Betsafe CS:GO Betting Review – A Bookie With eSports Market Potential
Betsafe found its origins a little over a decade ago, as an online sports betting platform that provided its clients with an extraordinary amount of traditional markets. Given the current betting trends of the industry, it didn’t come as a surprise that the bookie decided to introduce an eSports section to its roster. After all, eSports are worth billions of dollars!
Although there are quite a few eSports markets offered by Betsafe, there is room for more. We will take an extensive look at what this book delivers to its punters as well as what might be missing – sit tight and enjoy the ride.
Jump to
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Bonuses at Betsafe
> No bonuses for eSports
> Many Sportsbook bonuses -
Bet On the Go
> App for Android & iOS
> Full functionality -
Deposits & Withdrawals
> Variety of banking options
> Supports many currencies -
What We Think?
> Offers live streaming
> Great customer support
Betsafe
- Clear Bonus Scheme: 2.0
- Payment Methods: 4.0
- Support: 4.0
- User Experience: 3.0
- Live Betting Options: 4.0
- Trustworthy: 3.0
- Safe: 3.0
- Overall Rating 3.0
Quick Overview
- Founded: 2006
- Licence: Malta, UKGC, Alderney
- Minimum Deposit: N/A
- Withdrawal Time: up to 5 days
- Support: 24/7 Live Chat, Phone and Email
- Live Betting: Yes
Not Verified
First Impressions – The Website’s Look and Feel
The navigational elements of Betsafe’s homepage are laid out in the classic industry-standard theme for most online bookies. The roster with market sections/sports is located to the left of the screen, in-play and popular markets are displayed on the center panel in the middle, and the bet slip is visible top right. The sportsbook’s navigational panel located on top is painted in deep-red, making it stand out from the overall black-gray visual theme of the website. While adhering to some classic aesthetic rules, the site appears fresh and new.
The Betsafe New Customer Registration Process and Verification
To start your free Betsafe account registration procedure, you must click on the green “create account” button located in the top-right corner of the screen, which can be found on every page of the website. A single-step procedure will request personal details such as email, address, mobile number, and currency preference. Once you have that done, all that would remain is to agree with the website’s privacy and T&C’s policy, by ticking off the checkboxes at the bottom.
Overall, the entire process is easy and shouldn’t take you more than a few minutes to complete. Make sure that if you would like to withdraw funds at some point, you will need to pass through the Betsafe account verification process as well. When prompted, you will be required to upload a personal identification document (ID card, driver’s license, etc.) and a proof of residence, such as a paid utility bill. You can submit a photo of the required documents via the platform.
Licenses and Recognitions
The Betsafe license isn’t only one – in fact, this sportsbook is legally recognized by numerous administrations, for each of the services it offers. Among the many regulatory institutions that license Betsafe, are the Malta Gaming Commission, the United Kingdom Gambling Commission, and Alderney Gambling Commission. Betsafe features links and helpful resources to organizations that assist players who experience addiction issues with gambling, such as GamStop, Gambler’s Anonymous, GamCare, and BeGambleAware.
Platform Accessibility
Platform Compability
Punters can access the Betsafe eSports betting platform on any device that supports an Internet browser. No downloadable version for PC is provided, but Betsafe does have an application for mobile devices. If you’re looking to place your bet on a CS:GO market, make sure you use Google Chrome as a preferred browser. The website of Betsafe is superbly optimized for the following operating systems: Windows, iOS, MacOS, and Android.
The Betsafe eSports Mobile App
Although there isn’t a separate Betsafe CS:GO Android and iOS program, the provided mobile app features all products of the bookie’s brand, including sports betting. If players would like to place a few bets on their favorite CS:GO markets, all they have to do is navigate to the eSports section under the “Sports” roster. Featuring the website’s full functionality, the app gives punters the chance to watch live streams on their mobile device, as well as perform financial operations such as depositing and withdrawing funds. Sometimes exclusive bonuses are released for the application, which is something that mobile punters would like. You can find the Android version of the app on the website itself – for Apple’s iOS, just visit the iTunes store.
Payment Methods
Available Payment Methods
- Visa
- MasterCard
- Skrill
- Neteller
- Entropay
- Paysafecard
- Bank Transfer
- PayPal
Betsafe offers a large variety of banking options, which include credit/debit cards, e-wallets, wire transfers, and special bank transfers. Note that some of the mentioned methods below may not be available to all clients, as they operate on the territory of specific countries. Visa, Mastercard, Skrill, Neteller, Entropay, Paysafecard, Bank Transfer, Instant Bank Transfer, Sofort, PayPal, and Trustly. Users can see which methods might be available for them once they log-into their account and click on the “deposit” button.
The sportsbook currently supports the following currencies – BGN, EUR, DKK, CZK, NOK, PLN, GBP, SEK, and USD. Deposits made into your account with any method will be credited instantly, except for those made with a regular bank transfer, which would take from 3 to 5 days. Withdrawing winnings can take up to 5 days, depending on your chosen method; bear in mind, that the withdrawal request process alone, might take up to 24 hours. Also, withdrawals can be processed only in CZK, DKK, EUR, GBP, and SEK. If any other currency is selected, the following transactions will be converted in EUR.
