Professional Esports Leagues: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

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What Is Counter-Strike: Global Offensive?

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive was released in 2012 and is the fourth installment in the Counter-Strike series. Counter-strike is considered as the godfather of the first person shooting genre, due to its innovation and how much it pioneered technology in the industry. Counter-Strike itself is a first-person-shooter in which there are two teams of five playing against each other. One team is assigned as the ‘Terrorists’ and the other team is assigned as the ‘Counter Terrorists’. The objective of the Terrorists is to plant a bomb and/or kill all the Counter Terrorists.

Alternatively, the Counter Terrorists can either kill all the Terrorists or defuse the bomb set by the Terrorists. The bomb takes approximately 40 seconds to detonate and about 10 seconds to defuse. There are also regular game types like team deathmatch and capture the flag. This simple format makes the game extremely easy to follow when compared to other major esports such as League of Legends and makes it much easier to view and ultimately bet on.

Where You Can Bet On CS:GO

There are many online sportsbooks that accept Esports betting in the US, with Bovada being one of the best offering odds on CS:GO. Most domestic sportsbooks do not offer legal esports betting, but Bovada and other online sportsbooks take esports wagers alongside the traditional sporting odds. Fans can watch on CS:GO anytime there is a major event ongoing, with futures odds available as well at online sportsbooks. The online sportsbooks are available from anywhere and are accessible from most mobile devices. Bovada, one of the most popular online esports books, allows players to access CS:GO odds without the need to download an app. The full sportsbook can be accessed from the web browser of smartphones and tablets.

CS:GO Tournaments and Leagues

CS:GO is one of the biggest games in the competitive scene so it makes perfect sense that the popular shooter hosts its own tournaments and gaming leagues. The major markets for the first-person shooter are in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Australia. These markets are prime locations for CS:GO sports betting and is where you will find the most viewership. The tournaments in these areas garner massive appeal from both fans and online sports bettors. These tournaments bring forth massive appeal from supporters, and all the major events are listed right here.

ESL Pro League

ESL Pro League is one of the most exciting esports leagues in the world which has led sportsbooks accepting Esports betting to generate odds for it. For CS:GO, three sperate regions compete. There are the Americas, Europe, and Asia-pacific. Each region is divided into four groups, and within those groups, CS:GO teams compete. For the Americas, there are three groups for North America Teams and one group for Latin American teams. And for the Asian-Pacific Region, there are two groups for Australia/New Zealand, one group for China, and one group for Southeast Asia. Each season, winners from each region qualify for the Season Finals. The best 24 teams in the world then face off for their majority share of $1,000,000. Matches can be streamed on Twitch and the schedule for tournament matches can be found on the ESL Pro League website.

ELEAGUE

ELEAGUE is one of the most highly viewed Counter-Strike leagues in the U.S. That is because ELEAGUE is actually powered by a partnership between Turner Broadcasting and WME/IMG. Matches began broadcasting live on TBS in the Summer of 2016 and have continued since then. ELEAGUE features a 10-week regular season with 24 teams, playoffs, and then a championship. ELEAGUE has also hosted CS:GO Major Championships (also known as Majors), which are tournaments sponsored by the game’s developer, Valve. These tournaments often time feature a prize pool of about $1,000,000.

Dreamhack

DreamHack is the world’s largest computer festival. Over the years it has been more targeted towards esports and gaming. In 2012, DreamHack partnered with Major League Gaming and Electronic Sports League in order to grow their esports presence in Europe and North America. Prize pools for tournaments held at DreamHack festivals have reached up to $100,000 over the past three years. The way DreamHack interacts with the CS:GO scene is that they hold tournaments, sometimes major tournaments, in which some of the best teams in the world play. The CS:GO scene is a bit ad-hoc still, with varying tiers of competition, and DreamHack brings top level competition to the table.

Popular CS:GO Teams

The way that Major tournament players are selected creates a way for certain teams to gain more viewership and popularity than other ones. Essentially 8 of the top teams from the previous Major tournament get automatic bids to the next one. Those teams are called ‘Legends’ while the remaining teams that get invited are known as ‘Challengers’. Teams are selected from all over the world and tournaments are streamed online for the entire world to see. This means a team’s popularity spans far outside the team’s home country borders. However, with the legends system in place, many of the best teams in the world are consistently put in the public’s eye. A shortlist of those teams can be found below:

• Astralis – Based in Denmark
• Evil Geniuses – Based in the U.S.
• Mousesports – Based in Germany
• FaZe Clan – Based in the U.S.
• Ninjas in Pyjamas – Based in Sweden
• Team Liquid – Based in the U.S.
• Team Vitality – Based in France
• Renegades – Based in Australia
• TYLOO – Based in China
• MIBR – Based in Brazil