ptkovsky League of Legends is, without a doubt, one of the - if not the - best contributors to esports being as popular as it is today. As one of the longest-standing esports titles, League of Legends has withstood the test of time since its release in 2009. Its well-developed esports tournament system makes LoL betting a popular destination for millions of punters - and tons of bookies hurry to fill this demand!
League of Legends - What's It All About And Why Bet On It?
League of Legends has come a long way since 2009. Originally nothing more than a DOTA clone (as most MOBA titles), the game gradually carved its own path with a unique gameplay direction, robust esports ecosystem, and millions - if not billions at this point - fans worldwide from China to North America. Ironically, League now stands at the top of esports popularity, with Dota 2 gradually declining. But less about the old rivalry and more about League of Legends and LoL betting.
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League of Legends opted to become a fast-paced, action-like MOBA rather than knowledge-check games such as Dota 2. That's not to say League is shallow—it still has a very deep learning curve for a game, but it has a massive advantage over other competitors in the esports department. It's much, much easier to watch!
With this in mind, League of Legends' regional leagues are gaining ground even more than a decade and a half after the game's release! Take, for example, the Brazilian CBLOL league—its playoff finals collected a mind-boggling record of 460,000 concurrent viewers! Needless to say, this is absolutely incredible for a minor region—hell, some CS2 Majors can't boast of that number!
This fact alone should convince most gamers to try out LoL - and League of Legends betting. But first, let's walk over some basics - can't ever approach such a topic unprepared! But there's more to League of Legends betting popularity than just that.
League of Legends Betting Is Accessible |
League of Legends Bookmakers Are Well-Regulated |
League of Legends is Easier To Get Into Than You Think |
| With League of Legends being enjoyed worldwide, it's no wonder that all the regional and international bookmakers feature it on their sites! It's harder to find esports betting sites that DON'T have League of Legends betting than those that do. Without any exaggeration, League is the #1 esports for betting on the vast majority of bookies. | Piggybacking on the previous point! With a massive variety of LoL betting sites to pick from, we can always be sure we have betting platforms that are well-regulated and lenient to users. From the high-reputation dinosaurs like William Hill to newer betting sites like Thunderpick.io, we have a ton of bet sites to choose from for League of Legends betting. | Remember we've told you League of Legends keeps growing year after year? As far as MOBA titles go, League of Legends is one of the easiest for beginners to get into. For sure, the game still sports incredibly deep gameplay, but watching and betting on LoL matches is more intuitive than, say, Dota 2, with its complex knowledge checks and much less action. |
League of Legends Basics: Short Rules 101
It always pays off to know at least the basics of a sport - or an esport - before proceeding to LoL betting sites. The better we know the game, the better is out bet accuracy. Here are some quick pointers on what to expect from League of Legends gameplay. If you'd like some more advanced betting tips, check out our guide via the link.
Fundamentals Overview
As a traditional representative of the MOBA genre, League of Legends features two teams of five players fighting to destroy the main enemy's objective. Starting from the opposing corners of a map, two teams move to their aim — the Nexus, located in the heart of the competitors' base. League of Legends features an incredibly diverse roster of playable characters called champions. At the time of writing this article, there were 167 champions, all with their unique abilities, playstyles, strengths to push, and weaknesses to exploit. This number is updated regularly - for example, 2023 saw the release of 7 champions!
Summoner's Rift
The main competitive map of League of Legends is called the Summoner's Rift. Gamers familiar with MOBAs will immediately recognize the basic layout - two bases, three lanes, defensive structures, a neutral jungle, and a river. Although League of Legends preserves the classic MOBA formula, it regularly updates the map - the 2024 season brought massive changes to the map. These changes affected pro League of Legends tournaments, too - and LoL betting with it.
Teams and Roles
The game is played between two teams of five players. League of Legends has five rigid roles dictated by its lanes:
- Toplane. The toplaners usually perform the duties of front-line tanks and absorb pressure. If the game meta isn't just tank tops, the toplane serves as an isolated skill matchup, making prop bets on toplane players an exciting LoL betting market. Main champion archetypes: tank, bruiser.
