League of Legends Betting – Guide, Tips, Predictions & FAQ

Welcome to the League of Legends betting guide, where you will learn and understand everything you need to know about this popular eSports game and how to bet on it. Esports betting has grown hugely over the last two decades and some games just gather more attention than others - CS:GO and LoL are amongst these!

About League of Legends

Compared to other popular eSports titles, League of Legends (LoL) can be intimidating to approach at first because of how much is going on at once. It is a complex, skill-heavy game that relies on players' well-executed actions and critical decision-making in a split second.

Despite the fact, League of Legends can be broken down mainly into its premise, gameplay, and the maps where all of the action happens.

Gameplay

League of Legends is a PC multiplayer video game made by Riot Games, where two teams with five players fight to destroy the other's Nexus. Since its 2009 release, it has been responsible for the massive growth of eSports in gaming today.

Players use champions, which serve as their avatar, to fight and accomplish the primary goal. Champions can vary when it comes to their theme, abilities, stats, and role in a team. Items are available for purchase with gold, which can be obtained over time and by killing different units, and they grant players specific boosts in different stats that will empower them in battle.

Once inside the game, players move towards a lane where they face an opposing player and try to get close to the Nexus. On the way to the enemy Nexus are turrets that serve as outposts for players in a lane. Minions also accompany the player on their quest, and they spawn from the team's Nexus, heading towards different lanes.

Summoner's Rift

Summoner's Rift is the primary map where most competitive League of Legends games occurs. This map has three different lanes (top, middle, and bottom lane) and a jungle containing various neutral monsters that do not belong to either team. Some monsters provide a buff that empowers a champion for a limited amount of time.

Each lane consists of three towers with increasing strength depending on its proximity to the Nexus. An inhibitor is located after the third turret, and destroying it will summon stronger minions for that lane. The Nexus has two turrets that serve as bodyguards to the primary objective.

There are two unique monsters in Summoner's Rift, namely the Elemental Drake and Baron Nashor. The Elemental Drake can take four forms in Cloud, Infernal, Ocean, and Mountain. Slaying an Elemental Drake grants a permanent team buff depending on which form was slain. Baron Nashor, on the other hand, is the largest optional objective in the map, and it requires an entire team to defeat. Killing Baron Nashor grants a temporary buff to all stats and empowers minions within a specific range.

ARAM

ARAM (an acronym for All Random, All Mid) is another map available for play. As the acronym states, champions are chosen randomly for the players, and there is only one single lane to fight within. Compared to Summoner's Rift, this allows for more intense and fast-paced action because of the restrictions and special items available only on this map.

Teamfight Tactics

Teamfight Tactics is a game mode that is separate from the original game. Rather than the traditional five-versus-five RTS-style gameplay, it is a free-for-all autobattler fought between 8 players.

In this mode, players draft their team from a shared pool of champions and an individual shop. Champions are units that they put into the Arena to fight another player's team automatically. After battling, players obtain gold which is used through the shop to buy more champions. Items occasionally drop between battles, which can be given to a champion and make them stronger.

Types of LoL Betting Markets

Gambling on League of Legends offers a diverse betting market with varying bet types. Some look at the overall result of a match or tournament, while others are for specific in-game requirements and statistics. If you are familiar with the sports betting basics, then the following markets should look familiar.

In any case, betting on League of Legends is easy to understand, and some betting types even have minimal risks for beginning wagerers.

