The U.S. National Hockey League is the leading hockey league in the world and one of the top sports in North America.
Ice hockey may not rank as high as basketball or American football, but it is still massively popular in certain parts of the world. In Canada, the sport has been deemed the official national winter sport. It is also one of the top winter sports in a number of European countries.
| The Best NHL eSports Betting Sites in 2021 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Site name: | Web address | Welcome Bonus | License |
| 22Bet | 22bet.com | 100% match on up to $122 | Government of Curaçao |
| GG.BET | gg.bet | 100% match on up to $300 | Invicta Networks |
| LOOT.BET | loot.bet | 100% match on up to €100, plus €20 free bet | Curacao |
| BUFF.bet | buff.bet | 100% on $/£/€100 | Curacao |
| Luckbox | luckbox.com | 100% on $/£/€100 | Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission |
The NHL, meanwhile, has existed for more than 100 years, and NHL sports betting has been an indivisible part of much of the league’s history.
But the NHL, like every professional sport in 2020/21, has suffered greatly as Covid-19 restrictions have impeded league games. As league organizers were forced to delay nearly 200 games of the 2019/20 season, it wasn’t just the teams who felt the impact.
Online sportsbooks and their customer base were equally affected, and in the blink of an eye, betting on NHL and nearly all other conventional sports ground to a halt.
But not all was lost!
While online sports betting lost momentum, placing bets on competitive video game events emerged as a stable alternative. And in a way, NHL online betting was still an option, only not on the real-life sport, but rather the NHL eSports competitions.
NHL Betting Sites
After the NFL, NBA, MLB, and the English Premier League, the NHL is the biggest sports league in the world. As such, betting matches for all live and upcoming NHL games online can be found on pretty much all gambling sites that have a sportsbook i.e. is not solely oriented on casino gambling.
Being the fifth largest sports league in the world, it’s no wonder that every online sportsbook would have a sizable selection of NHL games.
When it comes to market depth, game selection, and odds quality, there are several online bookmakers that attract the largest crowds of sports bettors.
These sites cover almost every major sport played in every part of the world, and NHL, as one of the world’s top sports leagues, comes with some of the widest selection of matches.
Here are five online sportsbooks that have broad NHL betting options, both in terms of odds quality and game selection.
- Betway – competitive betting odds on NHL fixtures, inviting sports welcome offer of 100% matched first deposit bonus on up to $200
- 888 Sport – currently one of the best sportsbooks online; favorable NHL odds; offers a £30 free bet bonus if you bet £10
- William Hill – right up there with the biggest online betting sites, covers all NHL events all year round; offers a similar welcome bonus as 888 sport: bet £10 Get £30 in free bets as 2 x £15 bets on sports events
- Bet Victor – ideal for betting on all sports, with high odds on NHL selections; comes with a £30 free bet sign-up bonus – claimed by placing bets on selections with min. odds of 2.0 – and a £10 casino bonus.
- Ladbrokes – wide NHL markets and live betting options; welcome bonus includes £20 worth of free bets; bonus is activated with a min. deposit of £5 and bets must be placed at odds 1/2 (1.50) or greater; other requirements may apply
NHL Video Games
NHL has inspired dozens of video games over the years, but Electronic Arts – the leading sports video game developer in the world – has unarguably been creating the best titles.
The EA’s first title, released back in 1991, was called NHL Hockey. Since then, EA has released a new NHL video game almost every year, licensed and approved by the NHL itself, of course.
The latest installment of the series is NHL 21, and, like its several predecessors, the game has become a major money-making machine for the NHL eSports industry.
The gameplay is similar to NH 20 but also introduces new features such as a new Be A Pro option and improved graphics. Users select a custom player and decide whether to start as a rookie in the respective Canadian, Swedish, or German hockey leagues, or select a team of their choice in the National Hockey League.
What is eSports Betting?
With most professional sports leagues being delayed for the better part of 2020, eSports gaming remained very much alive.
When we say ‘eSports,’ we refer to popular video games like Dota 2, CS: GO, Starcraft 2, Call of Duty, League of Legends, and more, which are organized in tournaments each year and played by professional gamers.
To reiterate, eSports are highly coordinated and professional video game events where expert gamers compete for real money prizes of tens of thousands of dollars.
NHL – the eSports
Even though NHL video games have been developed for three decades, NHL as an eSports has existed for less than three years.
The first NHL eSports tournament launched in 2018 with the first NHL Gaming World Championship.
The tournament generated widespread interest, reaching ice hockey fans from North America to Europe, to everywhere else the eSports is played. It took place in the U.S. and Canada, as well as in multiple European countries where ice hockey is a popular sport.
The money rewards for the inaugural tournaments were extra-generous and brought out of obscurity a host of skilled players who turned NHL into an extra-competitive eSports. The 2018 NHL Gaming World Championship alone had a $100,000 prize pool, with the player/team to win the event granted half that money.
The idea behind the maiden tournament was to gather all the best NHL teams and players under one roof and spur passionate gamers to get more involved in forming their individual eSports events.
This, in turn, has allowed online bookmakers to open their sportsbooks doors to myriads of fans of the popular EA game.
The Choice of NHL eSports Betting Sites
Despite it being such a tremendously popular game, eSports NHL betting is still struggling for recognition among the top bookmakers.
