Best CS:GO betting sites 2023
888Sport
888Sport are a top online betting site with a super simple registration process to get you up and running in next to no time. There is a generous Welcome bonus waiting for you once you have deposited from one of their many payment methods, as well as existing user bonuses for a wide range of sports. They have a good range of in-play betting options, including Esports betting.
Pros
✅ Huge range of LoL matches covered
✅ Coverage of tournaments in all regions.
✅ Complete Esports bookmaker who also accepts bets on Dota2, League of Legends, as well as cyber soccer and cyber basketball.
Cons
❌ Small selection of markets
❌Not the best odds available
BetFair
Betfair is the place to go to if you want to place large bets without being limited and this can be an issue with all Esports bets. They have a larger than average number of matches to bet on and several betting markets for each one, not just who will win but correct scores and other proposition bets too.
Pros
✅ Great odds
✅Large range of markets to bet on each game
Cons
❌No game data or other information provided
Betway
Betway are a smaller betting site but one that packs a punch. They have an extensive Esports area on their website and have great CS:GO coverage. There is a large range of markets to bet on for each match and they have some remarkably good odds to boot. There is a welcome bonus which can be used on CS:GO bets if you wish, and existing user Free bets from their loyalty club can be gained every week too.
Pros
✅ Huge selection of markets
✅ Statistics and Previous Results available
✅ Very good odds
Cons
❌ Limited payment methods available
What is CS:GO?
Counter-Strike is one of the oldest Esports disciplines. Some may consider it obsolete (like fans of the more recently-developed Overwatch and Valorant), but it has, by and large, set the standard for the team-based shooter genre for the past 20 years. Certainly, CSGO gambling is far more widespread than betting on other cyber disciplines.
Valve first introduced Counter-Strike in 2000, and it was released as a supplement to its main release — the great Half-Life. Unexpectedly for the creators themselves, it was Counter-Strike that became the key multiplayer product of Valve (at least until the advent of Dota 2).
CS:GO is the latest version of the game, released in 2012 with significant updates to previous versions. Before that, most of the CS games in the series were similar to each other and used the same maps. Despite the fact that the classic CS 1.6 was extremely popular (it is still played daily on hundreds of different servers), Global Offensive took CS to a new level in terms of spectator interest as the locations are modeled in detail. Previous versions were sketchy and did not resemble the real world, while CS is a very realistic game with realistic scenery and weapons.
The design of weapons and mods has become more interesting in GO as well. CSGO skins have become an important attribute of the game and the object of a huge economy, there are many exchanges and sale sites! It is also used for skin gambling, (but this is not allowed in the UK).
Overall this made the game much more entertaining (although old-school 1.6 fans still occasionally curse GO in chat rooms, calling it "a circus for children, not a cybersport").
Technological growth in online streaming has made Esports tournaments and CSGO gambling very popular. Consequently, like all money in any sport, the prize money and advertising amounts involved in Esports have also increased. One of the biggest contributors is Valve itself, which sponsors the biggest tournaments. The BLAST series of tournaments has also been running at a good level in recent years.
The biggest tournaments are played using a LAN (Local Area Network). All players play in one place, there is a stage with a huge screen and an auditorium. Visually, it resembles a rock concert.
How to choose the best betting CS:GO site?
There are a few things to consider when looking for the best CSGO gambling sites. There are many sites that claim to be the best, but not all of them live up to their claims. It's important to read reviews and talk to other people who have used the site before making a decision.
The most important criteria, in our view, are:
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Bookmaker's licence and reputation.
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Range of Markets.
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Odds.
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Bet Limits.
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Live Betting.
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Live Streams.
Finally, it's important to make sure that the site is easy to use and navigate. Nobody wants to waste their time on a CSGO gambling site that is hard to use. Make sure that the site has clear and concise instructions and that it's easy to find the information you're looking for.
If you keep these things in mind, you should have no trouble finding the best CSGO gambling sites for your needs.
