What are esports prediction markets?
If you’re new to the whole prediction markets trend, the concept is pretty simple and it easily applies to esports. How it works is that you get presented with a bunch of event contracts that ask questions about various things that could happen in the world of esports. Such event contracts could pose questions such as the following:
- Will G2 beat MOUZ in CS2?
- Will Gen.G be the next LoL Worlds champion?
- Will CyberHero win the first map in their Dota 2 match against Time to Sleep?
The price of each event contract will be priced between $0.01 and $0.99 and it will vary according to the probability of it happening. This means that you will expect to pay more for an event contract that is more likely to happen.
If the event contract proves to be correct at the time of the event concluding, you’ll be able to redeem it at a value of $1, but it will be worthless if you are wrong. Just note that all prediction markets brands will charge commission fees on your trades, as you’ll be trading against other customers, rather than the site itself.
Pros and cons of esports event trading
There used to be a time where finding decent esports event contracts was just as hard as tracking down the
best college prediction markets. Thankfully, that all seems to be changing as prediction markets has truly gone mainstream in the US. So are the key pros and cons of getting involved in esports prediction markets trading:
Pros and Cons
- Available in most states
- Most major esports covered
- User-friendly sites and apps
- Generous promo offers available
- Notoriously difficult to predict
Five of the best esports prediction sites
We took a look around our shortlist of the
best prediction markets sites
to see who offers the best coverage of esports. What we found was that the following five brands are way ahead of their rivals:
| Esports prediction market site | Welcome offer |
| Polymarket | |
| Kalshi | |
| Crypto.com | |
| Underdog Predict | |
| Prophet X | |
Polymarket – Vast range of esports predictions to make
Polymarket: Pros and Cons
- Plenty of prediction market topics
- Trending and breaking areas of interest
- Lots of predictions in all major subject areas
- User-friendly site design
This brand has a vast range of esports prediction markets for you to enjoy. These cover an impressive selection of games including CS2, Valorant, Dota 2, LoL, Overwatch, StarCraft II, Honor of Kings, Rainbow Six Siege, Call of Duty, PUBG and much more.
These markets cover everything from prematch to live events, and you’ll find a solid range of options for things like the moneyline, spread, total maps played and so on. The fact that Polymarket is one of the biggest prediction markets brands in the US means that you should enjoy plenty of liquidity for your trades here. Plus with a generous welcome offer to guide you in, you should be able to make a decent amount of opening trades without it costing you too much.
Kalshi – Plenty of esports contracts from market-leading brand
Kalshi: Pros and Cons
- Find markets via search facility
- Extensive range of prediction markets
- Clear fees system
- Large help center
- Limited promos for existing customers
The fact that Kalshi is the most popular prediction markets site in the US means that it couldn’t really miss out on something like esports. So what you get here is a broad coverage of all of the biggest games like LoL, CS2, Valorant, Dota 2, Rainbow 6, Overwatch, Mobile Legends and even a few sports simulators.
Kalshi will make sure that you get to make your predictions on much more than just the game winner. After all, the brand will let you trade contracts for things like map winner, total maps, dragon kills, first baron and so much more. Don’t forget that signing up here could get you a welcome offer that’ll give you plenty of extra credit to use on your esports predictions.
Crypto.com: Pros and Cons
- Sports, elections, culture, and economics markets
- Low commission for trading
- Supports USD and cryptocurrency payments
- No crypto prediction markets
You might think of Crypto.com as being a cryptocurrency exchange, and while that’s true, the brand has recently expanded its services to include a prediction markets exchange. The great thing is that this even includes a bunch of esports event contracts.
You will find these in the sports section, but under the Esports tab, you can expect to find a decent range of esports markets for things like CS2 and so on. Most of the event contracts will focus on the moneyline, but you should get plenty of liquidity here, as well as all of the charts and analytical tools you’ll need to make your predictions in confidence. Just note that the Crypto.com welcome is specific for regular trading and not prediction markets.
Sponsored by Crypto.com – Not investment advice. Trading prediction markets and crypto involves risk, including potential loss of your stake. Consider your risk tolerance before participating. Crypto.com connects U.S. users to CDNA (regulated by CFTC) for derivatives trading. CDNA membership required. Trading may not be suitable for all—you could lose your entire investment plus fees. Past performance doesn’t guarantee future results. This is not a solicitation or recommendation to trade.
Underdog Predict – Make super-simple esports predictions
Underdog Predict: Pros and Cons
- Sports and economic prediction markets
- iOS and Android apps available
- Excellent help center
- Not available in all states
Underdog might be better-known for its DFS product, but the brand has already made big inroads into the prediction markets realm. As such, it’s great to find that Underdog Predict will let you make your predictions on all of the biggest esports via its user-friendly iOS and Android apps.
The brand might not cover some of the more obscure esports, but you can still look forward to a solid range of predictions to make on individual games and entire tournaments. Perhaps the best part is that Underdog Predict has a welcome offer that will boost your opening deposit by 25% up to $250, and you can use this for your esports predictions.