There are Many Bonuses – But Not for CS:GO
While Betsafe does have quite the substantial promotions page, it doesn’t seem to include bonuses for CS:GO or for eSports in general. In fact, the current promotions that are sportsbook-oriented, are connected to traditional markets such as Football, Rugby, and Horse Racing. eSports punters shouldn’t despair – official sources informed us that once non-specific sportsbook bonuses are released, they could be used for any markets in the bookie’s roster, including eSports. Additionally, we were encouraged to check out the promotions section often, as those type of bonus deals are released for a short period of time and won’t last long.
The Bet Slip - Wager Types and Odd Formats
As mentioned before, the bet slip in Betsafe is continuously open, as opposed to other CS:GO bookies where you have to make a market selection, so it can pop-up. The left side of the slip has two main buttons, designated as “Single” and “Combined Bet” allowing punters to follow on their preferred wager types. A third button named “multiples” might appear if the market in question allows it. Additionally, the right side of the bet slip is named “open bets”, where punters can review markets that haven’t been resolved yet.
The option for changing the odds format is conveniently located right under the bet slip – the available format types, are Decimal, Fractional, and American. The most popular CS:GO bets that can be made are on Match Winner, Outright Bets, Map 1 Total Rounds, and Round Handicap. Bear in mind, that not all CS:GO competitions are made alike, so it is possible for some markets to have a wider bet variety than others.
Live Betting and Streaming
In-play betting for any CS:GO, and other eSports markets are available! While the event is not yet played, it is possible that the only possible bets a punter can make are Outrights. This factor may or may not change when the competition goes live. One of the best benefits of the Betsafe eSports platform is that it offers a Live Streaming functionality as well as in-play betting. Brand officials informed us that while not all live events are featured, the largest competitions are always streamed on the website.
Traditional Market-Oriented
Betsafe features approximately 40 sports sections. The most popular ones are Basketball, Ice Hockey, and of course – Football. The collective number of all their market opportunities can go beyond 30,000 markets, and more are added on a constant basis. Once you expand a sports section, you will see that they are all separated into markets by Nation, Tournament, and League.
The E-sport Market Section of Betsafe
Betsafe lists five gaming titles in its eSports roster. StarCraft, Overwatch, Dota 2, League of Legends, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Just like what Football is to classic markets, this is what CS:GO is to every eSports section in every bookie online – the most popular title of all. This would explain why CS:GO has at least five times more markets than those of other titles. While currently the amount of games doesn’t seem that much impressive, Betsafe looks determined to add more.
Tournaments and Championships – Markets for CS:GO
Regardless of the size of any league or tournament, a competitive CS:GO event is something that guarantees plenty of markets. The Betsafe eSports betting platform recognizes this factor, by offering odds for both minor and major events. Below, we have provided detailed information on the different tournaments offered by Betsafe, as well as how significant they are for punters. Bear in mind that some of those competitions may be held throughout a period of one month, while others can have multiple stages that could span over half a year.
The ECS Finals
The ECS (Esports Championship Series) is a well-known event among CS:GO players. This competition serves as a battleground for eight different teams, that takes a course over only two days! It has a prize pool of $660,000 and the current markets provided for it are Outrights and Match Winner. Being a “Premier-Class” event, it is very likely that when this competition goes live, more betting markets will be added to its roster.
ESL Brazil Premier League
The Electronic Sports League format is a very known brand among eSports punters as well as fans of the game. This minor-tier event, although held on a national level, carries the name of a competition that has a finals season which is held on a worldwide stage – the ESL BPL is a national championship as well as a qualifying event. The bets that can be made here are Match Winner, Round Handicap, and Total Rounds.
Supernova Malta
Considered to be a major worldwide center for online sports gambling, Malta has decided to start holding its own CS:GO major-tier event, inviting only the best professional teams in the world and engaging them in a competition for a prize of $150,000. The exclusivity of this event would perhaps explain the types of markets it features – Outrights. While it isn’t yet known if additional bets are going to be introduced, punters everywhere hope that there is a chance.
Award-Winning Customer Service
Betsafe seems to be highly dedicated to the needs of its clients, as it provides all known methods to reach customer service: live chat, email, and phone. While the latter is technically a “call back service”, you will still talk with a client support agent via your phone. In the 2018 EGR Operator Awards, Betsafe was given the “Best Customer Service Operator” recognition. This significant achievement alone has the power to inspire trust in punters, and it is why to this day the popularity of the Betsafe eSportsbook continues to grow.
The Help Section is Vast
The help center of Betsafe is unique in its own fantastic way. Separated into categories, a person can find any type of information about the sportsbook there – account verification, promotional information, data privacy info, and much more. Every category has several sub-sections that contain answers, and visual information on how to tackle any specific issue.
Restricted Countries – Some Jurisdictions Can’t Play
Currently, 55 countries aren’t allowed to register an account or use any services by Betsafe. Among the most popular ones are Australia, China, France, Italy, Denmark, Greece, Slovenia, the USA and all its territories, Turkey, Spain, Sudan, and quite a few others. There isn’t any indication that some of those jurisdictions might be semi-restricted or if their prohibition status would change in the future.
Conclusion - A Growing eSportsbook
Betsafe is most certainly showing how things need to be done when it comes to eSports betting. And while at this point there aren’t many CS:GO betting opportunities or eSports-specific promotions, they have shown signs of progress. Remember that Betsafe is a bookie that offers mainly traditional markets – this fact alone makes Betsafe’s E-sport section worthy of attention. You can always open the website and see for yourself how a regular bookie makes a difference among the eSports betting community!
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