Reliability & authenticity
When it comes to choosing CS:GO gambling sites, reliability is key. You want to be sure that your chosen site is safe and secure, and that your personal and financial information will be kept safe. There are a few things to look for when judging the reliability of a betting site. First, check to see if the site is licensed and regulated by a reputable gaming commission. This will ensure that the site is following all the necessary rules and regulations.
Next, take a look at the customer service options. Good CS:GO gambling sites will offer multiple ways to contact customer service, in case you have any problems or questions. Finally, read through the terms and conditions of the gambling site carefully. This will help you understand what you're agreeing to before you place any bets. By taking these simple steps, you can be sure that you're choosing reliable CSGO gambling sites that will provide a safe and secure experience.
As far as reliability is concerned, all of the bookmakers we've included in our list of the best CS:GO gambling websites meet this requirement, as they are all licensed by the official regulator. You can be confident in each of these bookmakers.
Usability & design
Anyone who has ever placed a bet online knows that the usability and design of CSGO gambling sites makes a difference. A well-designed site is easy to navigate and understand, while a poorly designed one can be confusing and frustrating.
Good design is essential for any website, but it is especially important for CS:GO gambling sites, where users need to be able to quickly find the information they are looking for and place their bets with confidence. In addition, the layout of betting websites should be clear. For example, if you have to enter promo codes to activate a bonus, you should not have to search the website to find out where to do it. All important mechanics should be in view.
After all, if a site looks cluttered and uninviting, users are likely to click away in search of somewhere better. With so much riding on the line, it's no wonder that the most popular gambling sites take care to create a user-friendly and visually appealing experience for their users.
Usability is particularly important if you bet in play. Different bookmakers react differently to the events of a match. At key moments, CSGO betting will stop temporarily. This may last quite a long time, or you may be able to bet in just a few seconds. If you are able to bet quickly in play without getting confused between the markets, it means that the bookmaker has done a good job on the convenience of the service.
Odds
Betfair exchange regularly has the best odds on all the top Counter-Strike: Global Offensive matches. There are very few frills and whistles attached, but if you are a numbers guy (or gal) and that is all that matters to you, Betfair is the place to be. Unfortunately, like all legal bookmakers, it does not offer skin gambling.
Range of markets
Most bookmakers cover CSGO gambling to some degree, but few have much depth of betting markets beyond who will win the match. Only a few have gone the extra mile to provide a full range of betting options for the Esports they cover.
Basic markets will be found in any of the matches fielded by the bookmaker. These are bets on the final winner, handicaps on maps (usually 1.5, as most matches are played in a best of 3 format), the exact score and a win for one of the teams separately on each map.
Handicaps by round on a particular map are also in demand. Sometimes you can find a wide variety of options, for example up to -10.5 (the card is played to 16 winning rounds), and not just on the favourite.
Often CSGO gambling sites offer bets specifically on the pistol rounds and it's like a separate fast game within the big game. Bettors who bet regularly on CS are likely to know that sometimes the overall weaker team can have an advantage in the pistol rounds. Statistics on these are available on CSGO betting sites, so such markets are of particular interest to CS fans. Each map has 2 pistol rounds - in the first and the 16th round of a match.
There are also bets on a knife round. Depending on the tournament rules, it can be on every map or only on the decider. The winner of the knife round chooses the side for which he starts a map.
Another type of market is individual player stats. In this line, you can bet on how many kills a particular player will score. A very rare type of a bet, that can be found only on the best CS:GO gambling sites.
BetWay is one of the best CSGO gambling sites we have seen, having a huge range of Esport betting markets available for all matches, even ones not part of major tournaments.
Bet limits
Due to the specialised nature of ESports betting all bookmakers have relatively low bet stake limits compared to more established sports such as football or horse racing. Win limits are also capped but it varies from game to game with almost all bookmakers. Use an exchange such as Smarkets or Betfair if you do want a BIG bet (£1000 or more) but for the majority of normal sized bets every bookmaker can accommodate you.
