Betting Sites CS:GO
Counter-Strike is one of the youngest trends in modern Esports betting. Professional competitions in this discipline have been running for more than 20 years, although CS:GO bookmakers only really started to attract punters a decade ago.
Nowadays, Counter-Strike has hundreds of thousands fans across the world, including Esports enthusiasts. If you’re one of them, take a look at our list of CSGO betting websites where New Zealanders can legally bet. To help you choose, we’ve also compiled the top 5 CS:GO bookmakers according to our opinion, and selected the top 3 mobile apps for CSGO betting.
List of CSGO Betting Sites in New Zealand for 2024
Are CSGO Betting Sites Legal In New Zealand?
Bets on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and other games can only be placed by bettors over the age of 18. Legally, betting in New Zealand is a unique phenomenon. There is only one organisation in the country that legally accepts bets from local customers – the Totalisator Agency Board. To put it simply, there is no second legal New Zealand company, so be careful if someone claims otherwise.
At the same time, New Zealanders can legally bet with so-called offshore sites that are registered overseas. It is the offshore sites that we included in our rankings, as they have a much better CSGO betting service than TAB.
We would like to emphasise that Match.Center only operates in the field of legal betting. You can be sure that you won’t break the laws of your country if you follow our recommendations.
Top CSGO Betting Sites
Bet365
The international bookmaker with British roots offers one of the widest range of Esports markets. Among the 15+ Esports disciplines, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is one of the key ones.
At Bet365, you can bet on any professional level tournament. All major ESL, BLAST and IEM events are covered, along with qualifications, the minor Elisa Invitational and the CCT. There are plenty of Tier 3 and Tier 4 events, despite the absence of the ESEA Advanced League. The good news for local Counter-Strike fans is that they can bet on the ESL Australia & NZ Championship, which not many CSGO sites pay attention to. Other regional leagues are the German Meisterschaft, the Polish Mistrzostwa and several Brazilian competitions (Americas Supercup, NumberOne, etc.).
There are up to 300 markets for the top matches. A wide range of options for Race to # Rounds, Winning margin (from 2 to 5, from 6 to 9 rounds, etc.), as well as all possible first half and full map scores. There are some combinations like 1st half winner/Map winner and even O/U detonated and defused bombs. But for regular O/U and handicaps by rounds there are only two opposing options, while the individual markets are not offered at all in pre-match – and this will disappoint many bettors. For Tier 2 and lower tournaments the selection of markets is smaller, but you can still count on at least 30 markets per map.
There are up to 100 different markets per match in the live. Unfortunately, there are no O/U and handicaps by rounds in live as well. The live betting markets are the same as the pre-match ones.
For some top matches, there are Bet Boosts – markets with enhanced odds. Both boosted bets and combinations are offered.
The margin on top matches is 7-8% but rarely exceeds 8.5% even for the most unpopular markets. In general this is an average figure, but it is stable.
Usually you can watch live streams of Tier 1 matches on the bookmaker’s website. They are occasionally available for lower tier events as well, but not regularly.
There is a Cash Out option. The bookmaker supports many payment methods, including PayPal.
Betway
The British international betting giant with a Maltese licence has been heavily developing their Esports betting section lately. Until recently you could bet on five Esports disciplines, but now there are more than ten. The focus is on LoL, Dota 2, Overwatch and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
Betway keeps a close eye on the most popular tournaments: the bookmaker presents markets on all rounds of the Major series and RMR-qualifications, ESL, IEM BLAST tournaments, and all regional versions of the CCT. For Tier 3 and Tier 4 tournaments, the bookmaker’s policy is uncertain. You can bet on the Brazilian Gamers Club, the Svenska Elitserien, the FIReLEAGUE, even some Mystery Hype International that is not covered by the HLTV statistics. And at the same time you can’t bet on the ESEA Advanced, the Fragster League, and some others. So it’s hard to say what hardcore bettors who like to bet on niche CS:GO competitions can expect.
The range of markets for Tier 1 is excellent. The number of options per map of a top match can go up to 70, which means together with bets on one bo3 match it is up to 200-300 options. Like many UK bookmakers, Betway puts the Winning margin markets ahead of O/U and handicaps, which come down to two opposing options. But there are plenty of additional markets to choose from: will the bomb be placed in the first round, which team will win the most clutches, O/U pistol kills and more. The range of markets for Tier 2 events is far narrower – up to 30 markets per bo3 match. For lower tier events, there are often only bets on team victories in the match and on certain maps.
