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CSGO Gambling Sites - csgo esports betting sites and csgo esports sportsbooks

First things first … what is a CSGO?

I suppose this is a good enough place to begin … CSGO is an acronym, standing for Counter Strike: Global Offensive. I understand that merely unpacking the acronym is not going to help you any if you have never heard of CSGO before. Certainly, though, you must have heard of Counter Strike, no? Well, Global Offensive is probably the most critically acclaimed (and easily the most popular) incarnation of the Counter Strike series.

For those of you who have never heard of Counter Strike before at all, what the hell have you been doing with your lives? Where have you been? For the last 20 years or so, this game has absolutely dominated gaming culture and the video game entertainment industry. Have you never even seen the commercials before? I can’t believe it…

All incredulousness aside, though, you have come to the right place to learn more about the gaming phenomenon that is CSGO. Today – in addition to telling you everything there is to know about betting on CSGO (and to a lesser degree, eSports in general), as well as how to identify one of the best CSGO betting sites versus one that is just mediocre or not worth your time and money – I am going to impart everything that there is to know about the game – how it is played, its origins, how it became so popular, and what kinds of competitions exist on which you can bet real money.

If you are already familiar with the game and the particulars of betting on CSGO and eSports (as, doubtless, many of you are), you are more than welcome to skip ahead to the next section. Or, screw it, you can even go ahead and start perusing some of my CSGO betting site reviews if you’re feeling real confident. Why waste time? If you know what you’re doing, go find the best CSGO gambling site for you and start winning real money online today!

Okay, but what kind of game is it?

Okay, for those of you who are still with me, it’s time for a history lesson. Let’s start by answering your initial question, shall we? What is CSGO? We have already established that it is one of the most popular video games of all time. But that doesn’t tell us a whole lot. What kind of game is it?

Well, it is a multiplayer first-person shooter, to be more precise. It was developed my Valve (also responsible for classic games such as Half-Life and Portal) along with Hidden Path Entertainment. CSGO is the 4th installment in the Counter Strike series, and was initially released for Windows OS, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 in August of 2012. The following year, a Linux OS version of the game, too, was put out.

Gameplay is as follows: two teams are pit up against one another. One team assumes the role of Terrorists; the other team are, naturally, Counter-Terrorists. Whereas each team’s central goal is to eliminate the other, the game is ripe with side missions and objectives as well. These objectives will differ depending on what game mode one is playing. The Terrorists, for instance, may be tasked with planting a bomb or defending hostages. The Counter-Terrorists, on the other hand, would need to prevent the planting of the bomb, diffuse it, and/or rescue the hostages.

CSGO offers 9 different modes of play, game modes. Each of these modes have distinct traits and tasks that are unique to it. This is one reason that the game has remained such a captivating force for gamers over the 8 years that it has been out – there are so many possibilities for play, especially when you throw in the monkey wrench of playing against several real players from all around the world.

The game, too, has a matchmaking function. This allows players to access and play the game on Valve servers. CSGO community members can also host their own servers, if they so desire, with customized maps and game modes. For instance, a free for all “battle royale” game mode called “Danger Zone” was recently released, in 2018, and has quickly become one of the most popular ways to play.

Immediately upon release, CSGO was critically acclaimed. Not only was the game praised for its gameplay, but it was also given many positive notes for its faithfulness to predecessor games in the series. The only notable criticisms upon the first release were concerned with some of its early features (now moot points, as they have been fixed) and a few notable differences between the PC and console versions of the game.

An estimated 11 million players enjoy CSGO per month, which also translates into a thriving competitive circuit. In fact, CSGO has garnered such an active and competitive tournament gaming scene that developers Valve have ceased charging users to play the game, opting instead for a more cosmetic-based stream of revenue (in-game purchases, modifications, customizations, merch, etc.).

Of course, when any form of competition draws as much attention and excitement as CSGO has over the last few years, there are going to be people like you and me who are ready to bet on it. Which is why there has also been an influx of CSGO gambling sites. Normally, I would just add these to the best eSports sportsbook category, but there is something about CSGO, its players, and its fans that make it exceptional, deserving of its own section of sites. It is a culture all its own, betting on CSGO.