Live betting
888Sport are one of the very best sites we have found for betting on all Esports and they are certainly one of the best CS:GO gambling sites either in play or before the match starts. Once a game goes in play it is possible to watch most games live through a stream with commentary keeping you informed and there is a large range of markets to bet on as you would.
In general, all bookmakers now offer in-play CSGO betting. The difference between them is the speed at which the odds change, the number of markets and the availability of live streaming. The latter is not an important factor in the case of CS:GO, as all matches can easily be found on Twitch.
Customer support
Customer service is also an important factor when choosing a bookmaker. The most reputable UK bookmakers tend to do well with customer service. Our top CSGO betting sites is not an exception. First and foremost, we would like to praise Parimatch and Betfair.
Bonuses, promotions, and Free bets
CS:GO tournament types
| Tournament | Tier | Date | Location | Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IEM Katowice 2023 | EPT Championships | 21 Jan - 12 Feb | Katowice, Poland | Spodek Arena |
| IEM Cologne 2023 | EPT Championships | 25 Jul - 6 Aug | Cologne, Germany | LANXESS Arena |
| IEM Spring 2023 |
EPT Masters |
17 - 23 April |
TBD | TBD |
| IEM Dallas 2023 |
EPT Masters |
29 May - 4 June |
Dallas, USA |
TBD |
| IEM Fall 2023 |
EPT Masters |
16 - 22 Oct |
TBD | TBD |
| ESL Pro League 18 |
EPT Masters |
15 Aug - 24 Sep |
Malta, Europe |
TBD |
| ESL Challenger #52 |
EPT Challenger |
28 - 30 April |
TBD | TBD |
|
ESL Challenger Hannover |
EPT Challenger |
9 - 11 June |
Hannover, Germany |
TBD |
|
ESL Challenger Jönköping |
EPT Challenger |
24 - 26 Nov |
TBD, Sweden |
TBD |
|
ESL Challenger Atlanta |
EPT Challenger |
15 - 17 Dec |
Atlanta, USA |
TBD |
Regular leagues
In football, there is the Premier League, in Cricket you have the IPL, for the vast majority of professional sports there is a league that all players aspire to play in. In Counter-Strike, there also are leagues for teams of different levels.
The most famous among them are ESEA and ESL. A good CSGO gambling site will offer bets on the best matches in the leagues, but only the best CS betting websites will hold promos and give bonus codes. In these leagues teams play online over a period of weeks or months and their results are recorded. At the end of the year, the top teams come together sometimes online but often in land-based venues where they battle for the title and also the prize money. They also pick up ranking points which can help gain them access to Minor and even Major tournaments.
Minor CS GO tournaments
These tournaments take place online with teams coming from all over the world and very often entries are limited to different regions or nationalities. Minor tournaments do not have big prize pools but they allow teams to get noticed, winning ranking points and the opportunity to move up to Major tournaments. CSGO gambling sites also keep a close eye on such tournaments.
Major tournaments
These are the equivalent of the FIFA World Cup, the SuperBowl or the Grand National in CSGO gambling. The dates are in the diaries of all CS:GO players and enthusiasts, their prize money can run to millions of $s. The top Teams can qualify for a Major by direct invitation or through winning or placing highly in minor tournaments previously. Punters are eagerly awaiting these grand events. CSGO gambling sites offer an extended range of betting options and bonus codes for various promos.
Recently, there have been two majors a year. The tournament is played according to the Swiss system. In short, the point of this system is that most of the matches are played by approximately equal opponents, with the exception of very unequal matches. This is in contrast to the round-robin system, where every team plays everyone. More than a hundred teams qualify for the majors, while 24 teams participate in the main stage of the tournament. There are three stages: New Challengers, New Legends and New Champions. If a gambling site gives a line on such events, you'll be able to bet on all stages and maybe even get promo codes to get a deposit bonus.
Most popular CS:GO bets
The most popular markets for eSports betting are not unlike traditional markets. They include:
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Match winner. Most Common CSGO Bets are on simply who will win. Sometimes this can be called the “MoneyLine” by some bookies. CS:GO tournaments in general do not have the possibility to draw, for example it is the same as a tennis match.
