why live betting dominates esports

The Esports World Cup 2026 put the spotlight firmly on live betting, according to DATA.BET, a prominent sportsbook solutions technology company.

Taking place between 6 July-23 August 2026, the Esports World Cup was watched by over 850 million people with support from more than 5,000 streamers, according to the event itself.

This volume translated, as expected, into betting activity. Esports betting is a huge industry globally, and according to Cyprus-based DATA.BET, by far the most popular type of bets during events like the Esports World Cup are live bets.

The firm found that 291% of bets were placed pre-match, with a whopping 70.9% live. The event which saw the most live betting was Dota 2 with 87.7% of bets placed during the match, with the highest pre-match rate being held by Counter Strike 2 at 29.1%.

DATA.BET attributed this to the tendency for sports matches to “carry far more in-play variables than sports”, leading to live betting donating.

Dota 2 and League of Legends are particularly prone to this due to “disciplines, draft and hero selection” reshaping gameplay before a match even starts, with players waiting for key information before placing a bet.

“Esports World Cup is not the first event in esports history to bring multiple disciplines together under one banner,” said Bogdan Holovnov, Head of Esports at DATA.BET.

“However, it is undoubtedly the most ambitious event of its kind, featuring the largest number of titles. We recognise that many of these games do not currently enjoy the same level of popularity, including among bettors.”

DATA.BET has focused heavily on esports trading for many years, though it has been branching into more traditional sports in recent years, leveraging its experience of live betting and fast-paced wagering from its historic discipline.

During the Esports World Cup, the firm covered 24 titles. The firm found that 93% of turnover came from four specific titles – Counter-Strike 2 led the pack at 41%, followed by Dota 2 (31.8%), VALORANT (11.7%) and League of Legends (8.5%).

The highest average stakes were seen on League of Legends matches, however, followed by VALORANT, Dota 2 and Counter-Strike. A lot of turnover was also seen in Rainbow Six Siege, Call of Duty, and Rocket League.

“As a leading force in esports, we are constantly evolving, exploring new opportunities, and striving to lead the way into new areas of the industry,” Holovnov added.

“For us, this is yet another challenge we have set ourselves and another demonstration that, when it comes to esports, there is virtually no limit to what we can deliver.”