- Jungle. This role doesn't lane and fight opponents directly; instead, it farms the neutral jungle objectives and influences the map by ganking. If you're familiar, League of Legends' jungle is sort of like Dota 2's 4th position, except with more farm. Main champion archetypes: bruiser, tank.
- Midlane. The midlane is a focal point of the map. Fighting over midlane control is one of the main objectives in LoL matches. For that reason, pro players playing mid are most of the time the most experienced members of their team. Main champion archetypes: mage, assassin.
- AD Carry. This role is a traditional Dota-style carry. Most of the time weak early game, but a high-damage monster in late. In pro play, most strategies revolve around supporting and propping out the AD Carry (or ADC). Main champion archetypes: marksman, mage.
- Support. Unlike Dota 2's support characters, which are basically gold-less, exp-less sideline characters, League of Legends' support champions are actually quite powerful. The support playstyle in League of Legends revolves around either bolstering your teammates or disrupting the enemy team. Main champion archetypes: enchanter, tank.
League of Legends Betting Odds
Knowing the basics of the game is a good start! Next, we'd have to learn the basics of betting on said game. Consult our comprehensive guide on betting odds if you'd like a more detailed overview - in this article, we're gonna review just the basics for brevity.
American odds
For these odds, "+" or "-" signs are put before a number. If you see "+," it means that the team is considered to be the underdog. If it is "-", you are looking at the favorite.
For example, if you decide to place a bet on the team with the League of Legends odds of -300, you will need to wager $300 to win $100. If it is +300, your $100 bet may bring you a profit of $300.
Decimal odds
In the case of decimal odds, it is easy to determine who is considered to be a leader for a particular bet.
Typically, if the odds are in the range between 1.01 and 1.75, then the chances for this team to win are considered to be higher compared to its opponents.
Fractional odds
Fractional odds come in the form of two numbers with a slash between them. To find out how big your winning is going to be, just multiply the odds with your bet.
For instance, if the odds are 7/10 and you bet $200, then 7/10 x 200 = 140.
Odds converter
Featuring best odds is a good test of whether an online betting site is worth using. If you'd like to find more esports betting options for LoL betting, click our link - we'll be reviewing some of the top international bookies, as well as some regional smaller-scale options for the connoisseurs.
Popular League of Legends Betting Markets
League of Legends betting lines are incredibly diverse. From the traditional sports betting counterparts of Moneylines, Totals, Outrights etc. to strictly esports-related betting markets, it's easy to find a betting line that you'll like.
| Match Winner/Outrights/Handicap Betting | Of course, the most obvious type of bet is also included in LoL betting options. Handicap bets fix regional skill disparities. In handicap betting, the strongest team receives a "virtual handicap." For instance, in a best-of-3 series, the stronger team will be the "loser" of a handicap bet if they lose just one map with a handicap of 1. |
| First Blood & First Turret | This type of bet is the Multiplayer Online Battle Arena counterpart of the "first player to score" type of bet. The first elimination of the game, as well as the first takedown of the enemy structures called Turrets grants the team bonus gold. The bettors attempt to forecast which team will be able to claim this objective. |
| In-Game Stat Bets | Riot Games provides esports spectators with loads of in-game information in real-time. Obvious things like score and minion score are there, but what's more interesting is that statistics like damage dealt in the game/in a fight, crowd control score, gold per minute, etc. are all tracked. This allows esports betting sites to post betting markets on all these factors. |
| Prop Bets | Prop bets are bets on things that don't immediately affect the final outcome of a match or a series. The best example of these in League of Legends esports games are bets on which Elemental Drake is going to spawn within a match. These spawns are semi-random, which makes it a perfect match for prop betting. |
| Player Prop Bets | The other aspect of prop bets is the player's prop bets! It's possible to bet on the performance of individual players within the game - for example, how many minions Jeong "Chovy" Ji-hoon will farm in a game, how many assists he'll score, and how much turret damage he'll deal. |
| League of Legends Live Betting | Live betting is one of the most engaging types of wagering on LoL. The main difference between pre-match and live betting on League of Legends is the opportunity to place bets during an ongoing game event. All reputable bookmakers should cover most live betting markets and provide high-quality online streaming. Live esports odds are different from pre-game odds, so be careful! |
And many others! This is by far not an exhaustive list of LoL betting markets. Different esports betting sites may offer dozens of other betting options, each with its own spins on the formula.
