Dota 2 is one of the most influential games in the eSports scene, and Dota 2 betting is one of the more popular forms of eSports betting in general. Fans of the game have plenty of Dota betting options to choose from, especially when it comes to the Holy Grail of Dota tournaments: The International. With literally millions of viewers each year, it comes as no surprise that Dota 2 has one of the biggest eSports betting scenes out there. With so many options to choose from, finding the best Dota 2 bookmaker can be a daunting task, which is why we’ve put together a handy list of our picks for the top Dota 2 betting sites.
Top 7 Dota 2 Betting Sites
United Kingdom
Costa Rica
Japan
Spain
Sweden
Mexico
Chile
Peru
Argentina
Bolivia
Colombia
El Salvador
Guatemala
Honduras
Nicaragua
Panama
Paraguay
Dominican Republic
Uruguay
Venezuela
Canada
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LeoVegas
When it comes to Dota 2 betting on the go, LeoVegas are definitely our top pick. Their apps and mobile site are phenomenal, and anyone who wants to watch Dota 2 matches on a big screen while placing bets on the fly should definitely consider signing up to LeoVegas. Their odds, betting offers, and great selection of in-play Dota betting markets just help sweeten the deal here, and we definitely recommend giving LeoVegas a shot.
William Hill
While William Hill may be best known for their Football and Racing offerings, they’re no slouch when it comes to Dota 2 betting either. This iconic sportsbook always serves punters with amazing odds, great betting promotions, and a super-slick UI. Zeroing in on their Dota betting offering, specifically, you can see that William Hill has decent event coverage, as well as a really respectable amount of Dota 2 betting markets. If your betting habits are more diverse than just eSports betting, William Hill is a top-notch sportsbook that you’re almost guaranteed to be happy with.
888Sport
When dipping your toe into Dota 2 betting, you’re probably going to want to go with a bookie with a tried and tested track record. 888Sport definitely has that, as well as a great live betting platform that’ll let you place your Dota bets on the fly as the match progresses. If you’re looking for tons of promotional offers and bonuses, a slick UI, and a great selection of Dota 2 betting markets, then 888Sport is the bookie for you.
What is Dota 2?
Dota 2 is a MOBA, or Multiplayer Online Battle Arena. Basically, two teams of 5 select characters from a roster, and then play on a square map that features three main lanes and and a ‘wild’ area in between the lanes.
Dota 2 is the sequel to the cult-classic Warcraft 3 mod, Defense of the Ancients. Now owned by Valve, the company behind Steam, Dota 2 is one of the biggest eSports the world has ever seen.
How is Dota 2 Played?
Like all MOBAs, players take control of a character selected from a list, and then work in a team of 5 to destroy the opposing team’s base before theirs get destroyed.
In Dota 2, the base is called the “Ancient“, and like all other MOBAs, the Ancient can only be accessed once all the towers along one of the three lanes have been destroyed. All player characters start at level 1 at the beginning of the match, and will earn both experience and gold throughout the match as they defeat the creeps that emerge from the enemy base and charge down the lane, as well as from defeating other player characters, destroying towers, and killing other monsters and creatures that can be found in the “jungle”.
The Jungle is all the space on the map in between the lanes, and is full of creatures that can be farmed, as well as Ancients and beasts like Roshan, who drops an item that makes players instantly resurrect when defeated.
Player Roles in Dota 2
Dota 2’s roster of over 100 different Heroes are suited to different roles, and perform different functions throughout a typical Dota 2 match (which usually last between 45 and 65 minutes). Here’s our breakdown of the game’s most widely recognized roles:
The Hard Carry
These are typically the heroes that start out weak early on in the match, and then become wildly effective in the mid to late game. They end up being able to do massive amounts of damage, and are counted on to time their attacks to rack up huge amounts of last hits. They’re called “carries” because their consistent damage output from mid-game onwards helps “carry” the team to victory.
Heroes who fit this build are ones like Anti-Mage, Luna, Medusa, Spectre, etc. When betting on which players are likely to rack up the most kills, look towards the Hard Carry.
