StarCraft 2 betting is experiencing a resurgence thanks to thrilling tournaments like the Esports World Cup and the DreamHack Dallas. Extensive betting markets, unmatched odds, and competitive in-play wagering all make it worth signing onto sites offering coverage of SC2.
But which are the best and most popular StarCraft sites? We provide you with the best bookmakers and walk you through top gaming strategies and profitable SC2 betting markets.
SC2 Betting Guide: Your Ultimate Resource
📢 Betting Styles Pre-game and in-play 🔫Game Genre Real-Time Strategy 🕹️Team Format 1v1 🎮Match Format Best of Five (Bo5) ▶️Developer and Producer Blizzard Entertainment 🕒Launch Year July 27, 2010 💡Latest Release StarCraft II: Nova Covert Ops – November 22, 2016 🛡️SC2 Tournaments RSL Revival, Esports World Cup, Global Starcraft II League (GSL), DreamHack Dallas, World Cyber Games 🖥️Live Streaming Available Yes (via Twitch) 🎲Betting Markets for SC2 Total Kills, Map Winner, Map Totals, Map Handicap, Match Winner, Correct Score 🏆No. 1 Site for Esports Betting on Starcraft 2 NetBet 🧾Starcraft 2 Betting Site with the Lowest Vig Smarkets 👾Competitive Odds on Starcraft II Matches Midnite 🔫Unmatched Live SC2 Betting Options William Hill 📱Thrilling Acca Boosts on Starcraft 2 Games BoyleSports Where to Bet on Starcraft II: Best Sites Reviewed
When uncovering the top bookmakers, our experts focus on a system that outlines how we rate betting sites, making it easier to identify the best sites for betting on StarCraft 2. Learn everything there is to know about their top picks in the reviews below.
No. 1 Site for Esports Betting on Starcraft 2 – NetBet
NetBet provides a variety of SC2 tournaments and events, featuring markets for the RSL Revival, the EWC, and the GSL. The odds for these events are competitive, though they might be a bit better than those on sites like Midnite. Live betting on SC2 enhances the experience, with more than nine markets available for a single match. While live streaming would be a nice touch, the bookmaker compensates with its AI betting feature, a smart AI-powered assistant aimed at improving your betting and gambling strategies.
- ✅ What we love: Offers markets on all top SC2 events
- ❌ What could improve: Live streaming of events not offered
🧾SC2 Betting Markets: 9+
👾Live Betting on Starcraft II: Yes
Starcraft 2 Betting with the Lowest Vig – Smarkets
The betting options at Smarkets are unparalleled, as are the bookie’s odds on StarCraft II matches. Touting a low 2% vig on these games, the bookmaker promises unmatched payouts and top odds on Esports. While the lines could be released earlier for those looking to get their bets in before game day, this later release of markets doesn’t affect the impressive pricing. Smarkets offers live streaming of SC2 matches, making it simple to know when to put in your bets to make the most of the odds available.
- ✅ What we love: Offers a low 2% vig on SC2 markets and odds
- ❌ What could improve: Releases lines later than competitors
🧾SC2 Betting Markets: 8+
👾Live Betting on Starcraft II: Yes
Competitive Odds on Starcraft II Matches – Midnite
Whether you’re betting on the RSL Revival or on the World Cyber Games, Midnite promises unmatched betting odds and an exciting array of markets. The bookie also provides some of the hottest outrights, promising maximum payouts for those picking the winning team. Options like handicaps, totals, correct score, and other special bets are available, with over 10 markets offered per game. In-play betting at Midnite is competitive, despite the lack of live streaming options. You can make use of the Acca builder, which makes it simple to compile high-paying, but risky SC2 accumulator bets on top tournaments and games.
- ✅ What we love: One of the best Starcraft 2 betting sites for competitive odds
- ❌ What could improve: Doesn’t offer a SC2 welcome bonus
🧾SC2 Betting Markets: 10+
👾Live Betting on Starcraft II: Yes
Unmatched Live SC2 Betting Options – William Hill
Enjoy unmatched in-play betting on SC2 and other top Esports at William Hill, thanks to the site’s unparalleled live betting suite. Offering extensive live markets, top odds, and live streaming of matches in high definition, WH makes it challenging to miss out on any betting opportunity. As one of the top cash-out betting sites, the bookie gives you the chance to eliminate risky bets while ensuring you can access these options on mobile, too, using its betting apps.