• Outright Match Winner - When betting for the outright match winner, you are betting on which team will emerge victorious in one match. A team wins if they manage to destroy the enemy Nexus.
• Tournament Winner - A tournament winner bet refers to betting on a specific team to win a given tournament. The team that triumphs in the final round of a tournament is the overall winner.
• Maps Total Over/Under - This refers to how many games will occur between two teams in a best-of scenario. You win the bet if you successfully predict over or under the number of games.
• Correct Score - A correct score bet looks at the score predictions between two teams in a best-of scenario. If you correctly predict the overall outcome of a match, it's a winning bet.
• Handicap - Handicap bets are like match-winner bets, with weighted odds in favor of the team that's likely to win. There are larger payouts for winning bets on the disadvantageous team.
• Most Kills - This type of bet is about which team earns the most kills in a single match. The team with more kills compared to the other is considered the winning bet.
• Total Kills - This betting type is about successfully predicting whether, in a match, the total number of kills goes under or over the provided number by the bookmaker of your choice.
• First Dragon Slayed - This bet is about which team successfully slays the first Dragon of the game. The winning bet is whichever team is first announced in-game to have slain the Dragon.
• First Baron Slayed - This bet is about which team successfully slays the first Baron Nashor of the game. The winning bet is whichever team is first announced in-game to have slain Baron Nashor.
• First Inhibitor Destroyed - This bet is about which team manages to destroy an enemy inhibitor first. An in-game announcement mentions which team's inhibitor is destroyed, which marks the other team as the winning bet.
• First Tower Destroyed - This bet is about which team manages to destroy an enemy turret first. An in-game announcement displays which team has destroyed the first turret once it occurs.
• First Blood - This bet looks at which team claims first blood in a given match. A "first blood" refers to the very first champion kill that occurs in a match.
• First Team To Get # Kills - This bet is for betting which team gets to N kills first. N is interchangeable for any number to represent the number of kills needed, set by your bookmaker.

Reading LoL Betting Odds

When it comes to betting on LoL, you should be aware of the format your bookmaker uses (whether fraction, decimal, or American) and the odds for a particular team. According to the bookmaker of your choice, the lower the odds are, the more likely that the team will win in a betting market.

Let's use the decimal system as an example. Team Cloud9 is pitted against Team SoloMid with outright match winner odds at 1.47 and 1.95, respectively. In this case, the bookmaker believes that Cloud9 will be the likely winner of the match.

The decimal odds serve as a multiplier to how much you can win if you wagered on the right team; if you bet $100 on Cloud9, you will win $147 if they succeed. If you bet $100 on Team SoloMid and they win, it returns $195 for the correct wager.

The American system uses moneyline odds with plus (+) and minus (-) signs. Odds with a "+" indicate how much you will gain, and others that have a "-" specifies the amount needed to have a $100 profit.

Let's reuse the Cloud9 versus Team SoloMid example with a $100 bet and now with odds at -200 and +125, respectively. A successful Cloud9 wager will pay out $150. On the other hand, a Team SoloMid win will pay out $225.

Because League of Legends is an intricate game, you can use value betting to your advantage. Value betting is done by understanding each team's probabilities and using the information to make educated bets. If you manage to identify your own odds and compare them to the ones your bookmaker offers, you will likely succeed in League of Legends gambling.

Top LoL Betting Tips

At first, looking at the odds for a LoL betting market can be intimidating. Going for the most likely winner by looking at the odds is a no-brainer, but it does not mean you have to stop at merely choosing a potential victor.

LoL gambling does not have to be a guessing game; in fact, you can twist the system in your favor by following these easy-to-apply tips and tricks. Not only will these LoL betting tips help you create more informed decisions, but it also makes sure you're not falling through basic traps that beginning eSports betters fall for.

1. Only Make Data-Driven Decisions

Winning a bet based on gut instinct can be just as satisfying as it is frustrating when you lose. Intuition is an inconsistent tool if you're looking to bet in the eSports market successfully.

eSports games are number games, and you can use Oracle's Elixir for statistics on everything related to competitive League of Legends. They provide statistics ranging from team win rates to kill-death ratios and even first tower percentages, which have a specific betting market.

Use these statistics to give yourself a foothold on deciding which team with close odd can edge out the victory.

2. Follow LoL Tipsters

If you're not sure yet about your decision, perhaps looking at someone else's suggestions can help you confirm your options. This is where tipsters come in, and they are betters like you that are very knowledgeable about the game. They primarily share their thoughts and process on why they think one team will likely turn out as the winner.

However, be selective on which tipsters you will follow. Consider taking into account their ideas, but do not blindly follow their bets without assessing the facts for yourself.

3. Bet On Multiple Markets

The number of teams and betting markets that compete in League of Legends can be overwhelming when you start betting. To keep things simple, look up the different teams in a series and focus on the ones you find to have a solid chance of winning.

