettors attempt to predict who that will be. This type of LoL betting requires utmost familiarity with the teams and individual players. It requires a lot of research! |
Placing Your First League Of Legends Bet
With all the different markets, options, and platforms, it may appear that League of Legends betting is a challenging process. It's absolutely not: here's a short algorithm to show how easy it is.
Select A Site From Our List
When searching through League of Legends betting sites, it's crucial to consider many factors: secure and licensed betting, high betting odds, and high event coverage. Best online betting sites must score consistently high in all these metrics. We have compiled a list of LoL bet sites that meet these standards above.
Create And Verify The Account
After picking a reliable bookmaking service, it's time to create the account. Most betting sites require verification with real documents, so it's essential to enter the information carefully. This step is necessary so the service can comply with the regulations as esports betting is available only to those 18 or older.
Download The Bookie's App
This step is largely optional; however, it might be best practice to download the bookie's esports betting app. Having the convenience of access at the palm of your hand is great. Nearly every reputable bookmaker has a reliable and fast app available on all smartphones without a problem.
Make First Deposit And Activate The Welcome Bonus
Most betting sites offer a wide variety of payment operators: from Visa and MasterCard to betting on with PayPal and even crypto esports betting.
Plenty of bookmaking operators offer new users great bonuses. It's crucial to activate esports betting deposit bonus before placing the first bet for maximum efficiency. It's not uncommon to see an online betting site offering deposit-free betting options on LoL events in the form of LoL betting codes. If this is the case, it's possible to skip this step.
Navigate To The Event Of Interest And Place The Bet
Modern League of Legends betting sites have user-friendly designs that make finding the desired events easy and quick. Depending on the type of bet, it could take a while for the bookie to resolve your wager. Live bets on a LoL match will take an hour to resolve, but betting on a winner in a regional league can take more than two months.
League of Legends Gameplay Overview
League of Legends is a game in a traditionally complex Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA, for short), and it's no exception to that tradition. To place the most accurate bets on League of Legends tournaments, a bettor must be familiar with the gameplay basics. Let's go over them as fast as we can!
As most games in the MOBA genre, LoL features two five-man teams. The game uses a time-tested three-lane format. To win a League of Legends match, you must break down all defenses - called Turrets - guarding a team's base, and destroy the opponent's Nexus.
Vex, the Gloomist from League of Legends.
The win condition is simple. However, there are way more complexities to take into account: the players must take advantage of killing non-player characters that periodically spawn on each lane, as well as in the neutral space between the lanes called jungle. Doing so grants players experience and gold. Experience is used to level up their characters, called champions which grants them additional abilities and increased stats. Gold is used to buy items in the shop, granting stats and different unique effects.
In addition to these NPCs called "minions" and "jungle monsters," there are powerful neutral objectives that often require a team effort to secure. Here's a short list of them:
| Baron Nashor | A massive and deadly Void Creature that often requires five players to take down. It grants a huge boost of gold and experience, and a game-deciding buff that makes it easier to break open the opposing team's base. |
| Elder Drake | This Drake only spawns after a single team has secured an Elemental Soul by slaying 4 Elemental Drakes. Elder Drake has a giant health pool - but slaying it grants an extremely potent combat buff. Fighting off an Elder Buff-empowered enemy is nearly impossible. |
| Elemental Drakes | This objective comes in many different shapes: there are different, randomly spawning Dragon types. Mountain, Infernal, Ocean, Cloud, and Hextech Drakes all grant various permanent enchantments to the team that slew them. The 4th Elemental Drake will also give a powerful Elemental Soul buff. |
| Rift Herald | This objective spawns early on - and Baron Nashor replaces it upon spawning. It grants its killer a one-person buff, a share of gold, and an ability to resummon it to deliver a devastating blow to the opponent's Turrets. |
Understanding these mechanics on at least a basic level will let you place more accurate informed bets on competitive play and take part in a greater variety of LoL esports betting markets. Remember, League of Legends is completely free! It may be worth checking out to get deeper knowledge about the gameplay.
