DOTA 2 Betting Sites
& Betting Guide

Betting on Dota 2 is available on basically any betting website worth its salt, as it has proven itself to be a long-lasting and highly competitive esport. Here we have compiled an extensive list of important Dota 2 betting information, allowing you to make informed decisions with regard to how and where you place your bets. So without further ado, here is our Dota 2 betting guide!

Choosing the best Dota 2 betting site for you

Choosing the best Dota betting site can be difficult in many respects. As with any large esport, Dota 2 betting is available on a huge variety of bookmaking sites, and choosing the right one will come down to a combination of research and personal preference. Luckily, this isn’t something you have to do alone, as we have a number of important things to look for when selecting the right Dota 2 betting site for you, with our goal to narrow down your options and find the best way to bet.

Here are the main things to look out for when choosing an online betting site for Dota 2:

Make sure that the site is legal

One of the most important aspects of online betting is making sure your money is safe. Checking which Gambling License an online bookkeeper holds is incredibly important. The two main licenses to look out for are given out by the MGA (Malta Gaming Authority) and the Curacao Gaming Association. Legality will always depend on which country you are betting from, and we always recommend checking to make sure that the website you are using operates legally in your country.

The user interface is something you feel comfortable using

Many betting websites use a similar layout, with a table-like structure for betting on various games and a list of available wagers on a sidebar on the page. Having said that, every website is different, and choosing the Dota 2 betting site that fulfills your needs is an important aspect of wagering. Perhaps the sleek orange and black theme of GG.Bet will be easier on the eyes for you than other sites, or the simple navigation of Arcanebet might be what you need. Vulkanbet offers a similar colour scheme, but has streaming front and centre, for bettors who want easy access from the front page. In the end, the choice is yours, and you will have to figure out which Dota betting sites offer the right layout for you.

Great betting odds

Odds are one of the main aspects to look at when trying to figure out which betting site is the best for you. As a bettor, your goal is to try to get the best bang for your buck, so finding which site will give you a better return on your investment is fundamental to making intelligent wagers. If you want more information, you can check out our Dota 2 Betting Odds page to start getting a handle on which sites are the best.

A functional & responsive customer support

We review a lot of betting sites, and one of the things we always assess is the level of customer support they offer. A website that functions well when everything is going right is one thing, but a site that can help you fix a problem when things go wrong is even better. It’s an unfortunate fact of online betting that things can go awry occasionally, and whether you need help making a withdrawal, or if you require a refund for some reason, you want the best customer support out there on the job. Always make sure to look out for websites with multiple support options and if you need more information, our reviews will always take a look at a site’s customer support capabilities.

Variety of markets

When placing bets in any game, you want to ensure you are getting the most out of your wagers. Much of this has to do with acting on whatever information is available to you. This can be limited when you are simply betting on the outcome of a game or series, as a team’s performance can fluctuate through a season or tournament. This is often when it can be best to try to specialise your wagers and focus on certain strengths a team may have.

It could be that a Dota 2 team is notorious for their attempts at an early First Blood, or they often draft lineups that focus heavily on early pushes. What is useful about these types of specific bets is that even if you are unsure of the outcome of a match, you can still make educated wagers on specific aspects of a game that you are sure about. You could even bet on an aggressive pushing team to take the first tower, but lose the game.

Having this knowledge is important to making smart wagers, and knowing which websites offer the kinds of Dota 2 betting markets you are looking for will help you to bet intelligently.

Live Dota 2 betting options

Live betting is incredibly important in a game like Dota 2. One of the main reasons for this is that oftentimes, a team’s draft can be a huge determining factor in their victory. If you are a skilled Dota 2 bettor, you will likely be able to identify which team has the superior draft, based on lanes, mid matchups, and late-game potential, and will have the foresight to wager accordingly.

What is great about live betting is that you can make educated decisions as the game develops. As a game of Dota 2 is generally broken down into distinct stages (laning stage, mid-game, late-game), you can often garner important information about the state of the game reasonably early. If a team with an early-game focused lineup has a strong laning stage, then you can be more comfortable in betting on them to take the game. Combining live betting with different betting markets can also mean that you can make very specific bets at crucial moments. That early-game oriented team is likely going to be pushing those first tier 1 towers, thus earning you some money in the process if you bet intelligently on them to do so!

When considering live betting, you should be looking for websites that have live streaming services integrated into their site, and easy navigation and tabbing is highly important for making quick bets on the fly. Loading times and a variety of betting markets are also highly important for when you want to take your Dota 2 betting to the next level.

