How to Bet on CS:GO
How to Bet on CS:GO: Counter-Strike Esports Betting Guide
Betting on Esports is increasingly popular as gaming fans, who watch top tournament action in their millions, look to ramp up the excitement.
Read on to find out about the betting markets in CS:GO and how you can go about placing your first wager on major tournaments at Stake Sportsbook .
What is CS:GO?
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) is a hugely popular multiplayer first-person shooter and the fourth edition of the Counter-Strike franchise.
Released in 2012, CS:GO continues to stand the test of time, with its immersive and competitive gameplay making it a natural choice as a popular Esports title alongside the likes of League of Legends (LoL) and Dota 2 .
In fact, CS:GO is still one of the highest-grossing video games available to download and play from Steam. As of March 2023, CS:GO posted a new record of 1.4 million active simultaneous players worldwide, up from its previous 1.3 million record achieved in April 2020 at the height of the pandemic.
History of Counter-Strike
The inaugural Counter-Strike release arrived at the dawn of the new millennium in 1999. Within months, it was considered one of the most in-demand multiplayer shooters in gaming history.
The original Counter-Strike title was underpinned by the game engine of Valve’s successful Half-Life video game. The original was set in a fictional environment where teams of counter-terrorists and terrorists engaged in combat across several maps and scenarios.
Four years after the original, Counter-Strike: Condition Zero was released on Windows. Featuring two single-player campaign modes and an immersive multiplayer mode, this helped cement the Counter-Strike brand.
Counter-Strike: Source followed in the same year as a remake of the original, while Counter-Strike: Online arrived in 2008 with a primary goal of engaging with the Asian gaming market. Four years later, CS: GO came onto the scene and remains a hugely influential title for first-person shooter fanatics.
CS:GO Rules & Gameplay
As with most popular Esports titles, CS:GO is very much a team-based game. Each team has five players tasked with eliminating the five players on the opposition team. There’s another game mode that’s popular in CS:GO, too. Teams must try to plant or even defuse a bomb hidden somewhere on the map at random without being killed.
The gameplay itself is simplistic. Players take control of virtual characters and attempt to stay alive while eliminating their opponents. They do so using weapons and grenades. It’s considered one of the most skill-based Esports titles due to the importance of stealthy movements and lightning-fast reactions with weaponry.
Biggest CS:GO Tournaments & Leagues to Bet On
Given the huge commercial success of CS:GO, it’s no surprise to see there are many popular CS:GO Esports tournaments and leagues to watch and bet on today:
The International is comfortably the biggest CS:GO event of the season. Hosted by the game’s developer and publisher, Valve, this carries a monster prize purse worth over $30m each year.
Arguably, the biggest professional CS:GO league to watch is the ESL Pro League. There’s also the ESEA CS:GO League and the Blast Premier CS:GO league, which has also grown in popularity across North America and Europe.
There are plenty of other localised CS:GO leagues, too, with the CS:GO Gamers Club, which is surging in popularity across Latin America, as well as Sweden’s Svenska Elit and the Fantasyexpo EU league.
In terms of popular one-off events, after The International, it’s all about the DreamHack Masters and the FACEIT Major, both of which attract some of the best CS:GO Esports teams from around the world.
Some of the most notable CS:GO teams to watch in the Esports industry right now include Team Vitality and Team Liquid. It’s always a competitive match between these two titans!
How Do You Bet on CS:GO (Counter-Strike)?
First and foremost, if you haven't already, you’ll need a betting account with Stake.com. As a leading trusted online sportsbook, it’s easy to sign up and start depositing your funds into your account instantly, or into our vault to bet on upcoming or live CS:GO events. Your fiat and crypto funds will be cleared fast and visible within your available Stake.com betting balance.
Head over to our Esports betting category, where you can find the latest CS:GO events and matches individually listed, including competitive futures odds and even live odds if a CS:GO match is already in play.
When you’re ready to get started with CS:GO betting, pick the team or outcome you wish to bet on. This will add your selection to your betslip. Set your stake size and submit it to be approved instantly. Keep tabs on your open betslips easily whenever you’re logged in to your Stake account.
Types of CS:GO Bets & Esports Betting Markets
As a leading sports betting site, we offer many different types of bets to help you on your betting journey. Let’s explain the wide variety of betting markets on CS:GO events available right here at Stake Sportsbook:
Match Winner
Like a standard moneyline bet, simply bet on which CS:GO team you think will win an upcoming match.
