The highly popular vehicular soccer video game Rocket League has been sweeping the globe since its 2015 release on Xbox, PlaySportsbook and PC. With its competitive sector on the rise, so too has the pendulum swung in favor of Rocket League esports betting.
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If you’re interested in learning more about how to bet on Rocket League matches, look no further! In this guide, we’ll go through it all, from betting basics to breaking down the markets and exactly where you can place your first wager on Rocket League.
Without further ado, let’s jump straight into it.
What is Rocket League?
Rocket League is a popular game that is best described as soccer – except with race cars, boosters and power-ups. OK, that might sound confusing, but we promise you it’s not as complicated as we’ve made it sound.
Rocket League was created by American video game developer Psyonix in 2015. In May 2019, the company was acquired by Epic Games, one of the industry’s most well-known video game software development companies.
Unlike other game franchises that have released numerous editions over the years, Rocket League represents a stand-alone title that frequently sees updates and patches to keep the game fresh and up to today’s standards.
In Rocket League, there are two goals, one giant soccer ball and a total of six players to form a 3 vs 3 match. Each player controls a car with the objective of using their vehicle to knock the ball into the goal. Each goal is worth one point, and the team with the most points after five minutes – or in overtime, if a game is tied after regulation – wins the game.
Rocket League Esports
As an esport, Rocket League has experienced some of the most explosive growth of any title, ever. What has taken some games two decades to achieve, Rocket League has accomplished in just around half of that. Rocket League’s premier competitive division is the Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS); the league boasts tournaments and teams representing all corners of the world, making it a truly global esport.
Beneath the RLCS is the Rocket League Rival Series (RLRS), the second division of Rocket League esports. As with traditional sports leagues, organizations can climb up (or fall down) the rankings in this structure, to either be promoted into the RLCS or relegated to the RLRS.
With its popularity and the number of big organizations in the first division, betting on the Rocket League Championship Series has proliferated alongside the franchise itself. With that being said, it’s possible to place bets on the Rocket League Rival Series as well – you may just find a limited number of bookies offering spreads on the second division.
Rocket League Betting Markets
Rocket League is steadily growing into a healthy betting handle among the current esports betting vista, although in terms of its availability on the shelves of Sportsbooks, Rocket League still lacks in comparison to heavy hitters such as Counter-Strike, League of Legends and Dota 2. With that being said, Rocket League betting is getting to a more sustainable point and is popping up on more sportsbook spreads year after year. Below, we’ll outline some of the available markets for Rocket League to bet on:
Match Sportsbook
The match Sportsbook seems pretty self-explanatory, but we’ll cover it anyway. In Rocket League, the match Sportsbook is the team that wins a series between the two teams. Rocket League is typically played in sets of best-of-three or best-of-five, thus the team that wins in this fashion will be your match Sportsbook.
Game Sportsbook
In best-of-three sets, some Sportsbooks will allow you to bet on a single game in a set, typically identified as “game 1, game 2 and game 3” Sportsbooks. Albeit tricky to predict correctly, this can be a nifty market for punters looking to place a profitable bet on an underdog who is far less likely to win a series.
First goal
With its parallel to soccer, you’ll find the first-goal market available on some sportsbooks when you’re betting on Rocket League. The first-goal market allows bettors to wager on the first goal scored in a match in Rocket League. If you know the teams and players well, you might be able to leverage this market to make an informed bet and score some good money from aggressive players.
Gamble Smart
Whether you’re looking to bet on the RLCS, RLRS or just learn more about Rocket League betting in general, what’s most important is actually left here at the end and that is: gamble smart.
When it comes to betting, finding the right Sportsbook is essential to the entire process. First off, do your research! Take the time to look into reviews from bettors and check for sportsbooks’ licenses before going ahead and depositing any of your hard-earned money on their platforms.
Bonuses are a great way to get the most bang for your buck, and while some may look too good to be true, that’s because they probably are. Do your due diligence and read the fine print – there are undoubtedly some generous bonuses on the web, but some may require you to gamble more money than you’d like just to withdraw or utilize those deals.
Lastly, while it can be tempting to just go in and start gambling on the RLCS, it’ll be worth your time (and money) to pay attention to the teams and seasons to place good, informed bets on the match at hand. Player transfers, up-and-coming teams and trends can give a bettor some solid information when it comes to laying down a wager on Rocket League, so make sure to utilize all the tools at your disposal.