Margin on almost all CS:GO events is 7.5-8.5% – this is a normal figure.
Live streaming is available for most top matches. Cash Out is also available. Additionally there is an event page where you can view the statistics.
Betway provides weekly Free bets of €10 or $10 as part of the Esports Club promotion. To get the Free bonus, you need to place at least €25 on accumulators at minimum odds of 2/1 (3.00). Only Esports selections can be combined. All bets must be settled by the end of Sunday. The bonus is credited on Monday, if the qualifying bet is successful. You can use PayPal, Neteller, Trustly, etc. to fund your account.
22bet
The Cypriot brand, licenced by Curaçao, also accepts bets from New Zealand Esports fans, drawing attention with markets in 10 Esports disciplines.
In terms of CS:GO, 22bet seems to contrast itself with CSGO sites of British origin. The top tournaments are also largely covered here, so you can bet on any Tier 1 match. However, the bookmaker is adding Tier 3 and Tier 4 events much more often: the ESEA Advanced Division is represented on a regular basis, and there are more Brazilian tournaments.
In terms of the range of markets, 22bet also stands apart, although here we will highlight not only the advantages but also the disadvantages. There are more than 100 regular markets on the top bo3 matches, and up to 300 options for a separate map. The number of O/U and handicaps is a record. First of all, you can bet on general O/U and teams O/U for the rounds of the whole match – this is a rarity even for the best sites. And the choice is really big – with a range of odds from 1.05 to 5.00-10.00. The range of O/U and handicaps per map is also excellent. As well as the standard full map betting options, you can bet on first and second-half O/U and handicaps as well as the number of rounds scored by the Counter-Terrorists and Terrorists. The extended ‘Race to’ market selection of up to 13 rounds and plenty of team victory combinations with O/U should be noted.
Unfortunately, 22bet does not offer markets on different events, such as who charges a bomb first, will the ace be made, and etc. For unpopular matches, the number of markets can drop as low as 20, although, because of the few variants of O/U and handicaps, the range of markets seems more complete compared to many of the competitors.
Curiously, the margin for top matches can be higher than for unpopular Tier 3 events, even significantly. For example, the margin on the 1/X/2 ESL Pro League final between Liquid and Vitality was 8.46%. Small markets show fluctuations from 6.5% to 11%. Overall, unless you get lucky with some Tier 3 match, the margins can be described as above average.
The platform supports live streaming generally, but we haven’t seen any for Esports. In addition to statistics, you can track the movements of the odds on 1/X/2 with a special function.
Betiton
The bookmaker officially operates in the UK and Ireland, as well as in the remaining countries that accept a Maltese licence. Betiton regularly accepts bets on 8 Esports disciplines. Conveniently, there is a separate tab for each in the list of sports – usually they are grouped into one category.
All levels of tournaments are represented in the markets – which is a plus, as the top tournaments are not played every day. You’ll find the Polish ESL Mistrzostwa, the Czech Sazka eLEAGUE and the Portuguese Master League. Funny thing is that some of the leagues are wrongly named: for example, one of the matches of the Master League was in… the US Open Women Double for some reason.
For the most popular events, Betiton offers around 30 regular bets and up to 75 for a certain map, which means that one bo3 match may offer around 250 options. The number of market types is not very high – there are no bets on kills, no types of victory in rounds (elimination, bomb explosion), and etc. But there is a big variety of O/U and handicaps, so all bettors can choose the best option for themselves. For unpopular matches, there are 20-30 options with a few O/U and handicaps, which is still good.
The margin at Betiton is quite high. Even for the top matches the bookmaker charges 8.5%.
There is no live streaming for CS:GO. The only technical feature is a couple of market filters. With their help, you can display almost any betting options for all matches on the tournament screen – you don’t need to visit each page separately to bet on hidden additional markets.
You can use Skrill, Neteller, PayPal, ecoPayz and other payment methods to fund your account.
Rabona
A bookmaker with a Curaçao licence. Perhaps not as well known as other international bookmakers, but it’s already at the forefront of CS:GO betting.