- ✅ What we love: Stream StarCraft 2 events live in HD
- ❌ What could improve: Odds are less competitive than other bookies
🧾SC2 Betting Markets: 15+
👾Live Betting on Starcraft II: Yes
Thrilling Acca Boosts on Starcraft 2 Games – BoyleSports
BoyleSports makes betting exciting by offering a range of betting markets. While the selection is smaller for SC2, the bookie counters this by providing Acca betting on these matches. Top Acca boosts push your potential payouts even higher, giving you the opportunity to earn more on thrilling markets. Compared to other bookmakers, BoyleSports offers far better prices on underdog wagers, which can be encouraging if you’re backing rising stars. Esports are available as live markets, with BoyleSports offering real-time streaming of top matches.
- ✅ What we love: Claim top Acca Boosts on SC2 markets
- ❌ What could improve: Fewer SC2 markets available
🧾SC2 Betting Markets: 8+
👾Live Starcraft II Betting: Yes
Starcraft 2 Esports Explained
Before we start online betting on Starcraft 2, it is important to get a good understanding of the basics of the game, which will help guide you in placing your bets later on.
The objective of the game is to kill or destroy your opponents’ buildings or structures, and units. However, it is crucial to keep in mind that if a team can see they have little chance of winning, they concede or surrender to their opponent, which can have an impact on the bets you wager.
Choosing Races
At the very beginning of the game, you’ll need to choose a race to belong to. There are three primary races in the StarCraft 2 world, which are in conflict, each vying for dominance in the Koprulu Sector. The three species to choose from are:
- 👾Terran – These are humans, exiled from Earth, with the unique ability to adapt to almost any situation. By picking Terran as your race, you play out the game as humans in high-tech space suits, and your overall survival objective is to contain and harass your opposing race while expanding your force.
- 👾Zerg – Insectoid aliens best describe the Zerg, who aim to assimilate other races and achieve genetic perfection. Here, the focus is on Macro gaming with the objective of outperforming your opponents in the Macro portion of the game while overwhelming them with units.
- 👾Protoss – A humanoid race sporting psionics and impressive technological advancements, the Protoss have the objective of protecting their culture and philosophies from the Zerg. By playing as Protoss, the key to survival is creating an unmatched late-game army of units.
Gameplay Techniques
Now that you have a race picked out, you’ll start with 12 workers to help you mine minerals, which are used to create buildings and more units, or the Macro of the game. The Macro and Micro of StarCraft 2 are two techniques that players must master to win the game.
- 🔫Macro – This is the portion of the game that focuses on building a base, increasing units, and managing supply. Teams or players with better-managed Macros typically have a larger army.
- 🔫Micro – Here, you focus on controlling and maneuvering your army to make kills and destroy your opponents.
StarCraft 2 Esports Setup
When Esports betting on StarCraft 2, you’ll find that most games take on a 1v1 setup, where one player goes head-to-head with another player. These games typically play out as a best-of-five match (Bo5), but often follow a best-of-three (Bo3) format in the finals of tournaments. These varying game formats affect the number of markets offered at Esports betting sites that feature SC2 wagering, which is worth noting.
Why Bet on SC2?
With so many games and leagues to bet on, what makes SC2 sports betting a better option? Besides being one of the top games to push forward the development of real-time strategy gaming, StarCraft 2 introduces unique betting options that many fans find appealing.
- ✅Concentrated Betting Markets – The betting opportunities available on StarCraft 2 are limited compared to other e-gaming leagues. While this may initially seem like a pitfall, it offers you the chance to hone in and perfect your knowledge of the available markets for more precise betting. It also provides a great starting point for novice bettors.
- ✅Unique Gameplay Ideal for In-Play Wagering – SC2 offers several instalments from Brood War, which focuses on Jim Raynor and his rebel faction, to Nova Covert Ops, all of which provide unique gameplay. Mix this in with the real-time strategic play formulation that has a second-by-second impact on in-play wagers, and you’re kept on your toes constantly about who will take the win.
- ✅SC2 Esports Crypto Betting – Betting on SC2 Esports using cryptocurrency is gaining popularity. Bookies accepting Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other cryptos as betting currency typically provide higher betting limits, outstanding promotional offers, and larger transactions at a quicker rate, elevating your payouts and the speed at which you receive them.
- ✅Resurgence in Popularity – Once considered one of the most popular Esports, SC2 is making a comeback, thanks to its introduction at top global events like the Esports World Cup. This boost in popularity means that more bookmakers are covering the sport and providing a wider selection of betting options for you to profit from.
- ✅Evolving Industry and Betting Options – Blizzard Entertainment has joined forces with several entities to bring about the StarCraft II World Championship Series (WSC), including ESL and DreamHack. However, in early 2025, ESL made the decision to discontinue the ESL Pro Tour for StarCraft II. While a disappointing blow initially, this means the platform is open to new tournaments emerging, bringing exciting new betting opportunities with them.