Writing our review of the top eSports sites, we concluded that only a small number of sites offer betting on NHL eSports events, and even fewer are those bookies that have more than one bet type per selection. Going forward, we are hopeful that eSports sites will make NHL betting a priority to state the needs of an increasing number of eSports bettors.
Types of Bets on eSports Sites
The possibilities to bet on NHL eSports online are extremely scarce, and the types of individual wagers on betting sites that do offer NHL eSports betting are even scarcer.
More popular sports-themed eSports such as FIFA or NBA 2K tend to have multiple types of bets for wagering, with each bet type having a unique set of odds based on the likelihood of that outcome occurring. Some of these bets include
- Straight bets
- Handicap (or spread or puck line) betting
- Props (proposition) bets
- Futures
- Totals
For NHL eSports, that list is curtailed only to a few bet types. These are usually basic bets such as the straight bets where you bet on the team you think will win a match or the tournament. However, bets like handicaps or props bets – such as which team will score the first goal of the game – are seldom found on NHL betting websites.
When to Bet on NHL eSports
Well, NHL fans, this is your lucky year!
2021 abounds with opportunities for both NHL betting and NHL eSports events.
After a ‘brief’ hiatus, NHL teams have returned to the icy arenas, and so have professional NHL eSports gamers.
The NHL eSports betting menu will serve up exciting fixtures for the 2021 season of the NHL Gaming World Championship. This year’s championship started in early April, with separate tournaments both in North America and Europe opening the betting markets to tens of thousands of fans who follow the eSports events.
Unlike previous years, this year, gamers and their Hockey Ultimate Teams will play exclusively online due to Covid-19.
This remote-playing format has not diminished the interest in the event. If anything, Covid-19 has made gamers more eager to compete than ever, so you can expect extremely competitive matches and, therefore, generous odds for the top fixtures.
Each of the 31 NHL teams competing in the 2021 event will be made up of eight players. The gamers will be seeded based on their performance and will compete in playoff games that will decide a winner for each team, according to the NHL’s description of the tournament.
How to Bet on NHL eSports
Bettors who have at least once before wagered money on NHL — or football, or basketball, or any other sport for that matter — will find the concept of NHL eSports betting quite similar. First and foremost, you need to find a betting site that has NHL as an eSports option, register, and deposit money to your account.
As for the deposits themselves, the majority of betting sites operate with real money, though there are a few that also take cryptocurrencies. Credit and debit cards are by far the most used payment methods, though some sites also offer e-wallets and/or bank transfers.
In terms of strategy, you need to stay up to date with the latest betting trends to make your bet worthwhile. Every team and player has a different skill set – some are better at playing defense, while others have better control of the offensive lines. If you have the basic idea about how each team performs, you stand to win a lot of money betting on teams with the best odds. If you are new to NHL eSports betting and unfamiliar with the players, there are several top names you ought to remember before you make a wager. These include Canadian champion Justin ‘Reg84’ Reguly, U.S. title-holder Josh ‘OFs_HK’ Fuss, and European champion Arttu ‘ArtuzioFIN’ Mustila.
As far as the betting process itself, as we said earlier, it is no different than your typical sports wager. You simply register a new account, make a deposit, and pick the game with the most favorable odds.
Why Bet on NHL eSports
Every eSports game is uniquely engaging and NHL eSports is no exception.
Eager new gamers come out each year and ramp up the degree of competitiveness of NHL contests. This creates balanced and rather generous odds between the top teams in the game, which, in turn, gives bettors a greater chance of winning more money.
Apart from the money itself, eSports betting helps
What to Consider When Selecting an eSports Site
All eager punters need to consider a few things before they register on any eSports betting site.
Licensing comes at number one, and you should absolutely steer clear of eSports betting sites that operate without a license from a known regulatory body.
Also, look for a site that has multiple deposit options. Some payment options are restricted in certain countries so it would be convenient if your site has at least several universally accepted banking methods.
Additionally, betting sites should offer fast payouts and withdrawal processes. Bettors get easily annoyed when a site does not have quick payouts and it immediately brings them to question the gambling operator’s integrity, even though it is relatively common for a payout to sometimes take longer than expected.
Last but not least, welcome bonuses. Who doesn’t want a freebie, right? Inviting welcome bonuses is a crafty strategy used by betting sites to lure new players and make them more engaged in eSports wagering. However, we advise you to always read the rules and wagering requirements that come almost with every welcome bonus carefully.
A word of advice: given that only so many sites offer NHL eSports betting, you really cannot afford to be too selective about which site you pick. A small bonus shouldn’t be an excuse to abandon a perfectly legitimate bookie that provides NHL eSports betting services.
The Best NHL Betting Sites
EA’s NHL has not yet attained a status as one of the best eSports games, but they are holding their own and have built a robust, self-sustaining gaming environment, whose most matches occasionally make it to the top betting sites’ eSportsbook
Here are five eSports betting sites worth checking out for NHL eSports matches, though there’s no guarantee that you will always find any:
FAQ
Can I Watch NHL eSports Events Online?
Yes. All major NHL eSports events are broadcast live on Twitch or YouTube.
Where Can I Bet on NHL eSports?
So far, there is an extremely limited number of betting sites that offer to bet on NHL eSports.
Is eSports Gambling Legal?
In some countries, eSports gambling is prohibited as a result of local gambling laws. When you open the site it will automatically tell you if eSports betting is legal in your country.
When is the Next NHL eSports Championship?
The 2021 season of the NHL Gaming World Championship is already underway. The competition will last until Jul. 24