Top International League of Legends Events For Betting
League of Legends can boast of probably the best esports scene for betting. Featuring near year-round top-level competitive events, the game is perhaps the best esports for betting sites you can ask for. Sure, there are some quirks here and there, but overall, the whole esports ecosystem works great for both pros and fans.
Bet on the League of Legends World Championship
The LoL WC is the main event of the year on the esports scene—even outside the League of Legends fandom! This tournament has come a long way since its inception in 2011—going from being played in David "Phreak" Turley's basement to massive arenas on the most prestigious international venues is not a small feat. Last year's LoL Worlds Championship was held in South Korea and featured 22 teams from Korea, China, EMEA, NA, PCS, Vietnam, Japan, Brazil, and Latin America fighting for a $2,250,000 dollars in prize pools - and, most importantly, fame and glory. The LoL WC is so massive in its scale that it goes on for over a month, includes over a hundred matches, and gathered nearly 7 Million concurrent viewers at its finals! Betting on LoL WC means getting the best odds on the matches, and the game transparency is at its highest.
While the League World Championship doesn't feature a massive (relatively) prize pool like Dota 2's The International, this is simply due to a different approach to funding. The game's developer and publisher, Riot Games, directly oversees the esports ecosystem, allocating the vast majority of funds to player salaries over flashy prize pools. Don't get discouraged looking at the prize pool of LoL events - the game's not dying!
LoL Worlds 2024 Format
League of Legends Worlds 2024 will be the 14th part of the yearly event. The tournament has come a very long way since its inception: the first Worlds of its kind offered a prize pool just short of $100,000, while Worlds 2024 will feature a typical prize pool of $2,250,000 + a percentage of in-game item sales baked into it. Of course, more has changed than just the prize pool. The number of teams participating and the format have all been updated to match modern esports trends.
This massive tournament will take place in Europe this year, and the Finals venue will be in London. The Worlds 2024 will have 2 teams fewer compared to the last one, with 20 teams.
The League of Legends World Championship is the largest event of the year - with ample opportunities to place bets on the strongest teams.
The current reigning World Champion is the famous South Korean organization T1 Esports. Their victory in WC 2023 marked the fourth World Cup under their belt - an unprecedented dominance on the esports scene. T1 fans will surely love to cheer for their favorite team in Worlds 2024!
Bet On League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational
The LoL MSI is the second-largest international event after the Worlds. Truth be told, it's pretty much just a "mini-Worlds"—similar format, but half the teams. Just like LoL Worlds betting, LoL MSI betting is a fantastic opportunity to place wagers on the best international teams on top LoL betting sites. No League of Legends betting site would ever pass the opportunity to feature MSI matches.
2024China, Chengdu, Wuliangye Chengdu Performing Arts Center
Gen.G
Bilibili Gaming
T1LoL MSI is an annual competition that usually takes place in late Spring to early Summer. MSI 2024, for example, is scheduled to take place starting on May 1st and will take place in Chengdu, China. Contrary to the monetization formats employed by titles like Dota 2 and CS2, MSI's prize pool is rather modest. For example, the MSI 2024 features a prize pool of $250,000 plus a portion of in-game sales.
Instead, Riot Games opts for the team franchising system that offers the professional teams enrolled in the official leagues' constant salaries. This way, while the top winnings are lower than the competitor games', the scene receives more holistic support on every level. Perhaps this is the secret to League's longevity and popularity!
More League of Legends International Events Incoming!