Criteria we use to choose Dota 2 betting sites

Review betting sites for us is second nature now, for Dota 2 or any other game. We always make sure that they are well-regulated and entirely legal. Oftentimes our recommendation will be to look for betting organisations that have been around the scene for a while and have made some effort to become part of the Dota 2 community. Sites such as GG.Bet have become important parts of the Dota 2 scene, hosting large tournaments throughout their years of involvement in competitive Dota.

Esports betting has been steadily rising in popularity over the last decade, and as the industry grows, it becomes better regulated and more reliable. The best esports betting sites are working hard to draw in customers as the market grows, and this is making betting sites higher quality and more lucrative for the consumer, as things like welcome bonuses and the ability to utilize cryptocurrency makes betting more accessible than ever.

Looking out for fundamental features like a variety of live-betting markets and integrated streaming are also important when looking at any good Dota 2 betting site, as live-betting markets are often the most valuable for Dota 2 bettors.

Here is a general list of expectations we have for a solid Dota 2 betting site:

• Betting/Gambling License – The first step is to make sure that the website is legally operating, and operates in a number of nations globally
• Safety – This relates not only to legality, but also encompasses aspects such as data encryption for your passwords and credit card information. This also includes making sure that websites give proper payouts for your wagers, and that the sites aren’t scamming customers. Your hard-earned money should always be safe when betting
• Withdrawals and Deposits – One of our priorities is ensuring that not only do withdrawals and deposits function in a multitude of currencies, such as having dota2 mastercard betting, but also that they are fast, efficient, and safe
• Design and UI – Navigation is super important for betting. Being able to flit between a number of tabs quickly could be the difference between getting to place the perfect bet and missing your opportunity. Intuitive design also means you are clear on what you are betting on
• Customer Support – Good customer support is paramount when choosing a good Dota 2 betting website. When we review a site, we are looking for a variety of customer support options, as well as testing the response time of their live chat, and whether or not 24/7 support is available
• Available Games – Dota 2 isn’t our only focus when we review betting sites, we’re always looking for the best variety of games. This means we want to see a good mix of genres and optimally, a mix of popular and niche games to bet on

How to bet on Dota 2

Dota 2 is one of the top-performing esports out there, with a lot of money swirling around the competitive scene, and on betting websites. This means that betting on Dota 2 is generally an easy endeavour if you head to any of the major betting sites and check out the main games they offer.

One of the main things to consider when betting on Dota 2 is how complex the game is. There is great satisfaction in not only understanding the mechanics of the game itself, but also recognizing the way one lineup of heroes counterplays against another, the way an early-game lineup might work vs a late-game lineup, and the differences between how the Chinese region plays the game vs how the European or North American regions like to play. The huge amount of variety in team compositions and playstyles means that you will have to gain knowledge of the competitive scene and Dota 2’s meta in order to become a serious Dota 2 bettor.

Dota 2 match betting

Usually, when placing bets on Dota 2, you are going to want to focus on either pre-match bets, or live-betting markets. Both have their benefits and drawbacks, but both offer interesting ways to wager and win. Here are some of the main factors to take into account when making wagers:

Dota 2 pre-match betting

The most common betting for Dota 2 is Pre-Match betting. Usually, the focus is on betting on match and tournament winners, with odds often available weeks before the event has occurred. These odds will change over time depending on certain factors, like team performance in outside events, roster changes, etc.

Multi bets

Multi Bets are a unique style of betting that can be incredibly lucrative if done correctly. The caveat is that they are also incredibly risky. Betting on multiple different outcomes means that you have to have strong knowledge of Dota 2 to make correct predictions, as if any of your wagers are incorrect, you will lose.

In the context of Dota 2, multi bets can be used very effectively when wagering on the group stage of tournaments, as you can see which teams will be facing each other and how teams stack up in their group. If a top team like Secret looks to have several matches against tier 2 teams in the early stages of a tournament, you can make some clever multi bets to earn some quick cash, mitigating the lower odds for betting on favorites.

Outright betting

Outright Bets are one of the most recognizable styles of betting. They are typically offered for larger tournaments, with bettors being able to make general bets on teams as an event unfolds. For Dota 2 events, these could include:

1. Who will come top of the group stage
2. Outcome of the winners or losers bracket finals
3. Winner of the entire event
4. Who will qualify for a Major

These types of bets usually require a certain amount of knowledge about team standings and Dota 2’s current meta. Predicting tournament winners can be tricky, as teams often over or underperform at events like The International due to high-pressure and the constantly shifting meta. Having said that, outrights have good payouts, and learning how to apply this betting style to Dota 2 can make for some very satisfying wagering.

Dota 2 live/in-play betting

With Dota 2 live betting, players can easily see how the early and mid-game are going in order to see how the rest of the game may play out. In game two of a best of three, you can also work off the information from game one in order to make more educated bets in the second game. For a game like Dota 2, where the early stages of a game can often determine the outcome, live-betting is invaluable for those who want to place wagers on tournaments.

