Overwatch has a class-based combat focus. It is essential to synergize classes and character abilities for a more significant advantage in the game.

An Overwatch match is played between 2 teams of 6 players each. As part of the team, you must plan with your teammates a gameplay strategy to defend Control Points (if you are defending) or to escort a payload (if you are on the attacking team) across a Map in a limited amount of time, with one team attacking and the other defending.

Hero Roles:

Overwatch does things a little differently from most other FPS games. It incorporates unique story-rich characters with distinct abilities instead of just a basic class system. There are 3 distinct hero roles in the game that a player can choose: Tank, Damage, and Support.

Tanks: Tank role characters are frontline characters that protect allies and disrupt enemies with shields and high survivability.

Damage: Damage heroes are in charge of engaging and attacking the enemy. Their kit is based around being offensive in various ways that help to secure kills for the team.

Support: Supports are utility characters that help your other roles in performing their job better. These characters are mostly healers or buffers that can easily change the tide of battle by keeping your team alive.

Some characters are also classified into three smaller subclasses called Builder, Healer, and Sniper. However, they can overlap with the above prominent roles.

Game modes:

Escort: This mode is also referred to as ‘payload’. In this mode, a team has to deliver the ‘payload’ to a delivery point. The more teammates stand within the vicinity of the payload, the faster it moves. A defender team has to stop the other team from delivering the payload before time runs out.

Assault: In this mode, attacking and defending teams need to claim and capture points on the map.

Hybrid: Hybrid, as the name suggests, is a mixed combination of the above game modes. In the first part of the match, the teams battle for capture points on the map. Then the mode shifts to an Escort mission.

Control: In this mode, the teams battle for objectives in a best of 3. Teams have to capture an area on the map by standing in it. Each round has a different area to claim.

Overwatch is one of the most popular Esports in the world. However, it’s still relatively smaller compared to giants like Dota 2, League and CS:GO. Hence there aren’t as many betting lines offered for Overwatch. Most of the sportsbooks we partnered with offer wagers on Overwatch games.

Types of Overwatch Bets

Various sportsbook websites will provide betting lines or wagers to bet on. For example, match winner, tournament winner etc. The most common type of betting options you will find are:

MONEYLINE BET/MATCH WINNER
This is a common type of betting option for predicting a specific Overwatch match-winner. An example would be you betting on Team Shanghai Dragons defeating Team Seoul Dynasty.

Being the most basic kind of bet, the return on these wagers is not that lucrative due to the sheer number of people betting on it, and the odds pushed towards a thin margin. For a game like Overwatch, It is advised to bet on offensive focused teams and styles over defensive gameplay. Being offensive in the game often means securing objectives quickly that will lead to victory.

Money line odds will look something like this:
Shanghai Dragons (1.3) vs San Francisco Shock (2.7)

Using these odds, we can see that Shanghai Dragons are the favorites to win while San Francisco Shock are the underdogs. If you bet on Shanghai Dragons and win their match, your bet will be multiplied by 1.3x times. Whereas in San Francisco Shocks win, you will receive 2.7x times your bet amount.

HANDICAP

You are placing a bet on whether the team with the handicap advantage or disadvantage wins the match. A set margin (often called the line) gives an unfavorable team a small advantage over the favored team, usually in the form of rounds, to place the game on equal footing. It is also called “spread” bets.

Another form of spread bets is wagering on the number of maps a team will win compared to the other team and by what margin. A +1.5 handicap spread on an underdog will mean the team has to lose or win by two maps to satisfy the bet. It is an easy bet to make if you’re familiar with the two teams’ skill differences.

For example, A dominant team can quickly sweep a best-of-3 with 2-0 map advantage meaning you’d bet on the favorites with -1.5 handicap.

OUTRIGHT WINNER
This is another common kind of bet where you bet on the overall winner of an Overwatch tournament. Think you know who will be winning the tournament you are betting on – give this bet a shot. However, be aware that although returns might be high, the odds do reflect a difficult bet to secure. So bet conservatively and strategize.

PROP BETS

These bets are not related to the outcome of the match but with events occurring in the game at any moment. Some examples that are currently available:

• First blood: This wager is used to predict which team will obtain the first kill of the match. First Bloods occur very early in the round and can be predicted depending on the team compositions. Damage type heroes are more likely to get First Bloods.
• Most kills: These wagers are to predict which team will have the most kills by the end of the match.

The “Odds” refers to the likelihood or chance of a specific event occurring, e.g. Overwatch Team X winning over Overwatch Team B.  Bets placed on the basis of these odds offered by bookmakers. The odds are calculated by different sportsbooks differently. So make sure to pick a decent and reputable Esports Bookmakers with fair odds.

Odds are of several distinct types: Decimal, Fractional, American, or Implied Probability. You’ll most often come across Decimal Odds, however.

Decimal Odds

Decimal odds give you the easiest conversion from stake to return.

American Odds

These odds are represented by numbers with a prefix (+) and minus(-) sign.
The positive(+) sign is assigned to underdogs’ odds and indicates the amount won for every $100 staked on the bet.
Whereas, the negative(-) odds indicate the amount you need to stake to win $100 from the bet.

Fractional Odds

These odds are marked with a fractional number, with the top number dictating how much when you invest the bottom fractional number.

Favorable odds: Odds of 9/1 – Every $1 you bet will give you a payout of $9. 

Unfavorable odds: Similarly, Odds of 1/3 – For every $3 you bet, you will receive a payout of $1. 

Implied Probability

This is a more readable way to denote odds, however, this can be highly inaccurate and is mostly just used as a reference to calculate risk.