For all its pluses and secrets, League of Legends fans have long criticized Riot Games for its lack of international events. Titles like CS2 especially had LoL beat in this regard - with just two international events per year, hype matchups between top teams of different regions were scarce. Things got especially ridiculous for NA and EU fans - imagine wanting to bet on a match between top Western teams and then realizing you will get one of those per year at best!
That's why Riot Games has unveiled plans for an upcoming mystery international event in 2025. With it on the scene, League of Legends will finally match other esports in the number of yearly international events, making it better for viewing—and, of course, for sports betting.
LoL betting tips and predictions are especially useful for beginner bettors as they are calculated by experienced tipsters who follow the latest gambling news, research the history of teams and players to make the most accurate betting prognoses. So, if you are not sure about your predictions for upcoming League of Legends events, you can always use those that were made by experts.
Bet on League of Legends Regional Events
The main advantage of League of Legends betting is the availability of top-tier regional leagues. While other esports titles treat these as some sort of an amateur scene, they are the bread and butter of League of Legends esports. League of Legends regional events include four major regions - North America, Europe, South Korea, and China.
This South Korean league has established itself as one of the best League of Legends professional esports leagues in the world since its inception in 2012 (back then under OGN). One season is divided into two splits: Spring (January-April) and Summer (June-September), with 10 esports organizations contending for the championship. Run by KeSPA and Riot Games, the League of Legends Champions Korea has given the world plenty of legendary teams, such as DAMWON Gaming, Gen.G Esports, and, of course, the legendary T1 Esports. The latest prize pool of the league reached 375,000,000 Korean Won (around $275,000). LCK's high level of skill attracts viewers from other countries, too, so LCK is probably the most obvious choice to bet on LoL.
Spring 2024South Korea, Seoul, LoL PARKGen.GT1
Hanwha Life Esports
The League of Legends Pro League (LPL) is China's premier professional league, where 17 teams compete for the main prize. Established in 2013 and housing top LoL teams, LPL is one of the strongest leagues globally - usually on par with the Korean scene. After the summer split, the top 3 teams from China qualify for the Worlds event, and the spring split winner participates at the Mid-Season Invitational. The LPL is the largest regional league - and home of some of the most recognizable brands throughout the years. We're talking about RNG, EDward Gaming, Top Esports, JD Gaming, and Fun Plus Phoenix... well, listing all the contenders for the World Champs title would take too long. The LPL prize pool is also much greater than in any other league at $600,000.
Spring 2024ChinaBilibili Gaming
Top Esports
JD Gaming
The LEC, formerly known as EU LCS, is a premier European esports league organized by Riot Games and headquartered in Germany. It features 10 top LoL teams from throughout Europe. One of the most popular leagues among viewers, the League of Legends European Championship is popular among European fans. Fnatic is one of the top LoL teams in LEC with 7 gold medals and 16 top-3 finishes. Another famous LEC squad is G2 Esports, holding a record of 8 LEC wins. The prize money for the competition is around $200,000.
Spring 2024Germany, Berlin, Riot Games Arena
G2 Esports
Fnatic
BDS Esport
The top North American LoL league is officially known as the League of Legends Championship Series. One of the LoL esports tournaments to implement the updated franchise model in 2018, the NA LCS includes 10 partner teams. The season's structure features an initial Lock In tournament followed by two consecutive splits and playoffs, known as Mid-Season Showdown events. The prize pool of each split is about $200,000. LCS is one of the most exciting championships for watching and betting on League of Legends. It has lots of solid teams with huge budgets holding multinational rosters full of superstar imports from all over the world.
Spring 2024United States
Team Liquid
FlyQuest
Cloud9Beyond the four major regions, the League of Legends esports ecosystem has plenty more smaller events. These regions - also called Wildcards - also take part in the World Championship to show their skills to the fans.
The Pacific Championship Series contains LoL teams and players from various geographical locations such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and Southeast Asia. The league featuring 10 teams was formed back when the LST and LMS leagues merged at the end of 2019. The total prize money for every PCS split is $100,000. The Hong Kong-based PSG Talon team ended up winning most of the PCS events in 2020-2021, placing 2 only once. They are one of the first candidates if you like to bet on favorites in LoL. PCS is the only minor region to feature a World Champion team - "Taipei Assassins," back in Season 2. Nowadays, the region is trying to regain ground and have itself seen as the major league it deserves to be.