First of all, we have to mention that Rabona offers betting not only on professional tournaments but also on the semi-professional ESportsBattle 2×2. The league games are played 12+ hours a day every day and are always available for In Play betting.
Rabona’s wide range of markets includes top ESL, IEM, BLAST tournaments, as well as regional competitions in Poland, Portugal, Brazil, Australia and other countries.
There are around 20 regular bets per top match, and around 50 per separate map. The large number of handicaps is pleasing, although there are not always O/U and correct score markets. The same figures appear for matches of some unpopular tournaments, such as the ESEA Advanced. Even for the most unpopular events, there are 10-20 bets, which is not bad for Esports, as some sites do not provide any markets other than team victories.
The margin is 7.5-8.5%. This is an average figure, although it could be described as moderate for small markets.
Rabona has live streaming. The regular streams are only for the ESportsBattle 2×2, and there is no specific streaming schedule for the other tournaments.
Rabona runs a promotion for Esports – a 50% refund on lost bets up to NZ$100. If your single bet on Esports of at least NZ$20 at minimum odds of 1/2 (1.50) loses, you will receive half the amount (up to NZ$100) in the form of a Free bet.
The bookmaker supports over 20 payment methods, including PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, Bitcoin etc.
CSGO Betting Sites: Key Factors for Choosing
Whether you plan to bet on CS:GO or football, the criteria for choosing a good bookmaker are always the same. Here’s what to look out for.
- Number of tournaments. Competitive Counter-Strike is booming right now, although for some bookies it’s as if the 2020 pandemic never ended. Indeed, the coronavirus has hit Esports hard: there are no competitive regions outside of Europe, and Tier 2 and Tier 3 have only recently begun to expand after the catastrophic squeeze. Now a lot has changed for the better, with at least one prestigious tournament taking place once a month and many regular leagues springing up. From a good bookmaker we expect 5-10 tournaments every day.
- Range of markets. There can be many more markets for CS:GO than for many traditional sports. Nowadays, Esports are hard to ignore, so most sites provide markets for at least the top matches, but only with Winner markets. Real Esports bookmakers will offer more than a hundred options for CSGO betting, and this is crucial if CS:GO is your main betting discipline.
- Odds. Bookmakers put varying percentages of margin into the odds to make sure they make money on any outcome, or at least make up for losses. For example, a huge amount of money is placed on top football matches, the movements of the odds are very small due to quality analytics. On the contrary, evaluating CS:GO matches causes bookmakers a headache: often the odds set do not coincide with the bettor’s opinions, who overload one shoulder instead of evenly distributing money on the opposite markets. Of course, bookmakers’ profits from CS:GO are much lower than from the football, tennis, basketball, etc. A margin of up to 8% in pre-match and up to 12% in live is considered to be the norm. But the lower the better.
- Bonuses and promotions. There are very few CSGO betting bonuses and promotions for Esports in general. So we note all the bonuses that can be used to bet on CS:GO, even if they are not directly related to the discipline.
- Live streaming. On Twitch and other streaming services, you can usually find a lot more live streams than on bookmakers’ websites. Bookmakers do not place certain streams from professional studios and even less often they show streams from amateurs. But if you can watch the match directly on the bookmaker’s website it is a plus.
- Payment methods. CS:GO attracts many young bettors who have multiple e-wallets and are well versed in cryptocurrency. They shouldn’t have to transfer money from system to system because the bookmaker doesn’t offer enough options for a deposit. From modern bookmakers we expect extensive support of payment methods.
Types of CS:GO Bets
The rules of CS:GO favour a huge number of markets, just not all bookmakers offer them. You can bet on a variety of numbers and on different intra-match events, just like in almost any other sport. Here is a list of the markets that the bookmakers offer.
Match winner
A match in CS:GO can consist of several maps. The most popular format is best-of-3 (or bo3), where you have to win two maps out of three. A bo5 match requires three maps to be won.
In bo2, two maps must be won and a 1:1 draw is possible – this is used in tournaments with a point system where teams receive different numbers of points for a dry victory and a draw. From the bookmaker’s point of view, bo2 can only be won by 2-0.
Match total
This market is available for bo3 and bo5 matches. For example, for a Over 2.5 bet in best-of-3, three maps must be played.