Why would I want to use a special CSGO gambling site when there are plenty of eSports sportsbooks that include competitive CSGO markets?

This is an excellent question. It is true: the best eSports sportsbooks will let players place competitive bets on CSGO – any eSports betting site worthy of my lists will be sure to include a game as big as this one. Given this, I can see why someone would speculate as to the value of signing up for a betting site that only caters to CSGO versus a bigger eSports sportsbook (which often comes with a traditional sportsbook and an online casino to boot) that will allow users to bet on several eSports at once. Is there any real value in using a CSGO gambling site then?

I would argue that yes, absolutely there is value in using one of the best CSGO gambling sites. One thing that happens when these big shot online sportsbooks try to do everything under the sun, the quality of each of its moving parts tends to diminish. In other words, an overly ambitious sportsbook or eSports sportsbook that tries to be a jack of all trades, more often than not, becomes – come on, you know the words – a master of none.

Which is why it is refreshing to find some of the sites listed here, the best CSGO gambling sites. I find that it is generally more effective, too, if you have an arsenal of betting sites at the ready. That way, you can rely on the right weapon whenever you want to place a certain kind of bet. Want to bet on CSGO? Obviously, a CSGO betting site is the way to go. Want to bet on tonight’s NBA game? There is a more traditional online sportsbook out there for that. Cycle through your sportsbooks and online betting sites by task – that is the best way to play, if you ask me.

What can I expect to find on a CSGO gambling site?

Here is another reason I would recommend a CSGO betting site over a more general eSports sportsbook: the community. One of the first things that I noticed when I was first checking out the range of CSGO gambling sites on the web was the fact that each one of these sites has an active and thriving online community of users. Although the ability to chat and discuss gaming related issues is not unheard of on a typical eSports sportsbook, the degree of importance placed on this on the best CSGO betting sites is next level.

This is often the case … the more niche the demographic of one’s site is, the more community oriented it tends to be. Therefore, the feature that really makes, for me, CSGO gambling sites stand out compared to all other forms of online betting sites is the fact that there is a live chat box on the home page – chatting with fellow CSGO members is never more than a click away.

You can also, obviously, bet on CSGO matches. Most of the best CSGO betting sites will allow players to place bets on individual players, teams, and side objectives. Because CSGO gambling sites are filled with CSGO super fans, they tend to be very active, making odds as ideally competitive on many of these sites

Lastly, the best CSGO betting sites will also allow users to live stream gameplay. Not only does this make for a much more immersive, exhilarating, and entertaining betting experience, it also makes live betting and changing/trading/swapping bets on the fly extremely easy and intuitive. The scope of CSGO tournament streaming on CSGO betting sites, too, is bound to be exponential compared to more general eSports sportsbooks.

Can I bet on CSGO on my mobile device?

On any of the sites listed here, absolutely you can. I only bother listing and reviewing the best betting sites. That’s my whole thing. The best CSGO betting sites, in order to be considered one of the best, must (allow me to emphasise: must!) have some sort of mobile betting platform. Although, personally, I prefer this to take the form of a mobile app, every CSGO gambling site listed here allows you to place bets, stream, deposit, and withdraw from the mobile version.

As is always the case, even when it comes to the best CSGO betting sites, some are bound to be a little more mobile friendly than others. If mobile betting is a main concern of yours, worry not, I always dedicate an entire section of my reviews to talking about the mobile experience of each site. If a certain site seems less mobile friendly than another, that will be easy enough for you to discern almost immediately.

In short: yes, every one of the best CSGO betting sites has some level of mobile betting capabilities.

Which CSGO gambling site is the best?

As I briefly mentioned earlier, it is less about finding one single site that can be called “the best,” and more about browsing the lot of all of the best CSGO gambling sites to see which one (or ones) are the right fit for you. We all have different preferences; every one of the sites you will find here are the best. All you have to do is figure out which is going to be your go-to CSGO betting site from here on out.