The Vietnam Championship Series league became official in 2018 when Vietnam established itself as a separate competitive LoL region in Southeast Asia and separated from the Garena Premier League (GPL). The prize pool of every VCS split is around $50,000. 8 teams participate in the league. Historically, one of the strongest teams in Vietnam is GAM Esports. Also known as the GIGABYTE Marines, the squad has constantly placed top 1-2 in their region since 2017.
Bet On the Best League of Legends Teams
Now that we more-or-less know how to bet, where to bet, and when to bet on LoL, it's time to introduce another variable - who to bet on LoL! We've aggregated some of the best teams worldwide, some fan favorites, and other esports betting options here.
T1 Esports
T1 is the most famous and legendary team in LoL history. Previously known as the SK Telecom T1, the organization housed multiple LoL squads that always contended for top places on the international stage. The LoL division has earned almost $9 million since its opening in 2012. SKT won the most world trophies ever - a whopping 4 World Championship titles. T1 is also the international favourite team - and a pretty safe bet when it comes to LoL betting.
EDward Gaming
EDward Gaming is a Chinese professional esports team founded in 2013. A year after that, they managed to win against Invictus Gaming during the LPL Spring season. The EDG team is also known for being the first-ever MSI champion with a victory over South Korean SK Telecom T1. Coming second in the split and topping LPL Summer 2021 playoffs, Lee "Scout" Ye-chan's squad won Worlds 2021 by beating RNG, Gen.G, and DAMWON Gaming 3:2 in the finals. EDG became the only LPL team to win both MSI and Worlds.
DPlus
The South Korean multi-gaming esports organization houses one of the strongest LoL teams in esports history. Created in 2017, the squad was already able to prove itself as one of the absolute top contenders in LCK and Worlds. The 2020 season looked marvelous for the DK squad. Despite placing only 4th in the Spring split, DWG topped LCK Summer and won Worlds 2020 in Shanghai, becoming the fourth South Korean organization to do so.
FunPlus Phoenix
FunPlus Phoenix is another successful LoL team from China that launched in 2017. After its debut in the Demacia Cup, it didn't rank high at the beginning. However, since 2019, with the new roster, they have managed to occupy top places in different competitions. The team dropped only one game in the split and cruised through the LPL Summer 2019 championship. Coming first out of their group, FPX beat Fnatic, IG, and G2 Esports in playoffs to win Worlds 2019 in the EU.
Royal Never Give Up
Royal Never Give Up is a Chinese esports team well known for its high achievements in League of Legends. It is owned by HUYA Inc. — a Chinese esports live-streaming service. Founded in 2012 under the name Royal Club, the team has had a couple of successful seasons since then. They collected 4 LPL titles, which is the second-best result after EDG. RNG had an amazing 2018 with 5 championship wins in 2 LPL splits, MSI, Demacia Cup, and local Rift Rivals. The team had a brilliant 2021 and finished first in major events like LPL Spring, Mid-Season Invitational, and LPL Regional Finals, reaching the Worlds 2021 quarterfinals.
Gen.G
Gen.G (formerly known as KSV esports) is an esports organization that placed sixth in the 2020 Forbes list of the top esports companies in the world. Gen.G was second at the KeSPA Cup, won the LCK Regional Finals, and earned its ticket to Worlds 2018. The current iteration of GEN.G is lauded as Korea's Superteam after having won the domestic LCK competition for four years in a row. GEN.G is also the second-strongest dynasty of LCK, having won two World Championships when its brand name was Samsung Galaxy.
Fnatic
Being one of the oldest and most popular esports organizations since 2004, Fnatic's League of Legends division was created as one of the first professional LoL teams back in 2011. After only a few months, the roster made history — they were victorious in the first World Championship, which was played out on LAN in Sweden. Fnatic's top-notch international performance was highlighted by their semifinals appearances on 2 Worlds stages in 2013 and 2015.
