Betting on esports, as popular as it has become, brings forth numerous problems, some of which could jeopardize the newcomers’ ability to adapt to the flourishing market. You see, the whole online esports betting ecosystem is focusing on experienced bettors, typically those coming from a sports betting background. If you’re just a gamer and you’d like to start betting on esports titles such as CSGO or Dota 2 but you have no prior experience with online betting, you could be in for a shocker.
While everything might seem simple and straightforward to experienced folks, beginners ought to have numerous questions. Typically, the biggest one is how to start betting on esports? It might seem silly at first, but people aren’t really sure how to start their esports betting extravaganza.
But, enough about that… This piece isn’t about esports betting basics! While it does serve as somewhat of a guide, it focuses on one event of a single esports title, CSGO. As the title suggests, we’re going to talk about betting on ESL Pro League, the event’s history, most successful teams, schedule, betting options, and more.
To start everything off, here’s a quick guide on how to start your ESL Pro League betting campaign and find the best bookies.
Best Sites for Betting on ESL Pro League
Let’s talk about CSGO betting sites! We’ll start with talking about betting platforms that facilitate betting on one of CSGO’s biggest and most important events, ESL Pro League.
If you already have an esports betting platform you know and love, chances are it offers ESL Pro League betting options. If that’s not the case or you still don’t have a go-to bookmaker, perhaps the following list will help you out.
|
Rank
|
Betting Site
|
Bonus | Bet Now |
|---|---|---|---|
1 |
BetUS
|
100% up to $2,500 | Go to Site |
| 2 | 
MyBookie
|
50% up to $1,000 | Go to Site |
| 3 | 
BetNow
|
100% up to $1,000 | Go to Site |
| 4 | 
Bovada
|
50% up to $250 | Go to Site |
| 5 | 
BetOnline
|
50% up to $1,000 | Go to Site |
Interesting Facts About the ESL Pro League
- Not only is ESL Pro League the oldest league-like event in CSGO’s pro scene, but it’s one of the oldest competitions in general, too. It dates all the way back to May 2015, meaning more than five years of success for one of ESL’s strongest brands.
- In 2020, the 11th season of the ESL had to be revamped. This pushed the franchising system a bit, and it is expected to be a proper blast when it kicks off.
- ESL Pro League events are a part of the Intel Grand Slam. Additionally, PL events are also a part of the ESL Pro Tour as well as the BLAST Premier circuit, making it an immensely important event. It’s one of the most important ones in CSGO’s competitive ecosystem, come to think of it.
History of the ESL Pro League
In this portion of our ESL Pro League betting guide, we will focus on the event’s history. Obviously, an event such as the Pro League that goes way deep in history books, this was always going to be a long section. But, worry not. We cut it down as much as we could, hoping a more concise approach won’t scare away potential readers.
The Pro League kicked off way back in 2015, with the first European and American events.
Season 1 started on May 4th, while the main event took off on July 2nd. Fnatic was the absolute dominant force back then, but we’re sure that 2015 Fnatic roster needs no special introduction. Fnatic won the second ESL Pro League Finals too, defeating NaVi in a twisty and tangy grand finals’ Bo5 that went all the way to the fifth map (good old Cobblestone).
And that’s as far as this ESL Pro League history section goes. All we’re left to do is show you the list of all previous ESL Pro League Finals winners. For a full list of all winners, please refer to Liquipedia’s ESL Pro League page.
| Pro League | Prize Pool | Winner | Runner-Up |
| Season 12 | $750,000 | TBD | TBD |
| Season 11 | Canceled | Canceled | Canceled |
| Season 10 | $600,000 | Mousesports | Fnatic |
| Season 9 | $600,000 | Team Liquid | G2 Esports |
| Season 8 | $750,000 | Astralis | Team Liquid |
| Season 7 | $750,000 | Astralis | Team Liquid |
| Season 6 | $750,000 | SK Gaming | Faze Clan |
| Season 5 | $750,000 | G2 Esports | North |
| Season 4 | $600,000 | Cloud9 | SK Gaming |
| Season 3 | $512,000 | Luminosity | G2 Esports |
| Season 2 | $250,000 | Fnatic | Natus Vincere |
| Season 1 | $250,000 | Fnatic | Cloud9 |
How to Bet on the ESL Pro League
Betting on ESL Pro League is only going to keep on flourishing, following in the footsteps of CSGO betting itself. That said, if you’re interested in starting your own CSGO betting adventure, it’s best to get a head start and learn the basics before you start investing larger sums of money.
With that in mind, here’s a quick step-by-step guide on how to start betting on ESL Pro League.
- Decide which esports betting platform you’re going to use. Base your decision on cold-hard facts, taking key characteristics such as available payment methods, esports markets, and profit margins into account.
- Register for an account on your online bookie of choice, and confirm your identity by either authorizing your email or sending one of your government-issued ID cards.
- Start exploring the betting options provided by your new online bookmakers. Esports are usually in a separate hub or a standalone category, finding them shouldn’t be too difficult.
- The simplest wagers are match-winners, where you have to choose which team will win the given match. Simply select the team you think will win and enter your stake.
- Take things slowly. Don’t invest too much money in your first deposit, and stick with simple match-winners until you get a hang of things.
For more information, check out our in-depth online CSGO betting guide!
Betting on ESL Pro League FAQ
You start off by registering for an account on one of the numerous online betting platforms. Can’t find one? Well, head on over to our in-depth esports betting sites guide where you can find all the most reputable names.
Once you’re registered, you can start betting! Well, technically, you’ll have to make the initial deposit first, but that won’t take you more than 10 minutes. All you’re left to do is find esports markets, choose your desired event (in this case, ESL Pro League), and explore the betting options you’d like to pursue. Yep, none of these steps require you to venture outside the comfort of your own home. How about that for convenience, huh?
This sort of stuff can get tricky, but the rule of thumb is as follows: Stick with the well-known, reputable bookies, those that have rich sports betting history and use esports as just another category in their vast selection of online betting markets. These giant names are way too big to allow themselves security breaches and massive exploits.
Can’t find such sites? Just head to the top of this page and you’ll see a whole bunch!
Flashpoint did just one thing wrong with its inaugural season. They went against Flashpoint right off the bat, competing for some of their biggest teams in what was the first franchising war in CSGO’s scene. Obviously, a brand-new IP such as Flashpoint was never going to defeat a giant like ESL Pro League. What were the folks over at FACEIT thinking…? That, we don’t know!
There are a few honorable mentions we need to emphasize here:
- Astralis with two global final wins and one EU win.
- Mousesports with one global final win and three EU wins.
- Team Liquid with one global final win, two NA wins, and a ton of runner-up spots.