Trading derivatives involves risk and may not be appropriate for all. For more information visit: https://www.nadex.com/rules and https://underdogfantasy.com/rules. For Crypto.com Predictions, the term “pick” refers to a product traded on CDNA.
Trading derivatives involves risk and may not be appropriate for all. For more information visit:
https://www.nadex.com/rules
and
https://underdogfantasy.com/rules. For
Crypto.com
Predictions, the term “pick” refers to a product traded on CDNA.
Prophet X – Well worth a look for your esports predictions
Prophet X Predictions: Pros and Cons
- 10+ supported sports
- Smooth mobile app
- Great liquidity
- 5+ payment methods
- Limited event predictions
- No liquidity program
You might already know that Prophet X is a prediction markets brand that is 100% focused on sports, and the great news is that you may even find a bunch of esports event contracts here.
Expect these to offer you a variety of ways to make your predictions such as on the moneyline, spread, or even the total number of maps won. Plus you can’t overlook the fact that Prophet X is willing to give all new customers a welcome offer that gives them $40 in trading credit for signing up and purchasing a minimum of $40 in event contracts. Definitely a solid reason to give this brand a try.
What we look for in the best esports predictions websites
While there are plenty of interesting
new prediction markets sites
out there, we wanted to make sure that we only picked those brands who can be counted on to give you a safe, fair and fun way to make your esports predictions. Here are the key things that we looked for in these sites and apps:
- Esports coverage:
Expect to be able to make your predictions on all of the biggest esports like League of Legends, Counter Strike, Dota 2, Call of Duty, Overwatch, Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds and much more.
- Esports markets:
You should be able to predict anything from who’ll win an entire ESL tournament to which team will win a specific map in a CS2 showdown.
- Fair fees:
It should be clear what commission fees you will be up against for each event contract that you trade.
- Useful analytics:
There should be clear graphs and charts that allow you to track the price movement of the contract that you are thinking of trading.
- Promo offers:
There should ideally be some kind of welcome offer that’ll give you extra credit to use for your trades, as well as some interesting promos for existing customers too.
- Availability:
You should be able to use these prediction markets brands across the majority of the US, although some state-level exceptions might occur.
- Regulation:
Every legit prediction market brand will need to be regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to ensure that you get a safe and fair way to make your trades.
- Security:
Expect to find that each prediction market site has industry-standard SSL encryption to keep your data and deposits safe.
- Responsible trading:
You should ideally get the power to apply limits on your trading, deposits and losses to ensure you always trade responsibly.
- Payment methods:
There should be a variety of different payment methods you can use to make secure deposits and withdrawals such as cards, bank transfers, mobile payment methods, ewallets and even cryptos.
- Customer support:
All good prediction markets brands will offer 24/7 customer support via live chat, email, phone and even social media.
Step by step guide for trading esports prediction markets
It doesn’t matter whether you’re looking to trade esports or regular
sports prediction markets, as they should all work in roughly the same way. This means that you’ll usually just have to take the following steps to make your trades:
-
Pick any of the esports prediction markets brands listed in the banners of this page and click on the relevant link to launch the brand’s website from the browser of your computer or mobile device
-
Register your account by filling in the form with personal details like your name, email, mobile, date of birth and email address
-
Click on the verification link that gets sent to your email or mobile and then complete the KYC requirements
-
Make a deposit via one of the available payment methods
-
Go to the lobby and find the esports prediction markets
-
Click on the event contract that is the best fit for your own esports prediction
-
Select how many of that contract you wish to purchase and make your trade
-
Now you can either wait until the event has settled or try to sell your contract early to another customer
Conclusion – Get ready to trade at these prediction markets sites
We have shown you that esports is starting to dramatically boost its profile at many leading prediction markets sites and apps. This means that you should easily be able to find a brand who’ll give you plenty of ways to make your predictions on anything from CS2 and LoL through to Overwatch, Call of Duty and beyond.
Plus it’s fair to say that these trends for esports prediction markets are only going to get more popular, and we’ll be sure to keep this guide updated with all of the latest developments. But for now, simply click on any of the links for the recommended esports prediction markets sites listed in the banners of this page to sign up and start trading.
Find Trusted Prediction Market Sites
Esports prediction markets sites FAQ
🏆 Who has the best esports prediction app?
It depends on what you are looking for and what your preferred esport is. While brands like Kalshi and Polymarket probably have the broadest coverage of esports, Crypto.com, Underdog Predict and Prophet X should not be ignored.
💸 Can I trade esports prediction markets for free?
🎂 How old do you have to be to trade esports prediction markets?
You will typically have to be at least 18 years old to use any prediction markets site or app. So expect to have to verify your identity upon registering your account.
✅ How do you verify an esports prediction markets site account?
It depends on which prediction markets site you are using, but you’ll usually have to provide personal details like your name, date of birth and social security number. It’s likely that you’ll also need to submit some form of government-issued photo ID such as your passport or driving license.
📍 Can I trade esports prediction markets in my state?
It’s highly likely as most prediction markets brands are available in most US states. Just note that certain states like New York and Michigan have been stopping prediction markets sites from operating within their borders, so you’ll need to check each brand’s terms and conditions.