G2 Esports
Founded in 2013 by controversial SK Gaming's Mid Carlos "ocelote" Rodriguez, the team swapped its name from Gamers2 to G2 Esports in 2015. They won both EU LCS tournaments in 2016. Coming second at IEM Katowice and first in the Spring split, the world has witnessed the strength of the G2 roster as the EU squad came second at the MSI 2017. The NA LCS teams were beaten at the Rift Rivals event in 2018. By winning the EU LCS Regional Finals 2018, G2 qualified for Worlds and were semifinalists in the South Korean event.
Team Liquid
Liquid's LoL division was formed in 2015 after the merger with Team Curse. Known for its StarCraft website, the famous multi-gaming esports organization is the home of professional gamers in about 20 esports titles and is hyped by millions of fans worldwide. Their results in 2018 included an NA LCS Spring win and the top 5 at MSI. After finishing first in the NA LCS Summer, Liquid's LoL team earned a spot at Worlds in South Korea.
Cloud9
Cloud9 is one of the most recognized esports franchises. Arranged as a small LoL squad back in 2013 by a former TSM manager, the C9 brand developed into a fan favorite of the Western scene and beyond. The team quickly transformed into a multi-gaming esports organization, hosting professional teams in various esports games. In 2017 and 2018, the company raised around $80 million in venture funding. Rated at more than $400 million by the authoritative Forbes magazine, C9 was listed multiple times as one of the most valuable esports teams in the world.
Top LoL Players To Bet On
Being one of the world's most popular and widespread esports titles, LoL and its events attract fresh talent each season. This talent eventually gets turned into the legends of esports - let's have a closer look at some of them.
Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok is a South Korean professional gamer who plays Mid for the T1 team. He is widely regarded as the best LoL player of all time. Faker stands alone at the top of the League of Legends esports scene, having won the World Championship four times. Always consider this player before placing your League of Legends bets.
Jeong "Chovy" Ji-hoon is the midlaner for the South Korean team GEN.G. Chovy is the superstar of the current lineup that holds 4 LCK titles - second before T1. Chovy is known to the fans as "Faker's kryptonite," seemingly always capable of defeating T1 in domestic competitions.
Zhuo "Knight" Ding is a prominent professional League of Legends player from China. He is recognized widely as a mid-laner for Top Esports. Chinese fans have hyped Knight up as the Chinese answer to Faker, although he has yet to defeat his nemesis on the international stage.
Kim "Deft" Hyuk-kyu is a South Korean AD Carry player. He started in 2013 and,in his tenure, represented MVP Blue, Samsung Galaxy Blue, EDward Gaming, KT Rolster, and DRX. After a decade of trying, Deft finally managed to win the World Championship against T1 in World Championship 2022.
Kim "Canyon" Geon-bu is a professional League of Legends player from South Korea. Canyon is known, most and foremost, as the best jungler in Korea and, by extension, the world. He gained prominence while playing for DAMWON Gaming (later DWG KIA), where his strategic prowess and jungle control were instrumental in the team's success. Currently, Canyon plays for the GEN.G superteam - and has a real shot of claiming another World Championship title in 2025.
Yu "JackeyLove" Wen-Bo is a hyped professional League of Legends player from China, incredible mechanical skills AD Carry. He began his professional career with Invictus Gaming (IG) and played a pivotal role in their 2018 World Championship victory. JackeyLove is known as the "crazy ADC" for his sometimes absurdly aggressive plays - where he either completely dominates the enemy team or dies trying.
Rasmus "Caps" Borregaard Winther is a professional Danish LoL player currently under contract with G2 Esports. Starting in 2015, he was known as the "Baby Faker" or "Europe's Faker". He played Mid for famous squads like Mousesports, Dark Passage, Fnatic, and G2. One of the Caps' best results was coming out on top at MSI and reaching the finals at the following Worlds 2019.