Sourced from 10+ years on betting online, the KBG Team has compiled these tips to help you bet effectively on Overwatch matches online.

Tip#1: Stick to your budget –  Before you embark on your betting journey, the first and ultimate step you need to start at, is to set a budget that you can afford to risk. Keep in mind, that betting is not a get-rich-quick scheme, so bet accordingly. If you are a beginner in Overwatch betting, review all the tips below, and build a cohesive strategy before you start.

Tip#2: Check all the odds: As you start researching the Overwatch matches you intend to place your wagers on, check all the various odds offered by the bookmakers. Look for the odds that are not in line with your read of the match. If you can develop this edge to spot the betting opportunities, you would be able to maintain a profitable portfolio.

Tip#3: Learn the game: It is important to know all the threads of the game and on the teams of the match. In order to gain an advantage in Overwatch wagering, make sure you analyze the match prior betting:

• Know the rules, heroes, and abilities in play. Make sure you familiarize yourself with the game rules and each selected hero and their abilities. Make sure you know the best abilities and worst weaknesses of each hero matchup. What hero counters another or gets countered.
• Know the game and tournament structure. Read up on past match/tournament history and performances of teams and individual players. Know which players are good with certain heroes. Check out the pros of twitch to get an idea of their skills.

Tip#4: Specialise in the bet types you are great at: The last tip to implement in your strategy is to start building your expertise in betting types themselves. Discover the betting types you are most comfortable with and here are some guidelines to find them:

• Specialize whenever possible – with so many players, teams, and tournaments happening constantly in the Overwatch bubble, focusing on a particular vertical will allow you to research in more depth which will result in smarter betting decisions.
• Bet selectively and objectively– do not give in to temptation and bet on any and every match unless you don’t have research and analysis to back it up.
• Don’t always believe any information blindly on face value only: Make sure you clearly analyze every information you receive. Start by seeing how the gathered information fits in with your current strategy and see if you can improve incrementally, not outright replace the entire system. 

Esports Bookmakers we recommend in this guide are geared to accept a wide array of payment methods. You will be able to use credit cards, direct bank transfers, and PayPal, as means of deposit. Other newer options such as eWallets and Cryptocurrencies are also accepted at selective Esports Bookies.

Here are more details on the payments you can expect when betting on Overwatch:

• Credit and Debit cards: remain the most popularly accepted means of payment across bookmaker websites. MasterCard and VISA being the most common.
• Web Wallets: These are basically e-Wallets that allow you to transfer funds to a virtual wallet for placing bets instead of linking your credit or debit card directly. This helps you avoid giving any sensitive financial information to the bookmaker. Skrill and Neteller are some of the most widely used e-Wallets.
• PayPal: PayPal remains one of the world’s most reliable online payment services. It helps you avoid giving your personal financial information to the bookmaker and provides an extra layer of security in transactions.
• Crypto Currency: Crypto currencies can also be used to bet on bookmaker websites. These are usually not available globally due to country specific crypto laws, but are usually used to cater to smaller regions and markets. For example AstroPay caters to Brazil and the USA. GiroPay caters to Germany and Austria etc.
• Direct Bank Transfers: Bookmaking websites commonly allow you to directly transfer the amount from your bank account to theirs. The betting site will provide you with it’s bank details.

If you need some assistance at any point while betting on Overwatch the bookmakers we partnered with have you covered.

Given that most online Esport bookmakers are available around the clock, open every day, there is always some form of customer service options available via email, toll-free telephone number, or an instant chat function.

The customer service teams can assist you with anything from deposit or withdrawal issues to questions about specific Overwatch related bets you have placed.

These are the most active Overwatch betting opportunities in the game that draw the most viewers and money:

The Overwatch League is the major tournament league currently featuring twenty teams split between two conferences, which are subdivided into two divisions each. All teams in the OWL play scheduled games against other teams to vie for a position in the season’s playoffs.

The Overwatch World Cup is the annual Overwatch Esports tournament organized by Blizzard Entertainment. It consists of 10 teams from around the world competing for the World Cup. The teams are based off: South Korea, Netherlands, United States,  United Kingdom, China, Canada, Denmark, Russia, Sweden and France.

Overwatch League teams to look out for:

Atlantic Teams:

Atlanta Reign

Boston Uprising

Florida Mayhem

Houston Outlaws

London Spitfire

New York Excelsior

Paris Eternal

Philadelphia Fusion

Toronto Defiant

Washington Justice

Pacific Teams:

Chengdu Hunters

Dallas Fuel

Guangzhou Charge

Hangzhou Spark

Los Angeles Gladiators

Los Angeles Valiant

San Francisco Shock

Seoul Dynasty

Shanghai Dragons

Vancouver Titans

Top Overwatch players to look out for:

JJoNak – New York Excelsior

Carpe – Philadelphia Fusion

Profit – Seoul Dynasty

Saebyeolbe -New York Excelsior

Libera – New York Excels

Top websites to bet on Overwatch:

365bet

Unibet

Luckbox.com

Forest.bet

Pick your Esport, learn the dynamics of the match, and tap into the best betting strategies developed over the years. Can you build that elusive hot streak? There’s only one way to find out. Always remember, Bet Responsibly, Bet Greatly:

Wondering how the different U.S. States approach Esports Betting? the KGB team has provided in-depth guides on how various State or County laws stack up on casino gambling. Check out the U.S. Guide below, where we’ll investigate each state and help you in your quest to Bet Responsibly, Bet Greatly: