Sportsbook solution supplier DATA.BET has released its analysis of wagering activity during the 2026 Esports World Cup (EWC), showing that live betting accounted for 70.9% of all bets during the seven-week event.
The tournament ran from 2 July to 23 August at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles. It was the first EWC staged outside Saudi Arabia and featured a $75 million prize pool.
DATA.BET covered 24 esports titles during the event, including Trackmania, which made its EWC debut, and Fortnite, which returned with its Reload mode. Four titles accounted for 93% of total turnover. Counter-Strike 2 led with 41%, followed by Dota 2 at 31.8%, VALORANT at 11.7%, and League of Legends at 8.5%.
Average bet sizes showed a different pattern. League of Legends recorded the highest average stake, followed by VALORANT and Dota 2, while Counter-Strike 2 had the smallest average bet among the four leading titles. Outside the top four, Rainbow Six Siege, Call of Duty and Rocket League generated the highest turnover.
Live betting accounted for 70.9% of all bets across the 24 titles, compared with 29.1% placed before matches. No discipline recorded a majority of pre-match bets, although Counter-Strike 2 came closest, with 29.1% of its handle placed before the first map. Dota 2 had the lowest pre-match share at 12.3%.
DATA.BET said the strong live-betting share reflects the number of variables that can affect esports matches during play. In Dota 2 and League of Legends, for example, draft and hero selections can influence betting decisions before a match begins.
The company said its mathematical models and trading team monitor lines in real time, while odds are automatically correlated across outcomes.
Player Props were particularly prominent in Counter-Strike 2, representing 11.8% of total turnover in the market. The share stood at 10.2% for VALORANT, 4.9% for League of Legends and 3.9% for Dota 2.
Ahead of the tournament, DATA.BET added two Player Props markets for CS2: Player with Most Kills (including overtime) and Player with Most Deaths (including overtime).
Duration markets, including round and map totals, accounted for 4.3% of Dota 2 turnover, followed by League of Legends at 4%, Counter-Strike 2 at 3.5%, and VALORANT at 3.4%.
Straight Winner and Map Winner selections also represented a larger share of betting in Dota 2 and League of Legends, at 67.4% and 65.4%, respectively. The figures were lower for VALORANT at 59% and Counter-Strike 2 at 53.3%.
DATA.BET attributed the difference to the wider range of markets available for CS2 and VALORANT, supported by high uptime and established mathematical models. This allows bettors to spread their wagers across more outcomes.
“Esports World Cup is not the first event in esports history to bring multiple disciplines together under one banner,” said Bogdan Holovnov, Head of Esports at DATA.BET. “However, it is undoubtedly the most ambitious event of its kind, featuring the largest number of titles.”
“We recognize that many of these games do not currently enjoy the same level of popularity, including among bettors,” he added. “As a leading force in esports, we are constantly evolving, exploring new opportunities, and striving to lead the way into new areas of the industry.”
The three matches that generated the highest betting volumes were FUT Esports vs Team Spirit, Team Vitality vs Team Spirit, and FURIA Esports vs FUT Esports, all in CS2. Team Spirit, FURIA and FUT Esports attracted the highest support among clubs, ranking first by both turnover and number of bets.
Team Spirit ultimately won the EWC CS2 title, defeating Team Vitality in the quarter-final before beating FUT Esports in the grand final. Two of the three highest-volume matches were therefore part of Team Spirit’s run to the title.
DATA.BET also covered the tournament’s chess competition, held from 11 to 15 August. The event featured an expanded 22-player field with a Play-in stage, with games played online while competitors sat on the arena floor in front of a live audience.
The tournament featured the world’s highest-rated players, all representing esports clubs. Magnus Carlsen retained the title he won in 2025.
DATA.BET said the scale of the EWC also presented a technical challenge, with events running continuously over seven weeks and placing sustained peak demand on its betting solution.
However, the solutions supplier was positive on the overall development of the event and its significance for esports. “The Esports World Cup 2026 confirmed what the data has been showing across the season: esports betting is live-first and player-led,” it said.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2026/09/02/126179-databet-reports-live-betting-dominance-at-esports-world-cup-2026