Solo Mid
The Solo Mid and the Hard Carry need to work well together in order for a team to be able to secure a victory. Where these two roles are similar is that they both require quite a bit of farming and experience to fully embody their roles, though this happens for the Solo Mid much earlier than it does for the Hard Carry. The name implies that the player filling the Solo Mid role takes over the middle lane without very much backup, but this role has actually evolved quite a bit since being given its name. Today, Solo Mids are expected to be good at ganking (i.e. switching lanes in order to land a killing blow and either save an ally or prevent the opponents from gaining the upper hand), as they tend to have great mobility and decent damage output. The Solo Mid helps prepare the stage for the Hard Carry to be able to do their thing once they’re sufficiently levelled up.
Heroes who are well suited to the Solo Mid role are Invoker, Lina, Puck, Queen of Pain, and more. A good Solo Mid can be integral to victory, which is something that anyone interesting in Dota 2 betting should definitely be aware of.
The Offlaner
Offlaners, as the name suggests, spend most of their time off lane, in the jungle. It’s almost unheard of for a team to contain more than one offlaner, so these tend to be heroes that do well without requiring much support. Durability, the ability to escape, or getting early access to high-damage output abilities are all markers of a good offlaner hero. The best offlaners can jump into lanes, kill their own creeps and deny the enemy hero from collecting the gold and experience, and disappear back into the jungle. The name of the game for offlaners is survival: don’t over-extend, and keep out of range of powerful opponents while farming the jungle.
The Offlaner is the most likely to take down Roshan, so keep this in mind when placing your bets.
Utility Support
Utility Support heroes tend to require quite a bit of gold, as they need some pricey items to become effective in the mid game. Utility Supports are usually found roaming the map, providing support to allies as needed, as well as debuffing opponents to help give allies the upper hand. They need to remain in constant communication with their team in order to know where they’re needed and to prioritise effectively.
Heroes like Earthshaker and Sand King, in particular, are exceptionally well suited to this role, amongst others. When it comes to betting, don’t count on Utility supports to rack up the highest kill counts, though.
Hard Support
These are the heroes that don’t need much in terms of gold or experience in order to be effective on the field, and can help the Hard Carry and Solo Mid accumulate the resources they need for later on in the game. These heroes tend to be low on defense and health, meaning that it doesn’t take much to kill them. Hard Supports aren’t there to take hits, though, they’re there to lay down wards and counterwards, support the Hard Carry’s farming, and provide support as needed.
Heroes like Bane, Crystal Maiden, Lich, Skywrath Mage and others are the best suited to the Hard Support role. In terms of Dota betting, a good Hard Support can make the difference between a party wipeout and an unlikely victory in a team fight.
Dota 2 Betting Markets
The vast majority of Dota 2 bets are placed on pre-match winner and pre-tournament winner markets, meaning these particular bets are the hardest to make a profit off of. For punters who can think on their feet, and are good at reading a match, live Dota 2 betting is the way to go.
Like with all other eSports, though, Dota 2 creates the opportunity for a variety of unique betting markets, such as the ones below:
Team to Destroy First Tower
This is an early-game market, where punters predict which team will be the first to destroy one of the enemy towers that lines the lanes. This isn’t a good predictor of final victory, but savvy punters can turn a profit if they know enough about the game and the teams to accurately predict which team will be the most effective at an early, aggressive strategy.
First Blood
Okay, we admit that this one isn’t unique to Dota 2 betting, but First Blood markets are always a great way to whet the appetite when it comes to eSports betting. This is a bet on which team will be the first to knock out a player-controlled character. A quick tip from us: the most aggressive team isn’t necessarily guaranteed to get first blood. Around half the matches we watch end up with the first blood title going to a defending team.
Most Kills – Team
This one is rather self-explanatory, and is a bet on which team will score the most kills by the end of the match. This is a bet that sounds simple, but is actually quite complex. Punters need to take into account team dynamics on both sides, how each team uses wards and counterwards, how effective Hard Carries are, how effective supports are, and much more. We actually recommend that punters who are new to Dota 2 betting give this one a try, as tracking all the details throughout the match is a great way to learn as much about Dota 2 betting in as short an amount of time as possible.
