Since the advent of Zergs, Terrans and the Protoss, StarCraft has been one of the most popular real time strategy video games on the market. StarCraft 2 is the latest part of the trilogy developed by Blizzard Entertainment. To show you how popular this game is, we have looked up the sales figures for you, and found that only two days after its release, 1,5 million copies had already been sold. Within three months, this sum was doubled, and StarCraft 2 became a bestseller, with more than 3 million sold in only three months.
The sky high sales numbers also made bookmakers sit up and take notice of this real time strategy game developed by Blizzard, and started offering eSport betting opportunities on selected tournaments.
How is StarCraft 2 played?
StarCraft 2 is simply explained. The aim is the destruction of the opponent’s main building, whilst defending one’s own. However this is in fact very complex, taking into account that a number of bases with various resources can be erected. As a result of this, players can have multiple bases at the same time, which produce raw materials and units.
Units are equipped with different characteristics, which concern combat strength, speed, and health. In most cases these can be once again raised with an upgrade. Along with the self-produced units, there are also troops of soldiers, which players can hire.
Additionally, units in StarCraft 2 possess special abilities, which makes the game even more tactically comprehensive, and thus a paradigm for eSport.
On a professional level, StarCraft is played between two individuals. Professional players have to spend long hours training, to keep on top of the tactical, state of the art situation, and to make sure that they qualify for tournaments. These are usually contested by players from the highest Leagues, and newcomers first have to prove themselves in the League system. At the centre of the second part of the StarCraft trilogy are three races: Terrans, Protoss and Zergs. Each of these races has its own units and corresponding playing tactics.
General introduction to eSport betting on StarCraft 2
StarCraft 2, along with League of Legends, Dota 2 and Counter Strike, is one of the most offered games on the eSports scene. Not only the sales figures, but also the exciting games, characterised by tactical play, have brought StarCraft 2 to the attention of the public, as well as bookmakers. For this reason, betting providers offer a great variety of different betting methods on this game, but more about that later.
StarCraft 2 tournaments mostly take place in the most diverse metropoles in the world. Players compete in arenas with totally sold out crowds, with millions of fans watching at home as well.
Where can you place bets of StarCraft 2?
The number of bookmakers has exploded in the last few years, but not all of them place value on eSports. Therefore there remains only a small number of established sports betting portals which are suitable for placing eSports bets.
We went searching for StarCraft 2 betting options and came across a number of well-known names, who have established themselves over the years and the top sports betting providers.
- Bet365 – A tide of advertising – on football shirts, in stadiums or in print – has made Bet365 one of the market leaders in its field. It is especially popular for its incredibly large live betting offers. For a while now, this web portal has also offered eSports betting on different games. Right out front, along with League of Legends and Counter Strike, is StarCraft 2.
- Bet at Home – Also well known for its TV advertising, BaH also offers bets on StarCraft, probably the most tactical of all real time strategy games. However, not all tournaments, only the larger ones are found in this provider’s portfolio.
- Pinnacle – This bookmaker offers one massive advantage – high odds – with which others cannot compete. Even if Pinnacle does not have a high focus on eSports , it is always worth taking a look at what is on offer on this sports betting portal, with the highest odds on the market.
- Gg.bet – A bookmaker which focusses purely on eSports? With gg.bet we have found just that. Here a huge variety of StarCraft 2 tournaments are on offer. It is important for a bookmaker that a tournament enjoys interest from the public. Smaller and less meaningful tournaments are sometimes not included in the offerings
- Nordicbet – eSport is increasingly in the spotlight at the Betsson Group and therefore also at its subsidiary, Nordicbet, which offers bets on various StarCraft 2 tournaments. The bookmaker provides a good odds code and gives good odds, significantly better than other bookmakers, on the exact same
The provider eGamingBets is relatively new on the market and therefore can only be judged at face value. However, the sports betting portal impresses with total focus on eSports. One immediately notices that this provider is totally dedicated to eSports betting, and not only the larger, but also the smaller tournaments find their place here with ample betting opportunities.
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When can bets be placed on StarCraft 2?
As well as large tournaments with big prize money, there are also external Leagues, which are currently finding their way into the portfolios of sport bookmakers, and becoming available for betting on. To give you an insight into the world of tournament and Leagues of this real time strategy game, we have put together a list of the most popular around.
The StarCraft II World Championship Series Events are the most popular events of the StarCraft 2 scene. Different Leagues and tournaments build up, and have their conclusion at the WCS Global finals. The World Championship Tour is divided up as follows:
- Global StarCraft 2 League – The GSL is a type of League that towards its end, changes to play-off modus, in which the best players play to win. In 2019, three Leagues took place, in which the winner of each earned a place in the WCS Global finals.
- StarCraft II StarLeague – The SSL is no direct path to the finals, however, the winner earns valuable points which can help in the end to earn a much coveted place in the finals.
- WCS Korea Events – These events take place solely with Korean participants, and take place in Korea. A good example of such an event is the Intel Extreme Masters in Gyeonggi. Here it is all about prize money, as well as points, which could mean entry into the finals.
- WCS Circuit Events – Exactly the opposite of the Koran events, these events take place in Europe and America. Players here also play for points as well as prize money, which usually tops 10 000 USD.
For these events you should be able to find offers at all of the bookmakers mentioned above. The WCS takes place at the Blizzcon, the producer Blizzard´s own event. The prize pool at this tournament runs at 500 000 US Dollars. A date for Blizzcon has not yet been set, it has only ben announced that the event will take place in October.
What type of betting options are there for StarCraft 2?
We must honestly say that the unpredictability of StarCraft rules out many types of bets. Still however, bookmakers continue to come up with imaginative ideas to keep their customers happy. Alongside the standard winner-looser bets, there are a further two options, especially connected with the Leagues and tournaments mentioned above.
- Group winner bets – at the beginning of a league or tournament, games are played initially in groups. Quite a few bookmakers offer betting at this point, and one receives very decent odds on this type of bet.
- Tournament winner bets – After the group phase, the knockout rounds, or play-offs start. It is all about losing or winning, and every game could be a players last. If you have had a favourite from the beginning, or someone has caught your eye during the course of the tournament, then you can place a tournament winner bet, with pretty high odds.
There is unfortunately not much more to tell about available betting options. The individual games usually only have winner-loser betting options. You can try your luck on eGamingBets, which is solely concentrated on eSport. They sometimes offer map betting, where you can bet on individual sections of a best-of match.
What should you take note of when betting on StarCraft 2?
As StarCraft 2 is a single player game, you should examine in detail the respective players.
- How have they prepared for a tournament?
- Which races do they struggle against, against which do they perform well?
- What has been the outcomes of previous matches where these two competitors were pitted against each other?
We recommend that you use social media as a research tool. If a player is member of a clan, then you can also follow on the clan website how the preparation is going.
