In this guide, we’ll cover the ins and outs of Rainbow Six betting to armor you with the knowledge you’ll need to place your first bet.
Esports betting has skyrocketed in popularity alongside the cybersport itself. Each year, new titles are entering the competitive gaming panorama and sportsbooks are offering lines on the lucrative business. For spectators and fans of these video games alike, placing a wager to add that extra bit of intensity to a match is becoming increasingly more accessible and accepted.
There’s a lot to cover here, so we’ll waste no time in getting into the thick of it.
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What is Rainbow Six?
Rainbow Six (or R6, as it’s sometimes abbreviated) is a first-person tactical shooter franchise that released its first edition in August 1998. The franchise was created by American author Tom Clancy and later developed into a series of video games by developers Red Storm Entertainment and Ubisoft. The Rainbow Six franchise has seen a total of 20 installments across the Xbox, PlaySportsbook, PC and mobile platforms, with more on the way in 2020.
The newest and most popular title is Rainbow Six Siege, the latest installment in the franchise and the title leading the franchise’s esports division.
Rainbow Six Esports
Rainbow Six esports has exploded alongside the release of Siege. The title continued on by paying homage to its core as a tactical-based shooter while introducing new operators, each with different weapons and equipment to add an additional layer to its competitive district.
If you’re new to the space, betting on Rainbow Six esports can get a little hairy due to the open format of its competitive system. Whereas some esports such as Call of Duty, NBA 2K and Overwatch have franchised leagues which house their primary competitive division under one brand, Rainbow Six is open to a variety of tournament operators who want to get involved. Thankfully enough, tournament organizer Electronic Sports League (ESL) heads up the game’s most premier division – the Rainbow Six Pro League – along with a few others on the yearly event calendar.
In most cases, you’ll find a majority of sportsbooks offering odds on the Rainbow Six Pro League over any other, mainly due to the competition being rightfully considered the apex of Rainbow Six. If you want to bet on the Rainbow Six Pro League, you’d find a good share of options throughout the year with its ongoing format featuring a number of weekly and monthly matchups.
Another hot tournament is the Rainbow Six Invitational, referred to as the game’s flagship competitive event, featuring the world’s best teams and nothing short of that. The Six Invitational has become a hot betting product over the years primarily due to its prestige. It’s safe to say that once the annual event arrives, sportsbooks that carry the esport will offer odds on the Six Invitational.
The Rainbow Six US Nationals is a large prize pool tournament focused on the best players in the United States that takes place once a year with a series of qualifiers leading up to the event finals. While comparatively small in caliber, there are a number of Sportsbooks who will allow a punter to wager on the Rainbow Six US Nationals. It’s not as likely you’ll find moneylines on the US Nationals as compared to betting markets for the aforementioned Six Invitational, but it will still be a more popular product than other non-ESL organized tournaments.
Where to bet on Rainbow Six
Now that we’ve gone over the basics and the big events to keep an eye on, let’s talk about where to bet on Rainbow Six Siege esports. Esports betting is big business, but compared to industry titans such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, and League of Legends, Rainbow Six Siege betting is a much smaller market. For this reason, you may find Rainbow Six Pro League, US Nationals or Six Invitational betting markets available on just a handful of betting platforms. With that being said, a number of the larger sportsbooks involved in esports will offer odds on Rainbow Six Siege.
You can check out our guide for the best sportsbooks for esports bettors here.
Rainbow Six Siege Betting Markets
In Rainbow Six Siege, you’ll find a number of markets typical of first-person shooter offerings on sportsbooks. The common match Sportsbook and map Sportsbook are usual suspects when it comes to Rainbow Six betting, although sometimes you might find a number of specials and proposition bets to make gambling on the Rainbow Six Pro League a bit more interesting.
Outright Sportsbook
Outright Sportsbook is a popular market across a number of esports. The outright Sportsbook is the Sportsbook of a tournament – in other words, the team or player that walks away in first place. It’s safe to say that practically every sportsbook offering wagers on Rainbow Six Siege tournaments will have a market to bet on the outright Sportsbook.
Map Sportsbook
In Rainbow Six Siege, matches are usually played in series such as a best-of-three or a best-of-five. In these series, the two competitors will play on several asymmetrical maps. When betting on Rainbow Six Siege, it’s not uncommon to see markets on the map Sportsbook, or in other words, the team that is able to win a specific map in a series. In Rainbow Six Siege, certain operators are better suited for certain maps, which might influence your bet.
Region Sportsbook
Region Sportsbook is a common market in esports and actually quite prevalent in Rainbow Six betting. Since the title is a truly global esport, betting on R6 region Sportsbooks makes for a fun experience for those looking for a market outside the more typical match and outright Sportsbooks. Teams or organizations (as they’re often called in esports) are usually associated with the region in which they are based. When it comes to betting on a region Sportsbook, you’ll usually bet on lines such as North America, Asia, Europe, etc., and your bet will be won or lost based on the overall Sportsbook of an event.
Tournament finalist
Tournament finalist is another common market to see as a Rainbow Six Siege bettor. This market will provide odds on whether a team will make it into the tournament finals or not. In this category, punters may find it a better option to wager on an underdog or a dark horse rather than going all-in on one of those teams as the outright Sportsbook. In R6 betting, you can expect to see options to wager on an event’s finalist on practically every platform that is offering up Rainbow Six in the first place.
Gamble Smart
Whether you’re a veteran or a newcomer to R6 gambling or even gambling in general, we’d like to remind you to gamble smart! Beyond the obligatory reminder to opt for trusted and licensed Sportsbooks when betting on Siege or other esports, you should be on the lookout for good bonuses and deposit options to make your experience as smooth as possible!