A variation on this bet is betting on which individual player will score the most kills by the end of the match, and we recommend looking at the Hard Carries and Solo Mids on each team to make your decision.
Team to Slay Roshan
Slaying Roshan and collecting the Aegis of Champions is a great way to make sure that your Offlaner can be as useful as possible when pressing forward to take the throne, though we’ve seen all manners of strategies surrounding this. This bet deals with which team will be the one to take down the ugly brute first.
Major Dota 2 Tournaments to Bet on
The International
The International is organised by Valve themselves, and has had the largest prize pools in eSports history for years now. The International, as the name suggests, pits the best teams from across the world against each other. This annual tournament draws the attention of some of the world’s biggest media outlets and sponsors, and is considered to be the ultimate achievement in Dota 2 eSports. Even betting sites that don’t normally offer much Dota 2 betting will cover The International.
DreamLeague Majors
16 qualifying teams go head to head to try and snag a massive prize pool and the clout that comes with holding a winning DreamLeague title. This event usually happens in the first quarter of every year, meaning that fans get some Dota 2 betting even in the winter months.
ESL One
ESL One is one of the most recognisable brands in eSports tournaments, and their Dota 2 tournaments are always hotly contested grabs for large prizes and fame. With several events being held each year (each in a different region), many look towards ESL One to make their predictions for The International each year. Of course, ESL One also creates lots of different Dota betting opportunities throughout the year, so you won’t hear us complaining about them.
Dota 2 Betting Tips
Just like with all other sports, we don’t recommend relying on third party betting tips when it comes to wagering your own, real money.
Legendary Dota 2 Players
ana – Team OG
Anathan “ana” Pham has been described as OG’s most valuable and impactful team member. This was only further compounded when ana took extended leave in 2019 and OG instantly began to struggle and only just about managed to qualify for The International that year. Once ana returned, OG ended up having one of the most phenomenal runs at The International that the world has ever seen. It’s no secret that ana will go down in history as one of the Dota 2 greats.
In terms of Dota 2 betting, we recommend making sure that ana is on OG’s roster before wagering, as they do a lot better with him there than without him.
K1 – Team beastcoast
Héctor Antonio “K1” Rodríguez makes this list for his performance with team Infamous at the 2019 International. Infamous were never anyone’s pick to win, and the fact that they even qualified for the International at all was surprising, to say the least. K1 went from an unknown to a breakout star relatively overnight, when his performance in Infamous helped the team hold their own against some of the biggest and best teams in the world, and even beat them in a few matches. He’s currently signed on to team beastcoast, which means that there could be some really surprising Dota betting outcomes in the years to come.
Puppey – Team Secret
Clement “Puppey” Ivanov has been in the pro-Dota scene for more than 10 years, and has thoroughly earned his spot on this list. He’s one of those players that actively contributes to the game’s ever-changing meta, using his experience, analytical skills, and no-nonsense attitude to come up with innovative strategies every time the game gets updated. While betting on Team Secret at events like The International can be hit-or-miss, Team Secret are always a solid team to follow in all the other tournaments that give punters Dota 2 betting opportunities.
Dota 2 FAQs
How does betting work in Dota 2? 
Much the same way as any other kind of betting. Punters can bet on things like which team will win the match, who will get the most kills, who will be the first to take down Roshan, and more. If you’re interested in Dota betting, make sure to check out our list of top Dota 2 betting sites above!
What is handicap in Dota betting?
Handicap betting is when bookmakers make adjustments to make things more fair when it’s predicted that one team will wipe the floor with the other. So, if for example two teams face each other in a best of three, and Team A has a handicap of +1.5, then Team B needs to win the match 2-0 in order for a bet on Team B to lose, as 0 (win) + 1.5(handicap) is lower than Team B’s 2. If Team B win 2-1, then Team A’s total of 2.5 (1 win + 1.5 handicap), then Team A will win the bet.
What’s the best Dota betting site?
This will depend entirely on what it is you need from your betting site of choice. Our top picks for the best Dota 2 betting sites are LeoVegas, William Hill, and 888Sport. Take a look at our list of top Dota betting sites above to help you make the decision that’s right for you.