Map Handicap
Bet on a CS:GO team to win a best-of-three match with a map handicap applied in their favour or against them. Handicap betting is popular across both Esports and traditional sports betting markets, along with Asian totals bets. They can also be bundled into same-game multi-bets .
Outright Winner
This popular outright betting option allows CS:GO betting enthusiasts to wager on the potential tournament winner of CS:GO events and leagues.
Live CS:GO Betting – How to Live Stream Counter-Strike & Place In-Play Bets
If you prefer betting on sports and Esports in-play, Stake Sports offers highly competitive in-play Esports odds for online sports bettors, including CS:GO matches.
We also offer many of the major CS:GO events via live streams, all of which are available free on Stake as long as you’re logged in at the time of the event.
CS:GO Betting Strategies & Tips to Win
Now that you know the wide range of CS:GO betting markets available at Stake.com’s online sportsbook, take note of our top tips to build your own CS:GO betting strategy:
Don’t give too much weight to rankings. Keep a keen eye on a team’s recent CS:GO form. It might be that Team A has a better ranking and is, therefore, the pre-match favourite team, but the lower-ranked Team B may be going into their encounter in a winning vein, potentially offering value odds pre-match.
CS:GO bettors should take advantage of both pre-match and live betting options. This will open the doors to a wide range of betting opportunities and increase your odds! Our guide to pre-match and live betting explains this in more detail. will only choose to bet in-play on matches they can live stream.
Some CS:GO teams focus on being supremely efficient on certain maps. If a team is on a lengthy winning streak on a specific map, you might consider betting on the team to be the next map winner with in-play prop bets.
Whether you're a Counter-Strike fanatic, or a keen sports bettor, you can get more betting tips and tricks with our Esports betting guide . For more information, read our online sports betting guide , or get expert betting advice and predictions from our team of professionals with our sports betting articles !
CS:GO Betting Mistakes to Avoid
Don’t let emotions rule your CS:GO betting. If ever you get to a point where you’re chasing losses, it’s time to call it a day and bet on CS:GO another time. Emotional betting can lead to overstaking and betting on markets in which you’ve little or no experience.
Always compare odds. Don’t just take the first price you get. You may find better value elsewhere, like Stake Sports. At Stake.com, our Esports traders firmly focus on the CS:GO pulse to give you highly competitive CS:GO odds, come rain or shine.
Do your research. Look at the recent form of the CS:GO teams you’re betting on or against. You may just find an altogether different betting angle that’s more analytical and considered.
CS:GO Betting Odds & Payouts Explained
Whether it’s prop bets, the handicap betting scene or tournament winner punts, at Stake Sportsbook, you can view the latest CS:GO betting odds in whichever format suits you. Our betting platform makes it easy to choose between fractional, decimal and American odds formats to help you find value betting opportunities in the biggest CS:GO events.
Deposit & Withdrawal Methods for CS:GO Betting
Easily deposit cryptocurrency and local currency units into your account to bet on CS:GO and other Esports by following the steps listed below:
Step 1 - Retrieve your deposit address, located in Wallet > Deposit.
Step 2 - Choose the method that suits your needs. Stake.com supports multiple cryptocurrencies , including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Dogecoin (Doge), Litecoin (LTC), and others. You can find more information about our local currency options on our community forum, as well as our local currency payment guide.
Step 3 - Use your deposit address as the 'send to' location for your wallet or exchange.
Step 4 (Optional) - If you wish to make a deposit via fiat currency, you can buy crypto for Stake via Moonpay.
Stake.com offers live support to players via our customer support staff for help with issues regarding boxing betting and depositing and withdrawing units .
Moonpay supports multiple payment options, including Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and others, to buy cryptocurrency to bet on CS:GO and traditional sports betting online. For a full list of supported payment methods, please refer to the Moonpay documentation .
Why Should You Bet on CS:GO & Esports at Stake.com?
At Stake Sportsbook, we’re passionate about bringing you the most competitive Esports odds, whether it’s a low-key domestic league or a world-renowned CS:GO tournament like The International. We’ll provide live streaming coverage of the biggest CS:GO matches wherever possible, allowing you to bet interactively in-play.
Our online sportsbook also rewards loyal, regular Esports bettors as members of our VIP Club . We offer welcome bonuses upon sign-up and commit to regular reload bonuses and tiered benefits as a ‘thank you’ choosing Stake.com.
You’ll also get exclusive access to our online casino, including a growing library of best-in-class slots , table games and live dealer casino games .
Stake.com is an online sportsbook dedicated to responsible gambling on Esports and traditional sports. Check out our responsible gambling features to help you stay in control from day one.
