The gaming industry is one of the fastest-growing areas of entertainment, and esports are a major reason for that. Video games often have a competitive element to them, and over the years, players have created competitions to see who could get the highest score of the quickest run. Over time, these competitions have evolved into professional video gaming now known as esports.
Esports involve lots of different video games, with all games have a competitive element and offering lots of exciting moments to fans and players alike. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) is one of the most popular esports thanks to the high level of skill needed to excel at the game. In recent years, lots of sportsbooks have started offering esports events such as CS:GO for fans to bet on.Over time, esports have changed a lot but CS:GO competitions still remain some of the most popular esports events for fans to watch and bet on.
Why is Counter-Strike so Popular to Watch and Bet On
Counter-Strike averages around 400,000 monthly players, and it’s enjoyed all over the world. The game itself is a first-person shooter where two teams attempt to eliminate the other team or complete their objective. Each team consists of five players, and one team takes on the role of terrorists and have the objective of planting a bomb at one of the bombsites. The other team are counter-terrorists and must prevent the terrorists from completing their objective by eliminating them or defusing the bomb.
The game involves a lot of tactics as each map has different areas to defend and attack. Players in each team generally have different roles, and good teamwork is essential. On top of that, it’s a very unforgiving shooter as there are no respawns and players don’t have much health to absorb bullets like some other games. The tactics and strategy of Counter-Strike combined with the tense gameplay, make it incredibly exciting to watch.
On top of being thrilling to watch live, Counter-Strike is one of the most popular esports in the world to bet on. This is partly thanks to the exciting gameplay but also because of how big some of the Counter-Strike events are. Because so many people play the game all over the world, the biggest Counter-Strike events feature the biggest teams and some huge potential prize money.
The Biggest Counter-Strike Events to Bet On
There are lots of different Counter-Strike events and leagues all over the world, and most of the biggest events are available to bet on. Some sportsbooks feature only the biggest events while other sites offer a wide range of different events and markets for CS:GO.
Some of the biggest CS:GO events in the world include:
- ESL One–The ESL One tournament is a huge event that includes the world’s best teams in two different esports, Counter-Strike and Dota 2. The 2016 ESL One tournament was held in Cologne, Germany and featured a prize pool of $1 million for the Counter-Strike winners.
- MLG Major Championship–The MLG Major Championship featured top teams in Counter-Strike, offering teams the chance to qualify in an offline tournament while also inviting the winners of another major competition. The 2016 edition of the MLG Major Championship featured a $1 million prize pool, half of which was won by the tournament winners.
- Intel Extreme Masters–A long-running Counter-Strike tournament set up by Valve and ESL, this competition features 24 teams competing for a chance to win a portion of the $1 million prize pool.
- BLAST Premier–The BLAST Premier competition features heats in countries all over the world over the course of a season. At the end of the season, top teams compete in the BLAST Premier Global Finals for a total prize pool of $1 million.
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