How does LAN vs Online affect Esports Betting?

When the coronavirus pandemic brought everything to a halt in 2020, esports remained largely unscathed. As live sports events were canceled due to social distancing norms, esports transitioned to an online format. The near-seamless transition was due to the industry’s experience hosting online events for years. So how did that affect LAN events when it comes to esports betting?

Esports Betting for LAN

Bookies flocked to esports to bring volume to their platforms. But moving online brought significant changes on how to approach bets. Betting on online esports matches can be significantly different than betting on players at a live event. There are many factors affecting online matches that are non-existent in LAN tournaments.

Ping

Teams face no ping issues on LAN. But online is a completely different beast as ping becomes an extremely important factor. The choice of server, player locations and internet issues can cause massive problems for teams. At the highest levels, small changes in ping could mean the difference between a map win or a loss. Bettors can scout social media or study a team’s past matches to see if they are consistently having connection issues. This can make or break bets in esports betting based on teams in a LAN or online tournament.

Online matches might see cross-regional play and ping plays an important factor. Image Credit: Technology Review.

Past online results

How should bettors judge a team’s performance online? The best way to check out their form is to see how they have adapted to online play. In the Dota Pro Circuit Season 1, Alliance saw a near-flawless online DPC group stage. But when the teams met on LAN in ONE Esports Singapore Major, Alliance bombed out. Some teams perform better online compared to LAN. Esports bettors can earn decent profits if they back these teams in online matches, even in important tournaments.

Coaches – Yay or Nay?

Coaching has been a controversial topic in CS:GO as well as Dota 2. Last year, ESIC banned 37 coaches for abusing a visual bug that allowed them to gain information on the enemy’s movement. Valve responded by banning coaches’ presence in the same rooms as players during official matches. More recently, Dota 2 teams used a change in rules that allowed coaches to be present in the same booth as players. A coach’s presence during a MOBA can be invaluable while they keep track of timings, item choices and enemy positioning.

Coaches can provide a significant advantage to an esports team. Image Credit: Igor Bezborodov/StarLadder.

So how can this information help bettors? Understanding how involved a coach is in a team’s preparation is an indication of things to come. Having a coach can provide a significant advantage in online matches and should slightly weigh the odds in the bettor’s favor. When considering the differences between betting in online or LAN esports matches, these changes will affect odds.

Written by Rohan Samal

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