Match handicap
The handicap is in a sense analogous to the correct score bet, but virtual. A handicap -1.5 in bo3 matches means that the team must win the match with the 2-0 score (2 – 1.5 = 0.5 > 0). In order to win +1.5, the team must win at least one map and it does not matter if the team loses the match or not. For bo2 matches, there are +0.5 and -0.5 handicaps, for bo5 there are +/-1.5 and +/-2.5 handicaps.
Map winner
A team wins a map when it has scored 16 rounds with at least a 2-point advantage over their opponent in regular time. When the score is 15:15, a series of six rounds of overtime is played. And in order to win, four rounds in one series must be won. There is no limit on the number of overtimes.
Map round total
In regular time, 30 rounds can be played (15:15). The bookmaker sets a number of values and offers to guess whether the final total of the rounds will be over or under. For example, for an Over 26.5, the losing team must score a minimum of 11 rounds, i.e. the minimum score for a bet to win is 16:11 (16 + 11 = 27 > 26.5).
Map round handicap
As with the match handicap, this is a bet on a virtual result. You can conditionally subtract or add a certain number of rounds to a team – as long as the final score on the map, including the handicap, is in their favour. For example, a team handicap -4.5 will win if the opponents score 11 or less rounds, i.e. at 16:11 or less (16 – 4.5 = 11.5 > 11). To win with a +5.5 handicap, a team must take a minimum of 11 rounds (16 + 5.5 = 16 < 16.5).
Winning margin
This is a kind of analogue of a minus handicap. You need to hit a certain range of rounds in the final score. That is, a bet on winning margin 2-5 rounds wins if the team wins 16:14, 16:13, 16:12, 16:11. Any other score leads to a loss of the bet.
Round 1 and 16 winner
So-called pistol rounds, where teams cannot buy anything more expensive than pistols.
Race to
Bet on who wins a certain number of rounds first, i.e. 3, 5, 10.
Odd/Even total rounds on the map
For those who like maths and the lottery.
O/U and handicaps by kills and assists
There may be markets for total, team and individual frags on the same map and in the whole match. Bets on assists are rare.
Players duel on kills
The bookmaker suggests a couple of players. You can bet on which of them will make the most kills on the same map.
Correct score
With 31 options for the regular time score, this is not the most popular type of market, but the potential payouts are high. Odds on the correct score range between 5.00 and 500.00.
Kill with a certain weapon
Bets on frags by Molotov, HE grenade, knife and Zeus.
Bets on different events
Whether there will be an ace, team kill and overtime, who will make the first kill in the first round, what will be the method of victory in the first round and more.
Outright/Futures
Bets on the winner of the tournament, less frequently there are markets on the winner of the qualification and group competition. There are also markets for the tournament MVP (most valuable player) and the HLTV Top-20 Players of the Year ranking.
How To Bet On CS:GO
Are you new to betting? Don’t be shy, everyone starts at some point. Thanks to the internet, even those who are the furthest away from betting can start and place their first bet in 5-10 minutes. Here is a simple instruction.
Choose a betting site
This page has a selection of legal bookmakers for New Zealand, as well as the best CS:GO betting websites and their apps. And if you don’t trust the rankings, you can choose your own bookie using our criteria.
Check out their promotions
Most sites offer bonuses to new customers and you should check them out before you sign up, because they might not be available after you register. Pay attention to the bonus activation method and wagering requirements.
Register on the betting site
This is a mandatory step, otherwise you won’t be able to bet. Click on the Join or Register button (usually at the top of the website or app) and fill in the form.
Make a deposit
Usually the deposit window will appear automatically after you have successfully registered. If not, go to your personal account or look for the Deposit button.
Access the markets
In the sports list, find the CS:GO tab (usually in the Esports category), navigate to the tournament page, and open the match page if required.
Add the market to the bet slip and confirm the bet
Click on the odds to add it to the bet slip. For a combined bet, add more than one selection. Then enter the bet amount in the bet slip and confirm it.
CSGO Betting Apps Reviews
Mobile betting is a necessity for the modern bettor. In the era of powerful portable devices and cheap mobile internet, you should be able to bet anywhere. We’ve selected the top 3 native apps with the best CS:GO betting services.