Be aware that there are certain aspects to live-betting that can make it less desirable for some people:

1. Odds will generally have a lower value
2. Less availability of betting markets (this isn’t always applicable, but should be noted)

You want to look out for websites that have an integrated Twitch stream or other livestreaming service directly on their website. Having the option to make bets on the fly is incredibly useful for serious bettors, and having knowledge of Dota 2 will give you a distinct advantage when it comes to live-betting.

Dota 2 betting bonus & promotions

There are many different types of Dota 2 betting bonuses, and due to the way they function, they often have different uses when making wagers. Usually, these promotions and bonuses are used to incentivise new bettors to join the site, or to spend more money by depositing extra in order to secure the bonus. However, if used wisely, Dota 2 bonuses can also give you an edge when betting on various events, as the boost to your wagers can help you earn a little extra, even from smaller bets.

Different types of Dota 2 bonuses

There are several different types of Dota 2 betting bonuses that most veteran bettors will be on the lookout for when searching for a website to wager on. Here, we will list the main ones for Dota 2 betting.

Deposit bonus

Deposit bonuses are fairly common on betting websites. Here, any Dota 2 betting site will match the amount of money you deposit. These often come with some caveats, like having to make a certain amount from wagers in order to withdraw the money that they match, but having a little boost to make bets with early on can really help with making higher risk wagers.

Example: A good example of a Welcome Bonus is offered by Cyber.Bet. They are giving their customers a €10 deposit bonus when new users deposit at least €10 in their account.

No-deposit bonus

A No-Deposit can be one of the more lucrative types of bonuses. As the name indicates, you don’t actually need to make a deposit to claim a No-Deposit bonus, and the bonus you receive is generally a real money credit. Sometimes, you will need to perform an action before withdrawing the money you have earned via the bonus, especially if you bet dota 2 real money usa, like verifying your account with the Dota 2 betting website, or something else relatively minor.

Example: There aren’t any No-Deposit Dota 2 bonuses that we know of currently, however, if you manage to find one, the site will usually give you a €5 credit in your account without the need to deposit first.

Free bets

A Free Bets bonus once again requires a deposit in order to be activated, but it can be a valuable bonus to receive, as having free bets to work with can allow for higher risk bets without as much concern for losing as much in the process.

Example: There’s a Free Bet bonus being offered by Betway, in which they give their customers €30 worth of free Dota 2 bets when depositing only €10 in their account.

Cashback bonus

Cashback bonuses are exactly what they sound like: if you place a bet and lose, you can get your money back on that bet. Having a safety net for higher risk bets is a great way to learn about betting, as it allows you to try things out and test out your Dota 2 knowledge without a huge amount of risk.

Example: A no-risk bet. Some betting sites will give you around €30 to use in a bet, and if you lose that bet, you get that money back.

Exclusive bonus

Many websites will offer exclusive bonuses that are only available via their website, usually acquired by activating a code that is linked to the site. Oftentimes these codes can be acquired from websites adjacent to online bookmakers, such as review sites, allowing you to capitalise reasonably easily on these kinds of codes to earn a little boost to your account.

Our Dota 2 exclusive bonus

1. Lootbet currently offers 100% up to €200 when using the code MEBO100. So if you deposit €200, your account will have €400 in total.
2. We also have an exclusive bonus with GGBET – you just need to use the code MEBO.
3. ArcaneBet offers a 100% Match Up To $100 when using the code MEBO100

How to claim a betting bonus

Claiming Dota 2 bonuses is generally not difficult, with a lot of them being activated automatically when you make an account or requiring the activation of a code on the website. However, some promotions and bonuses will require you to deposit money into your account (Deposit Bonuses) in order to claim them, with the bonus being activated once the money is successfully added to your account.

In any case, the best way to activate a bonus will be to:

1. Select from our list of recommended Dota 2 betting sites and click on the ‘Bet Now’ button
2. Now simply provide the website with your credentials and make an account
3. Verify your account. This will usually be done via email, and may end up in your spam or junk folder, so be sure to look for the verification email there if it doesn’t immediately appear in your inbox
4. To use a Dota 2 Promo Code, go to the account section of the website and look for something that says ‘bonuses’ or ‘promotions’
5. If you are using a Free Bets, No-Deposit Bonus or standard Deposit Bonus, then make a deposit in order to activate the bonus (some bonuses may not require a deposit to activate, and will instead activated automatically.) Also remember that a Cashback bonus won’t have any obvious effect on your balance, instead activating when you place a wager and lose.