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Handicap betting. Since most CS:GO tournaments are split into best of 3 games, with each set on a different map. It is therefore possible to bet on teams to win but with a spread of +1.5, this can make games with a heavy favourite have more competitive odds and is a popular market to bet on.
More options of CSGO gambling are offered in the handicap line by round on each of the maps. The game is played to 16 winning rounds, so the team has chances of realising a wide variety of handicaps, and many bookmakers have plenty of them in the line. Sometimes you can go pretty extreme if you predict that one team will take out the other without a chance.
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Total betting. This is another CSGO gambling bet format you may be familiar with from elsewhere. It is basically what will the final score points total be, and you can bet will it be over or under the bookmakers spread. Since most Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournaments are the best of 3 format, you would be betting over or under 2.5 games in total the majority of the time.
It is also possible to bet on the round totals in each card. The number of totals varies depending on the strength of the teams, but more often than not, if the bookmakers offer round totals, there are several such bets.
There are also a number of unique bets that apply just to CS:GO, since it is a unique game with its own nuances. These include:
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Map winner. Games such as Global Offensive (as well as Call of Duty) are played on layouts, known as maps, specifically developed for certain competitions, or sometimes on standard maps all players are familiar with. For this bet you can bet on which team will win each particular map.
When betting on the winner of a map, it's crucial to consider who picked it. The thing about CS:GO is that teams have maps that they've played a lot and are good at, and there are maps that they're not good at and try to avoid. So if you've read the stats and noticed that one of the teams has chosen a map on which the other team almost always loses — this might be the bet you're looking for. At least if a bookmaker has set the odds at a reasonable level.
- Pistol round. Even if there is no separate market on CSGO gambling site, you still can bet on it in most cases. Pistol rounds are played twice per map - in rounds one and sixteen, when teams start the game for a side with no money. This round is very important as it gives the winning team a boost. In the next round a team already has money for automatic weapons, and the opponent is forced to play eco (minimum or no buy at all) or force buy (with armours, heavy pistols and grenades). Often the winner of the pistol round wins the next one as well, and the team is thoroughly ahead of the opponent in economy.
So if you want to bet on any team in the pistol round, you must be fully confident that they will try their best.
Statistics for pistol rounds, as well as all other CS:GO statistics, can be found on the HLTV website. Also there are stats for a force buy conversion and realisation of a weak purchase is also not uncommon.
- Knife Round. CS:GO has a unique feature in that sometimes there can be knife rounds where the only weapon that players are only allowed to use is knives. You simply bet on which team will make the first kill in this round. The knife round is used to determine which team will play for the CT and T sides (the winner picks the side). Not all gambling websites have such betting market.
- First Detonation. A good gambling site with wide range of markets offer to wager on which of the teams will be first to detonate a bomb in the game.
Deposit methods
CS:GO betting sites can all be funded with either Visa or Mastercard debit cards and this is the method that we recommend. There are other services available such as PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, and paysafecard to name a few. Not every bookmaker accepts every alternative method so check this before joining a new bookmaker.
- PayPal - The most common of the alternative payment methods PayPal is a household name in the UK. There are often relatively low limits but payments are credited instantly at the betting site.
- Skrill - Best known for its sponsorship of the lower leagues in the UK football pyramid the Skrill payment method (formally Moneybookers) is a safe and secure way to transfer fund with only an Email address.
- Neteller - Formally the main payment processor for use at American gambling firms they merged with Skrill a few years ago. Fees are still reasonable and the account can be used in leiu of a bank account if required with a debit card to withdraw money as cash.
- Paysafecard - A deposit method which involves paying cash for a code which then credits money to your gambling account, this is an increasingly popular method but the downside is that you can withdraw back to it.
How to deposit and withdraw on CS:GO betting sites?
Depositing and withdrawing money from online bookmakers is easy. It usually takes about a minute to order a withdrawal, and you may have to wait a little longer for the funds to be transferred to your account.
How to deposit on CS:GO betting sites?