Bet365
Dozens of matches daily, hundreds of markets on top events, live streaming and Bet Boosts – it’s all about Bet365, which we’ve already covered in detail in our review of the best bookmakers. All the features of the bookmaker are fully available in the app as well, so it rightfully takes its place at the top. The design of the mobile app is also the same, but the navigation seems even more convenient than on the site.
Betway
In the Betway app, as on the site, there are plenty of tournaments at different levels and several hundred markets for the top matches. The selection of O/U and handicaps is restricted to a couple of options but there are also bets on winning margin, bombs, clutches, O/U kills and much more. The app supports live streaming and Cash Out. Remember that Betway offers a weekly €10 bonus for CS:GO betting.
22bet
The 22Bet app allows you to bet on more than 200 Esports events and almost 100 CS:GO matches every day. There are tournaments at all professional levels. The most popular matches have several hundred options. Particularly noteworthy is the large selection of O/U and handicaps. The design of the app is simple, but not boring. In particular, each CS:GO team has its own logo, which makes the line more diverse in appearance and helps you navigate through it.
CSGO Betting Sites: Deposit and Withdrawal in New Zealand
The following deposit and withdrawal methods are available to New Zealand customers:
- Bank cards. One of the most popular and easiest methods for financial transactions. Almost every bettor has a debit or credit card. Just enter the details and amount on the bookmaker’s website and confirm the payment.
- Electronic wallets (or e-wallets). The modern alternative to banks. Most of the e-wallets do not have a physical representation. It is an online account: you can transfer money from different sources to it, and make payments with it. Some of the most popular e-wallets include PayPal, Skrill, Neteller and ecoPayz.
- Bank transfer. A bit archaic method nowadays. You can transfer money directly from your bank account to your betting account.
- Cryptocurrencies. Modern bookmakers usually work with several types of cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and others. Cryptocurrencies are available for deposits and withdrawals.
Which of these methods are the fastest? Of course, it all depends on the bookmaker and the financial agent, but it is possible to summarise:
- Bank cards and e-wallets are the fastest methods of depositing on a betting site. Typically, the deposit is processed instantly and the fee is paid by the bookmaker.
- Cryptocurrency transactions can take from 5 minutes to several hours. The time depends on the payment system, merchant and the fee of the miners who carry out the transfer. The higher the fee, the faster the miners will start processing the payment.
- A bank transfer can be quite fast, although this depends on the bank. Sometimes a deposit on a site can be made in a few minutes, in other cases you will have to wait a few hours.
Tips for CS:GO Betting
Study full statistics
You can find detailed stats for football and basketball on many sites. For Esports, there are also quite a few resources, but most of them only provide superficial data: match history with results, win rates on maps, maybe individual stats.
The HLTV site provides the most comprehensive statistics for CS:GO. It is the ideal platform to study the matches played and prepare for betting on the upcoming games. There you can find:
- Team stats: number of maps played and win statistics.
- Individual statistics in general and for specific maps: the ratio of kills and deaths, the ADR (average damage per round), a special percentage of KAST (kill, assist, survived, traded), the number of flash assists, the first kills difference, and etc.
- Tops and rankings for completed maps: best players in terms of kills, entry frags, AWP kills, assists; comparisons of all players on the map.
- Map charts: ways to win (elimination rounds with all opponents killed, bomb detonation, bomb disarming), economy in each round.
- Heat maps for tactics analysis.
You may not need that much data for analysis, but you definitely need to know how teams perform on different maps, how they have played recently and against each other.
Follow the teams’ performances yourself
Strict numbers are useful, but you can’t always rely on them. Sometimes you have to trust your personal impressions of the teams’ performances. For example, style can only be assessed by watching, and this is also an important factor. How aggressively does the team push positions behind the CT-side? At what point does the team prefer to go to the plant? Do the players act together or do they split up and look for a firefight all over the map? All CS:GO tournaments are free to watch, so don’t neglect this opportunity.
Learn how to read economics
Buying weapons is one of the main mechanics of the game. A team’s and players’ budgets will affect their fighting potential. Here are a few things to know and understand:
- Charging money. Subject for a separate article. Learn how much a player gets for kills with different weapons, and how much a team gets for different round results.
- How much weapons cost. It’s not always possible to buy optimum devices and enough grenades.