How to step up your Dota 2 betting

Once you have garnered a good understanding of Dota 2, either by playing the game or watching professional matches, live-betting is generally going to be your best avenue to making smart wagers. Because of the nature of MOBAs, the early game is fundamental to how the rest of the match will play out, and being able to identify the way a match or series is going based on this will allow you to make educated bets.

The standings of teams are also incredibly important, not just understanding the mechanics of Dota 2. Certain teams will perform better in a given meta, and without following tournaments and teams, you will likely struggle to make intelligent bets. Dota 2’s meta generally undergoes heavy changes through the course of a Major tournament, such as The International, as teams perfect their strategies and alter their drafts to counter opponents. Keeping up with constantly evolving meta will make you are a much stronger bettor, both for outright betting and live-betting.

Finding good Dota 2 betting tipsters

As Dota 2 is one of the larger esports titles, there are a number of highly successful tipsters out there. By doing a quick Google search, you can easily find dozens of Dota 2 tipsters that offer valuable betting picks. Professional Dota 2 Tipsters are not afraid to show their stats, so be sure to find someone that shows all of the wins and loses. Don’t be deterred if the Dota 2 Tipster doesn’t have a 100% win ratio, and it’s only natural that they will lose some.

/r/dota2betting

To further improve your Dota 2 betting skills, you might want to head over to /r/Dota2Betting. It’s a small community compared to other betting subreddits, but there is still a lot of useful information there for people who are looking to gain an edge in their wagers. Having said that, be wary of scammers. Fake tipsters will try to give you a direct invite to their discord server, only to be able to market their exclusive Dota 2 betting bonuses. If their tips are good, then there’s no harm, but if they bait you in with fake tips, then that’s just wrong.

Don’t let the odds fool you

Every Dota 2 bettor goes through this. Sometimes you feel like you can make a good buck, and place all your money on a team that can potentially upset. Sometimes it works, but more often, it simply doesn’t. However, it is much more important to bet intelligently, as Dota 2’s competitive scene generally has teams that consistently perform at a high level. Making sure you have a sound understanding of the meta and the professional teams is more likely to bump up your account balance than simply looking for the highest odds.

Study Dota 2 betting

As with a lot of things, becoming a more successful Dota 2 bettor often comes down to how much work you are willing to put in. Making bets willy-nilly across a number of different sites and on a number of different teams might be a fun way to spend your money, but it is unlikely to net you results in the long run. Dota 2 is an infamously intricate game, where team composition, item builds, and the game state can shift the way a match develops in a number of different ways. You also need to take into account external factors, like roster changes, overall team performance throughout a season, and the way a tournament is structured —a best of one series often favours tier two teams more than a best of three format for instance, due to surprise strategies being able to take one game but not an entire series.

Building up a knowledge of the professional teams that are playing in Dota 2’s DPC is fundamental, along with playing the game yourself and understanding the mechanics of the game. Understanding which heroes are effective in the current meta and which teams are abusing the meta to their advantage are crucial aspects as well. With Dota 2 betting you get out of it what you put in, so stacking the odds in your favor by increasing your knowledge of the game will only help you in the long run.

Top Dota 2 events to check if you want to bet

With Valve’s recent changes to the Dota Professional Circuit, you can expect a multitude of events available for betting. DPC seasons now have regional qualifiers, with upper and lower divisions, with teams attempting to qualify for Majors throughout the year, leading up to The International. This means that there is a wide array of betting options available as the season progresses, with the stakes getting higher and the matches becoming more intense.

Dota 2’s DPC, along with many smaller tier 2 events being held alongside it, gives bettors a number of opportunities to get involved in esports wagering. If you are looking for a more comprehensive look at Dota 2’s tournaments, check out our esports events calendar for 2022.

Mobile Dota 2 betting. Can I bet from my phone?

Nearly every Dota 2 betting site can be accessed via mobile, however certain websites only offer a desktop version of their site as opposed to an official app. This can mean that navigation will be more cumbersome on some websites, as dedicated betting apps offer better usability for bettors on mobile.

Android Dota 2 betting sites

You can find a good variety of betting apps available on the Google Play store, and downloading and installing them is reasonably easy to do. When looking for the best apps for betting, you should consider the same things you would when looking at online betting sites: easy navigation, live-streaming services, solid design, and easy withdrawing and depositing. Oftentimes, if the site has no dedicated betting app, you will be presented with a mobile version of the website, meaning that your knowledge of the online bookmaker will carry over to mobile betting.

IOS Dota 2 betting sites

For Apple devices, you will access the betting application from the App Store, allowing you to bet in much the same way as on Android. Once again, betting websites often lack a dedicated app, so familiarizing yourself with the bookmaker’s website will help you to bet efficiently on the mobile version in most cases.

Dota 2 betting FAQs