By the middle of the last decade, a clear understanding had formed that esports competitions are a form of competitive rivalry that meets the main principles of traditional sports. In many countries, E-Sports were officially recognized as sports disciplines, tournaments gained huge fan audiences, and bookmakers created a wide range of services in the field of esports betting.
It was during this period, specifically in 2016, that the game Overwatch appeared. The American developer Blizzard Entertainment released the game for Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, and later for Nintendo Switch. The creators of the game took into account the existing experience within esports. Therefore, bookmakers began accepting bets on Overwatch literally from the very first tournaments. Let’s examine the features, pros and cons of this type of betting.
What is Overwatch?
Overwatch is traditionally referred to as a multiplayer shooter, but unlike CS:GO, the game has a strong MOBA element, meaning there’s also a factor of strategic planning for team actions.
An important feature of the game is that it offers around 20 modes. Both single-player and multiplayer storylines are available.
In esports competitions, several main scenarios are used:
- Control Point – teams compete to capture the most control positions;
- Escort – one team protects a payload being transported to a specific point, while the other tries to stop them;
- Assault – a battle between attacking and defending sides for control of key areas;
- Hybrid – combined objectives that include elements of the above scenarios.
The next feature is the presence of four character classes chosen by players on opposing teams:
- Offense – attackers such as snipers, characters with high offensive skills capable of eliminating opponents;
- Tanks – heavily armored heroes known for their durability, used for heavy assaults and flexible defenses;
- Defense – units designed to protect key positions and hold opponents in chokepoints;
- Support – healers providing assistance to injured or damaged teammates.
Players who have long been betting on Overwatch and possess sufficient experience can often predict a team’s tactics based on its pre-match character selection.
But the specifics of Overwatch don’t end there. The diversity of modes allows battles with different team sizes — one-on-one, 3×3, 5×5, 6×6. How does this affect betting?
Always study the official regulations of each tournament. Depending on which combinations of game modes are used, certain teams gain specific advantages, and even higher-ranked teams can lose their status as favorites.
Popular tournaments
Bookmakers accept bets on Overwatch for various competitions, up to and including regional tournaments or championships organized by the bookmakers themselves. However, in the world of Overwatch, there are five top-tier competitive platforms:
- Overwatch League – a full-fledged league with a regular season and playoff stage, whose prize pool in recent years has exceeded $5,000,000;
- Overwatch World Cup – a world championship featuring the best teams competing for multi-million-dollar prize pools;
- HUE Invitational – an invitational tournament organized by Harrisburg University E-Sports, where eight teams usually compete for $50,000–$85,000;
- Collegiate Homecoming – a major esports platform that also features Overwatch;
- SteelSeries Invitational – another event uniting teams from various E-Sports disciplines, where Overwatch often headlines the program.
If an online bookmaker has an esports section, these tournaments will definitely be included.
Types of bets on Overwatch
One drawback of this esports discipline is its limited betting market. Even compared to other E-Sports like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive or Dota 2, it’s quite modest.
Top matches usually feature the following betting options:
- 1X2 (Match Winner) – victory of one side in the match;
- Exact map score;
- Total maps in the match;
- Outcome of a specific round – usually available for live betting.
Bookmakers try to compensate for the limited match markets with outrights — bets on the tournament winner, best player, etc.
How to analyze matches?
The outcome of each Overwatch team battle depends on many factors, and upsets are not uncommon. Despite the high unpredictability, it’s recommended to consider the following factors in pre-match analysis:
- Team rating. While not an absolute indicator, it still helps assess the current balance of power.
- Roster. It’s important to know the main and substitute players on each team. Based on the announced lineup, you can evaluate not only the chances of winning a specific match but also the team’s mindset for the entire tournament.
- Current form. It’s useful to review the results of the last five to ten matches against opponents of similar strength.
- Head-to-head history. Teams that frequently meet develop an emotional rivalry history. This affects their mindset, motivation, and determination to win at all costs.
- Tournament motivation. You can gauge how important a specific competition is through players’ social media. Athletes often share their expectations. Motivation runs high in major championships, but that can also lead to burnout.
- Online or LAN format. Some teams that perform well online struggle in live events with a physical audience.
- Captain’s authority. The team leader in esports is a key figure whose influence often determines teammates’ effectiveness.
Where is it best to place bets?
Today, most traditional online bookmakers accept bets on esports. The difference lies in the range of tournaments covered, the level of market depth, and the bookmaker’s margin.
However, it’s worth periodically reviewing lines and markets at different bookmakers. Sometimes, a bookmaker’s management revises its attitude toward E-Sports and introduces special conditions for esports betting.
Pros and Cons of betting on Overwatch
The main advantage of betting on Overwatch is that a player well-versed in this specific field can find value bets and achieve long-term profit. The downside is that this discipline often produces unexpected outcomes. The latter is related to the fact that Overwatch is primarily oriented toward the American audience. The game’s main focus is not on competitiveness but on spectacle and entertainment.
