LOOT.BET, a leading esports-dedicated betting operator, enjoyed an incredible 2019 – a year that saw the remarkable growth of esports continue unabated.

To give fascinating insight into the past 12 months, LOOT.BET have put together a few statistics, shining a light on a year that saw a winning bet with odds of more than 700, and Russian, Chinese, and Norwegian bettors rule the roost as the most successful.

A snapshot of 2019

The luckiest bettor of the year was a German who landed over €7,110 with a modest €10 combo bet on The International 2019 and StarLadder Berlin Major 2019 matches, thanks to odds topping 712 – beating 2018’s record holder from Ukraine who won a combo bet with odds of 665.

As for the most profitable market for bettors? It was ‘Total over/under 26.5 rounds’ in a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive map. Interestingly, the least profitable market was also for CS:GO – this time Round handicaps in CS:GO, and ‘Total over/under 2.5 maps’ in best-of-three CS:GO and Dota 2 games.

In 2019, Team Liquid, Evil Geniuses, and Fnatic proved the most popular teams to bet on, whereas in 2018 it was Astralis, Team Liquid, and Na’Vi who attracted most bets. As for events, unsurprisingly StarLadder Berlin Major 2019, The International 2019, and ESL Pro League Season 10 were the ones that raised pulses the most.

Bringing most disappointment to bettors were the Na’Vi and FaZe Clan CS:GO rosters, who managed to outstrip the previous record holders, Virtus.pro. On the flipside, mousesports (CS:GO) and OG (Dota 2) brought the most joy as the ‘luckiest’ teams, bringing in averages of +11% and +18% net profit, respectively.

LOOT.BET sponsored a number of memorable esports events in 2019 including several seasons of the LOOT.BET/CS and LOOT.BET HotShot Series leagues, and LOOT.BET Winter Masters. During these HAVU (CS:GO) was the team that attracted most bets, with a roster that lived up to expectations, bringing fans 9% of bet sums. Meanwhile, it was SKADE (CS:GO) and FlyToMoon (Dota 2) that raked in most winnings for their supporters, delivering +31% and +22% of net profit, respectively. Things were not so good for fans of Izako Boars though, with bettors losing 19% overall.

The LOOT.BET global bettor rankings:

Countries with highest win rate:

  • CS:GO: Russia
  • Dota 2: China
  • League of Legends: Norway

Countries with lowest win rate:

  • CS:GO: Czech Republic
  • Dota 2: Spain
  • League of Legends: Philippines

Countries with most active bettors (average number of bets per user):

  • CS:GO: Japan
  • Dota 2: Bulgaria
  • League of Legends: Japan

Countries with least active bettors (average number of bets per user):

  • CS:GO: Germany
  • Dota 2: Portugal
  • League of Legends: Ukraine

Countries by risk appetite (average bet odds):

  • Riskiest: Ireland, Bulgaria, Poland
  • Most cautious: Portugal, Spain, South Korea

By DOMENICO DRAGONE

iGaming expert - with over 10 years of experience in the retail market in Italy and knowledge of global online gaming. In the past he has worked with the largest national gambling companies and he managed some land-based shops on their behalf. Entrepreneur, investor and enthusiast of difficult challenges, in 2015 he founded The Betting Coach Group, an international news and social marketing agency geared towards sports, esports and gambling companies. He is currently the C.E.O of The Betting Coach and is a consultant for Loginbet.it Mr. Dragone collaborates with providers (game developers) and event organizers with the aim of helping them develop networks and business across continents. Passionate about journalism, he is the creator and promoter of iGaming Cafè, the first talk show in Italy, dedicated to companies and delegates from the gaming world.