Stake is a fairly unique esports bookmaker. They offer betting on the top competitive games, but with a big difference. This is a crypto-exclusive esports bookmaker. There are a few other sites that offer this, but Stake betting is exclusively in this currency. Outside of that, they’re also a pretty robust service for betting on the top games. Crypto isn’t too uncommon for esports betting though. So, how does Stake compare to the crowd for the rest of their site? This Stake betting review covers what you need to know.
Stake Esports Betting Review
User Experience and UI – Minimalist
Stake bet’s main selling point is its use of cryptocurrency, the design of the website fits this forward-thinking strategy for esports betting. The website’s main theme can really be explained as minimalist. It is running a dark color scheme and keeps pretty much all distractions out of the way. It is simple to find what you need, and even the promotional tabs feature simple designs. If you’re looking for a bookmaker that looks relatively modern and stylish, then Stake lives up to that.
The Stake betting site is divided into tabs and sections depending on the games you’re looking at. You need to go into a specific sport to really dig into the detail, which is great for making everything accessible. The website functions pretty well on mobile, sometimes better than on desktop. Stake bet is a well-designed website and one that lives up to its unique selling point.
Payment Methods at Stake Esports
Stake bet esports has a unique approach to payment methods. They are an entirely crypto betting site, so they don’t offer card payments or PayPal. They do offer quite a few more cryptos than you’ll find in most esports bookmakers though. These are the options at the moment:
- Bitcoin
- Dogecoin
- Ethereum
- Litecoin
- Ripple
- EOS
Cryptocurrency betting has its positives and negatives. You can bet with an extra level of privacy, using non-fiat currency. However, the value of your stake could change a bit while your bet is in play. That’s especially true with more volatile currencies like Dogecoin. If you’re looking at Stake betting, you’re likely only considering betting in cryptocurrency though. In which case, this great spread of options and the lack of a transaction fee is definitely going to be appealing.
Live Betting at Stake Bet
One way to circumvent some of the volatility of crypto betting is to use live in-play betting. This allows you to change up your bet as the games happening. You can cash out or place bets as the game develops. Stake offers a pretty decent streaming service on top of this, so you can quickly react to changes in matches right there on the website. The quality of streams is also generally better than you’d expect.
Stake’s live streaming isn’t as expansive as some other sites. However, this is largely down to the smaller group of games that Stake offers. Even among these, the streaming options depend on where rights are available. Stake has a great quality stream where they support live streaming.
Security and License at Stake
A license for an esports bookmaker is important so you know you can trust the payouts and odds you’re getting. However, there are some extra concerns when it comes to crypto. You’re betting in an unregulated form of currency, so how is this reconciled with gambling regulations? Stake Bet is still licensed like any other bookmaker, they’re based in Curacao. This ensures your bets and odds are treated fairly.
One thing to bear in mind is that Stake betting doesn’t offer the same kind of verification for users. Crypto is basically anonymous, and Stake doesn’t bother with many Know Your Customer requirements. They ask for some information but do so few checks that they keep things anonymous. This might be a benefit to some users. However, it has limited the areas and regions they can operate in, so be aware of this when signing up.
What Esports Games Do They Cover?
Stake Esports Betting offers a bit of a different experience for esports bookmakers, but how do they compare in what markets they actually offer? Esports is a pretty big spread of games and when choosing a bookmaker, it is usually the more the better. Stake doesn’t off the widest array of esports games, these are those that you can bet on here:
- Call of Duty
- CS GO
- Dota 2
- King of Glory
- Starcraft
- Fifa
This isn’t the best roster around, but it covers some decent ground. You’ve got the big hitters for esports like CS GO and Dota 2. That’s along with some more niche titles like King of Glory. However, they are missing quite a bit here, including some huge titles. Generally, this selection feels a bit difficult to make sense of, since it lacks some huge games but has some smaller ones. However, If these games are the titles that you follow, then Stake bet might be a good choice still.
Stake Betting Odds
The odds offered by an esports bookmaker are important when deciding where to bet since it essentially decides how much money you’re getting out of it. Stake do things pretty differently but their odds are still one of the most important factors. How does Stake measure up then? We’ve done a direct comparison as an example.
In an upcoming Call of Duty League bet, Stake betting is offering 1.45 and 2.55. An esports-only bookmaker has the odds at 1.42 or 2.52. Then a sports bookmaker is offering 1.44 and 2.63.
Stake is giving odds that beat both other outlets for one team, and odds in the middle for the other. This is fairly representative of their overall odds. They tend to be either average or above average. Since you’re betting with crypto and a bit more instability, knowing the payouts are on the higher end is going to be pretty helpful.
Stake Review – The Verdict
Stake Esports Betting is primarily there for fans looking to specifically bet cryptocurrency on esports. They offer many more options for crypto and keep things in line with the anonymous nature of cryptocurrency. However, they do still have a license to operate and you can trust that your deposits and payouts are going to be safe.
The website doesn’t offer the best spread of esports games. However, for those that are covered here they give above-average odds. If you’re betting with crypto, then Stake is probably the best choice for a bookmaker. However, if you’re looking for a website for more than crypto then there are a lot of drawbacks.