- Budget sharing. Consider the players’ fortunes as part of the team’s budget. Teammates divide their budget to maximize firepower or to adjust to certain tactics.
The economic factor gives a variety of situations. Take the start of the game for example. In the first round all players can only afford pistols. Team A wins and purchases automatic weapons in the second round. Team B has three options to answer:
- Play full eco: buy nothing or play with one or two high-powered pistols. In the second round they can buy machine guns, armour and grenades.
- Make force buy: purchase powerful pistols and/or submachine guns, armour and grenades with all your money. There is a chance to even the score (1:1), but if you lose the force buy, you will have to save in the next one, which is potentially a 0:3 score.
- Play half force buy: the whole team buys reinforced pistols and saves some money for the next rounds. For example, the whole team buys Deagles in round two, but without armour and without grenades. In case of a win, they even the score (1:1) and make a great purchase in round three. If they lose, they must make an eco or force buy in the third round. In the case of a loss, a full purchase can only be made when the score is 0:3 or even 0:4, which is significant at the start of the game.
Learn to read your economics so you know exactly what scenario you want to bet on. How will the opening series end: 0-3 or even 3-1? You can’t predict it mathematically, you just have to imagine all the possible outcomes. Pay attention to the number of grenades on the different players: you might be able to predict even before the purchase that the opponent will not be able to hold off the attack due to the low number of cans.
Take the delay into account
For all online tournaments (over the internet) and for some LAN tournaments where teams play in the same place, there is a delay in the live stream. Simply put, the video you watch is usually behind the actual progress of the match. For LAN tournaments, the delays are between 20 and 80 seconds, online it reaches 5-7 minutes. At the same time, the bookmakers have direct access and set their odds according to the real state of play.
Obviously, the delays make it a little more difficult to live betting. You need to follow the score on the bookmaker’s website to understand the real situation, which you haven’t yet seen in the live stream. Also learn to read the odds, which change not only after a round. For instance, if a team loses three people without killing any of their opponents, the odds on them will increase because they are unlikely to win that round.
Also don’t be late with your pre-match betting. If the game is scheduled to start at 15:00, it is quite possible that it will start at 14:58. This can be a problem if the team you want to bet on in pre-match has already taken the lead and the In Play odds have already dropped.
FAQ
What is CSGO betting?
These are bets on professional Esports matches in CS:GO. They are no different from betting on any other sport. Teams play in a professional tournament and you bet on one side or the other to win the match/individual maps, on O/U and handicaps by rounds, and etc.
Is it legal to bet on CS:GO?
Yes, you can legally bet on CS:GO on the Totalisator Agency Board’s site or with the bookmakers registered in other countries.
Is the CS:GO betting bonus available?
Promotions specifically for Esports are very rare. Right now there are only two bonuses: Betway offers a weekly Free bet for CS:GO betting, and Rabona refunds up to 50% of lost bet in the form of a Free bet. But most of the bookmakers also offer general bonuses, in particular a Welcome offer for new customers. You can find the current promotions in our selection.
How do I find the best odds for betting on CS:GO?
Rather, you should avoid the poor odds. The vast majority of bookmakers set margins of 6.5-8.5% – an average and universal figure, so it is difficult to highlight any bookmaker.
Can I play on my mobile phone?
Bookmakers realise that most modern bettors prefer to bet from their phones and tablets. Most popular bookmakers have a mobile version, a simplified version that loads faster on portable devices. It opens automatically when you access it from your mobile device. Many bookmakers also develop mobile apps – you can download them from their site or the app store and install.
How do CS:GO betting websites work?
Just like any other betting site. You register, make a deposit, choose a market for a particular match and place bets. In case of win, you will receive the winnings: the bet amount multiplied by the odds.
How do I find trustworthy bookmakers?
We suggest you follow our recommendations. Match.Center experts have been working with bookmakers for many years and know each of them. To help you with choosing a bookmaker for CS:GO, we have compiled detailed reviews of the five best bookmakers in our opinion.
How do we create our reviews and ratings?
We analyse the number of matches and markets for events of different popularity, calculate margins, note bonuses on Esports and specifically for CS:GO, if there are any, and etc. Read our reviews in the selection of the top 5 best bookmakers.