Also, go for a small variety of markets to have a general feel of the overall betting scene. For example, you can opt to bet on outright match winner, tournament winner, and most kills markets at once as they are all solid choices with little volatility.

4. Exotic Bets Are Too Unpredictable

As much as it fun and exciting to bet on who takes first blood, it is highly volatile and unpredictable to consistently win on. In a game of League of Legends, team strategy and champion choice are one of the many factors that can play into first blood percentages and first to N kill bets.

This is not to dissuade you from betting in those markets, but similar markets require knowledge of what is often strong at a given period. Beginning betters may opt for safer, more calculated bets such as match-winner and tournament-winner markets.

5. Sign Up To Multiple eSports Bookmakers

It is good practice to spread yourself across multiple eSports bookmakers. This gives you numerous options to look at different odds for a particular match and see which one can provide the most value for your money.

In contrast, putting all your eggs in one basket is very risky. On top of experiencing technical issues on the website's side, getting hacked or banned will drop all of the winnings you worked hard for. Should that happen when you spread yourself wide, the loss will not feel as impactful because you prepared for the worst.

6. Get Familiar With Live & In-Play Betting

In any LoL game, competent teams can make a comeback from an initial setback. Mistakes can happen from either team and when it occurs on the winning side, it's the losing side's chance to seize an unexpected win.

As such, it is useful to get used to live betting. Try to develop a good sense of the game state, such as when a game is unofficially over based on a match's current status or if an initially lagging team performs better as the game progresses further.

7. Grab Welcome & Reload Bonuses

This LoL betting advice will give your money the most value. Most eSports betting sites today offer a variety of welcome bonuses to first-time betters in their domain. Bet365, for example, provides a welcome bonus of up to $100 on your first deposit in a new account.

There are also reload bonuses that occur whenever you deposit a given amount under certain conditions. 22bet has a 100% reload bonus, specifically during Fridays, that can potentially double your deposit for up to a maximum of $100.

This is a great way to ensure you're gaining, especially if you recently started betting since it eases you in your first few bets as well.

Largest LoL Events

LoL betting is significant because of the tournaments it holds on an annual basis. With over 4 million peak viewers during the 2019 World Championship, they have cemented their impact on propelling eSports and eSports betting to the forefront.

Here are some of the noteworthy tournaments you should be looking out for.

League of Legends World Championship

The League of Legends World Championship (shortened to Worlds) is the biggest tournament of the game held annually during October. Players worldwide come to fight for the glory of being a world champion and the millions of dollars available in the prize pool.

Often, a new name surfaces as the world champion every year. Only one team, SK Telecom T1, now rebranded as T1, is the only team that has won multiple World Championships, bringing home the trophy to Korea during 2013, 2015, and 2016.

League of Legends Regional Leagues

League of Legends also has regional leagues that serve as the entry point for teams in the competitive scene and the World Championship. Right now, the most popular regional leagues are the LEC (Europe), LCS (North America), LCK (Korea), LPL (China), and LMS (Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau).

Historically, the aforementioned regional leagues have produced at least one world champion and have consistently entered the Top 16 during Worlds. As such, they are the regions watched continuously by many fans to support potential champions from the regional level.

LoL All Star

The League of Legends All Star Event is a year-end invitational that happens after the World Championship. This event is a celebration that features famous League personalities and pro players undergoing different game formats ranging from one-versus-one matches to all-star five-on-five battles.

The LoL community participates in the event by voting the pro players from all regions they want to see compete in this invitational. This event is mostly exhibition matches where the community watches the spectacle of who is truly "the best in League of Legends."

Mid-Season Invitational

The Mid-Season Invitational is League of Legends' precursor to the annual World Championship. Like Worlds, it is a global competition where all regions compete against each other to gain an edge for Worlds. This event is usually held after all of the regional league's spring split, around May.

Besides the $1 million cash pool for the top 12 teams, the best team in the top 4 regions are automatically qualified to the Group Stage of that year's World Championship.

LoL Betting - FAQ

Answers to the most common questions about League of Legends gambling.

This is the end of our League of Legends betting guide. Now that you're armed with knowledge, go out there and start making winning wagers!