Popular Starcraft 2 Betting Markets
StarCraft 2 is unique compared to other Esports as the selection of betting lines you’ll find at online bookmakers is more condensed. Top markets available at crypto SC2 esports betting sites include:
Outright Winner
The most popular StarCraft 2 betting market you’ll find at betting sites in the UK. This line allows you to put money on the player or team you suspect will win the tournament overall. Bookies release these markets before the tournament begins, offering long odds that have potentially high payouts.
Match Winner
If you want to place bets on your favourite players to win the game they’re about to play in, the betting line you’d pick is Match Winner. A great option for new bettors, these markets are straightforward with easily understandable odds.
Map 1/2/3/4/5 Winner
Each SC2 game comprises several rounds or maps. Games may take on a Bo3 format, where you can choose the winner for each map up to three times, or a Bo5 format that has five maps that you can pick the winner for.
Map Totals
Bookmakers release their predictions about the total number of maps that will be played in a game based on the game format (Bo3 or Bo5). In placing this wager, you put your money on whether the total maps played will be more or less than the bookie’s prediction.
Map Handicaps
Handicaps are a great way to wager if the odds on a game are unbalanced. The sports betting site applies a handicap to the players, and they must beat the handicap for your bet on them to win. For instance, in a Bo5 game with a 2.5 handicap, the favourite must win three games or more for you to scoop up your winnings, while a bet on the underdog is only successful if they lose by fewer than two maps.
Correct Score
This wager requires in-depth league knowledge and an understanding of the players and how they operate in the early stages and later on in the game. Your objective here is to accurately predict the correct Bo3 or Bo5 score.
First Blood
This special wager allows you to bet on the player you predict will make the first kill or draw first blood. It is a great addition to any betting slip but requires a good understanding of the playing style and strategy of those participating.
First to Achieve
Several markets fall under this special betting category. Here you can find lines that allow you to wager on a player to be the first to meet specific milestones, such as first to complete a specific number of kills, construct a particular building, or level up.
Understanding SC2 Betting Odds
The odds applied to the various betting markets on SC2 outline how much a certain market will pay out and which player is more likely to win. It is therefore essential to understand how to read betting odds before you start enjoying StarCraft 2 betting online.
Most bookmakers allow you to set your odds format to read in the way that is easiest for you to understand, with the most popular formats being Fractional, Decimal, and American.
So let’s look at how they work using an SC2 match where Cham vs. Clem:
Odds Format How They Look How to Read Them Practical Example Fractional Odds Cham – 10/1 Clem – 1/100
Fractional odds read as follows: Amount you’ll win/Amount you’ll Stake.
- To win £10 on Cham, you’ll need to bet £1.
- To win back £1 on Clem, you’ll need to bet £100 (Clem is the clear favourite)
Decimal Odds Cham – 11.00 Clem – 1.01
Decimal odds are the easiest to read, as all you need to do here is multiply your stake by the odds. - A £10 winning bet on Cham will earn you £110 (£10 x 11.00)
- A £10 winning bet on Clem will earn you £10.01 (£10 x 1.01)
American Odds Cham – +1,000 Clem – –10,000
American odds are a little more involved. The favourite is signalled with a minus sign (-) and shows how much you’ll need to bet to win back £100. Underdogs typically have a plus sign (+) in front of the three-digit figure, which outlines how much you’ll win back on a £100 winning bet on that player. - A £100 bet on Cham (underdog +) will win you £1,000 in profits.
- You’ll need to bet £10,000 on Clem (favourite –) to win back £100 in profits.
Now that we understand how these odds work, let’s compare the odds offered on this game at our top StarCraft 2 betting sites:
Betting Market NetBet Smarkets Midnite William Hill BoyleSport Cham Match Winner 7/1 7/1 10/1 14/1 16/1 Clem Match Winner 1/100 1/100 1/100 1/66 1/100 Starcraft 2 Live Betting: Streaming & Real-Time Odds
StarCraft 2 games are usually very fast-paced, with most taking an average of 12-20 minutes, making them great options for in-play betting. Live or in-play betting allows you to bet on these matches while they’re underway, instead of closing the lines before they begin.
The key aspect to take into account here is that the odds on live Esports events aren’t fixed and fluctuate as the game plays out, which makes it essential to get your bets in at precisely the right time to make sure you get the best prices.
One of the easiest ways to stay ahead of the game is by watching it live. Some of the best StarCraft 2 betting sites make this possible by streaming these games live on their websites using platforms like Twitch.
To stay on top of live betting on SC2, it is best to catch these games live while also having a good understanding of player tactics and styles, which can help you accurately predict the outcome of a match.