To deposit money into a CSGO gambling site, you need to:
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Register by entering your personal details.
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Log In.
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Press Deposit.
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Choose a payment option.
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Enter the amount and confirm the payment.
The funds will then be credited to your account instantly or within minutes.
How to withdraw on CS:GO betting sites?
To withdraw money from your account, you need to:
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Log in to your personal cabinet on your gambling site.
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Enter the withdrawal menu.
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Specify the amount you want to withdraw.
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Choose a payment method.
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Wait to receive money into your account (in most cases this will take up to 3 working days).
CS:GO Bonuses & Promos
The best way to start betting is to get promo codes and activate some bookmaker's gifts. Unfortunately, there are not any specific bonuses, free skins or free coins raffles. At the time of publication, none of the CSGO gambling sites were offering special bonuses. But don't worry! Most legal bookmakers offer bonuses that are not linked to a specific discipline. Check out the Bonuses section to see all the current offers. We keep track of all kinds of promotions: deposit bonus, free bets, cashback and more. On each promotion page we provide detailed instructions and promo codes to activate the bonus.
Conclusion
CS:GO continues to be as popular today as it always has been, with a strong following and a large number of major tournaments to compete it and also bet on! The Esports sector is growing in professionalism and becoming more mainstream which is leading to more investment and more coverage by gambling companies. Many of them allow CS:GO betting and we have listed the best of them in this article.
The top betting sites are…
Here at Legalbet we have also categorised the top betting sites and their features to make them easier for you to find. They are:
By Sport: Football | Tennis | Boxing | Cricket | Snooker | Golf | UFC | Darts | Greyhound | Rugby | Horse Racing | Basketball | Baseball | Formula 1 | Ice Hockey (NHL) | Volleyball | Cycling | Netball | AFL
By Payment Systems: PayPal | Skrill | Klarna | Boku | Debit Cards | Apple Pay | Paysafecard | Neteller | Google Pay | Prepaid Cards | Revolut
By Features: Cash Out | £5 Minimum Deposit | Minimum Bet Sizing | Live Streaming | Betting Exchanges | Safest | Fast Withdrawal | Daily Free Games | New Betting Sites | Horse Betting Apps
By Events: Politics | WWE | Golf Solheim Cup | NRL Grand Final | Ryder Cup
By Esports: CS:GO | Dota 2 | League of Legends | PUBG | Valorant | FIFA | CS:GO Betting Sites with Paypal
Frequently Asked Questions
Money betting on Esports and CS:GO matches is absolutely legal, as long as you bet at a licensed CSGO gambling site. But note, that CSGO skin gambling is not allowed in the United Kingdom. Skin gambling sites are legal in some countries, but not for UK residents. Do not use offshore sites. Not only will you be breaking the law, but you could also be a victim of fraud.
Legalbet only reviews officially registered CSGO gambling sites. Although they do not offer CSGO skin gambling, they are completely safe. Using our advice, you don't have to be afraid of offshore scammers.
If a bookmaker platform is licensed it is obliged to provide an honest service, otherwise, it will be in legal trouble. You can be confident in promo codes being honoured, Esports and CS:GO bets being settled fairly and payouts being honoured. Offshore sites are under no obligation and are in fact governed by no law: only they decide whether or not to pay out your winnings. This is why we recommend that you only play on legal CSGO gambling websites.
It's hard to name the best best CSGO gambling site in the UK. Almost all betting platforms are now offering cyber sports betting on a fairly good scale, and CS:GO is one of the most popular disciplines. Consequently, you can bet on CS matches at many UK betting shops and online. The best of them, in our opinion, are listed in this article.
Every betting site will have their own internal procedures and corresponding payout times, which will also be affected by which payment method you use. Because of this there is no universal answer to that question but the fastest payments are usually using a Visa debit card, which can be almost instant.
There is no difference whatsoever, they are exactly the same thing. It is a bit like saying what is the difference between a three sided shape and a triangle. Betting is a type of gambling, and both words are interchangeable.