Guideline For Best League Of Legends Betting Experience
For those just starting out in LoL betting, it might be of use to follow four simple rules when placing bets. We've already talked about how to spot a quality bookmaker - but there's more to esports betting than just finding the right League of Legends betting sites. Let's take a look:
Research The Game
Pretty self-explanatory here. Deeper knowledge of in-game mechanics allows for the most accurate bets.
Research The Pros
Understanding pro teams' strengths and weaknesses is just as important as knowing the game itself.
Be Sure To Always Look For The Best League Of Legends Odds
It's not enough to just pick one best esports betting website and stay with it forever. The betting sites compete against each other for users' attention - take advantage of that.
Make a strict betting budget
No matter how excellent your knowledge of the game is, sometimes a team may subvert everyone's expectations and score an upset. Never bet more than you can afford to lose!
In sports, upset refers to when the heavily favored team (the favorites) loses the match against the team most likely to lose (the underdogs). Since betting on underdogs universally means the best LoL betting odds, the lucky bettors enjoy much higher prize money.
Using helpful utilities like esports odd checker can greatly enhance the betting experience. TIPS.GG odds calculator updates esports betting odds in real-time. Use it to find out odds for major events (for example, LoL MSI odds) in just two clicks.
Odds converter
Best League Of Legends Events To Bet On
Riot Games, the game's developer and publisher, employs an unusual approach to League of Legends esports events. While other titles have the majority of events organized by third-party agents, Riot Games runs the show by themselves. As a result, there are nearly all year-long highest-level esports games. That means more opportunities for esports betting!
Here's a short list of the best League of Legends events to bet on:
League of Legends World Championship 2021.
League Of Legends World Championship
The largest yearly event and the pinnacle of LoL's competitive scene, LoL's World Championship, is on a truly massive scale. It hosts dozens of international teams competing over multiple months, making Worlds betting an absolute boon to bookies. Although League's Worlds doesn't boast incredible prize pools akin to Dota 2's The International, it's still a highly prestigious and loved event. LoL World Championship 2021 was the most-watched esports event in history, attracting an incredible 4 010 000 viewers (Chinese numbers are missing, so in actuality, it's way more than that).
Mid-Season Invitational
The penultimate yearly event, MSI, is almost as prestigious as the World Championship. LoL MSI betting is one of the most popular options among bettors. Ten best teams worldwide participate in this international event, competing for prestige and international recognition. This year's MSI 2022 featured 77 matches, with peak viewership exceeding 2 200 000 fans during the Grand Final of the Korean star T1 versus the Chinese superteam Royal Never Give Up. This number exceeds that of major tournaments in other titles (for instance, CS:GO's PGL Antwerp 2022).
Regional Leagues
Sadly, there's a severe lack of international events within Riot Games' esports ecosystem. Thankfully, Riot makes up for it with the plentitude of S-tier regional leagues that run nearly all year long, with big prize pools replaced by franchise salaries. The most notable are (in no particular order):
League of Legends Pro League (LPL)
This is the Chinese regional League of Legends league. The biggest and most competitive regional league of all, it features 17 teams (as opposed to 10). As the regular split matches are played as a best-of-3, there's guaranteed a ton of games to bet on. This region is notorious for its hyper-aggressive, constant action playstyle - a perfect environment to bet on player performance.
League of Legends Championship Korea (LCK)
The Korean regional league features some of the world's most known teams and players. Its legendary mascot-roster, T1 (formerly known as SKT T1), is the world's most popular LoL team. LCK is known for its long-standing competitive rivalries and highly skillful gameplay, as they're one of the two historically most competitive regions together with LPL.
League Of Legends European Championship (LEC)
The European region has been showing signs of massive development on the international scene in the latest years. It features some of the oldest lineups in the game's history: G2 Esports, Fnatic, as well as a few multi-gaming lineups that have recently expanded into League of Legends, such as Astralis.
League Of Legends Championship Series (LCS)
The North American League of Legends league is known for two things: rivalries that last decades, and an impressive amount of import talents. While not as internationally successful as its previously mentioned counterparts, LCS makes up for it with its crazy home matches and org feuds.