Best Tournaments to Bet On Starcraft 2
As one of the top Esports, SC2 has several top international tournaments that provide exceptional sports betting action. Some of the top events covered by the best StarCraft 2 Esports crypto betting platforms include:
Global StarCraft II League Season 1
The first season of the GSL kicked off from May 7 to 16 in South Korea. Group stage 1 featured 1v1 Bo3 games in a dual tournament format, followed by Group stage 2 in the same format. From there, the top two players from each group advanced to the single-elimination playoffs, with Bo5 semifinals and Bo7 finals.
- 🏆No. of Players – 12
- 🏆Prize Pool – $28,652.69
- 🏆2025 Winner – herO from Twisted Minds took the win, a $7,163.17 payout and entry to the 2025 Esports World Cup.
DreamHack Dallas
Running from May 23 – 25, in Dallas, Texas, the event started with four 32-team double elimination brackets, with the top two teams from each bracket advancing to the final playoffs, where games are played as single-elimination Bo5 games, except for the finals, which are Bo7.
- 🏆No. of Players – 83
- 🏆Prize Pool – $50,000
- 🏆2025 Winner – The top four winners all get entry to the Esports World Cup, but it was Maru from Team Vitality who scooped the win and the $15,000 prize money.
Global StarCraft II League Season 2
Hot on the heels of Season 1, the GSL Season 2 played out from May 28 to June 15, again in Seoul, South Korea. Following the same format as Season 1, this event offered another round of exciting betting opportunities.
- 🏆No. of Players – 12
- 🏆Prize Pool – $29,258.15
- 🏆2025 Winner – Classic from Virtus.Pro, walked away with first place, a $7,314.54 prize and a spot at the Esports World Cup. However, since he already had entry to the event, this spot at the EWC went to the player in second place, Rogue from Team Falcons.
RSL Revival
Running from June 17 to July 13, the RSL Revival takes place in Korea. Beginning with a group stage that uses a dual tournament format, games are played as best-of-three, where the top two players from each group move to the playoffs. The playoffs use a double-elimination format, with all games as Bo5, except for the finals, which are Bo7.
- 🏆No. of Players – 16
- 🏆Prize Pool – $7,366.05
- 🏆2025 Winner – TBD
Esports World Cup
Set to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 22 to 25, the StarCraft II EWC tournament consists of three rounds. The Play-in Stage (Bo3) kicks things off, followed by the Group Stage (Bo5, double elimination), where the top four players of each group move on to the Playoffs. The Playoffs are all single elimination, but the finals play as Bo9 games.
- 🏆No. of Players – 18
- 🏆Prize Pool – $700,000
- 🏆2025 Winner – TBD
Essential Starcraft 2 Betting Tips & Strategies
Whether you’re new to esports betting or a seasoned pro, having a few tips can always give you a boost, which is why we’re sharing our top tips for SC2 betting below:
- ☑️Play the Game and Play it Often – StarCraft 2 is a fairly complex game with lots of working parts and mechanics. Playing and playing regularly will help you understand these better and make more informed betting choices.
- ☑️Always Review Player Stats and Strategies – Since these games are 1v1 and require real-time strategy, it is essential to understand each player’s strategies and style of play. This can really help you place more informed bets on the fly, especially when live betting.
- ☑️Consider Backing Rising Stars – The 1v1 format often means that there is a definite favourite, which can lead to unfavourable odds. This means that your returns won’t be great. To combat this, we recommend putting even a small amount of your bankroll on rising stars who have the opportunity to take the win but offer far greater prices.
- ☑️Check Out SC2 Forums – If you want the latest chatter among top SC2 players and fans, head straight to forums. This is where you can get some of the best picks, tips, and hints as to how a game or tournament will play out.
- ☑️Play Responsibly – Careful bankroll management and well-considered bets are some of the best ways to practice responsible gambling. While helping you stay on track, well-thought-out play means more accurate and lucrative wagers.
Other Esports Titles Similar to Starcraft 2
If you’ve tried betting on SC2 and you want to try your luck on similar Esports titles, here are some of the best options and sites to try:
- CSGO Betting
- Dota 2 Betting
- Fortnite Betting
- Overwatch Betting
- Valorant Betting
- League of Legends Betting
- Rocket League Betting
Our Verdict
StarCraft 2 betting offers fast-paced, thrilling online wagering options, which, when placed at top bookmakers, can lead to very lucrative sports gambling. The popularity of SC2 means there are plenty of top tournaments to bet on, which bookies complement with competitive odds, hot promos, and exciting live betting and streaming.
FAQs
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