CS2 Betting in 2025: The Complete Guide to Wagering on Counter-Strike Esports

Counter-Strike betting has long been one of the most popular forms of esports wagering, and with the transition from CS:GO to CS2, the opportunities to bet have only grown. Many bettors still search for CSGO betting, but all bookmakers have now fully integrated CS2 betting as a top esports category. With non-stop CS matches happening daily, your game knowledge can be a valuable tool in making informed CS2 bets on the sites below.

Top Welcome Bonuses for CS2 Betting: Hundreds of Markets Available

Whether you’re looking for pre-match, live betting, player props or outrights, there are hundreds of markets available. To start betting on Counter-Strike today, select a site from list of recommended sites and welcome bonuses below.

Please Bet Responsibly.

How to Bet on CS2 Matches & Players

To help you bet on the action, this is your one-stop CS2 wagering guide with valuable information on how to start betting on CS2 matches, how to deposit and withdraw, which betting options to choose, how to play safely and time your bets wisely. There’s a lot of work on our hands, so let’s start with our list of the best CS2 betting sites and their welcome bonuses.

1. Find the right site. Take a look at the table right above to find the best CS2 betting sites, and choose the one that fits all your needs.
2. Assess the promos. Examine the current set of esports betting bonuses including welcome bonuses and recurring deals.
3. Create an account. Create an account on your preferred site and verify your email/phone number.
4. Make a deposit. Navigate to the cashier (deposits) page and make a deposit using your preferred payment method.
5. Claim the bonus. Make sure you deposit using an eligible method and at least match the minimum deposit requirement to claim the welcome bonus.
6. Find CS2 bets. Navigate to the esports betting hub and look for CS2 wagering options.
7. Place your bet. Double-check your bet selection and wager and, if everything is okay, place the bet.

The process is as straightforward as any traditional sports betting you may have done before. If you are entirely new to betting, we can also offer you some additional CS2 betting tips to get you rolling.

Types of CS 2 Betting Markets

The question of how to bet on Counter-Strike usually requires two answers.

1. First, the technical step-by-step explanation of how to get yourself set up with betting site account
2. Second, solid CS2 wagering advice that guides you through the available CS2 bets.

The most common CS2 match betting options you can play at online bookmakers are match-winners (known as moneyline bets in the US), map winners, outright winners, totals, duels, and prop bets. All these bets are available on the top esports bookmakers including Thunderpick, BC.Game, and GG.Bet, so you shouldn’t have trouble finding them.

According to our research, most beginners stick with nothing but match-winners and outrights. However, those that are in it to win it can easily recognize value in totals or other prop bets.

The reason why beginners stick with match-winners is simply because they don’t know what other bets represent. No worries, we’re here to change that.

Basic CS2 Bets

The most basic options include wagering on the match winner, map winner, all sorts of handicaps, and correct score wagers.

• Match-winner: Who will win the match?
• Map-winner: Who will win the specified map?
• Handicaps: Can the favorites win with an artificial disadvantage (eg. -1.5 maps)?
• Correct score: What will be the final score of the given match?

Outrights

Outright CS2 team betting options represent bets that take into account the entire event rather than the outcome of a single match. They are also known as futures and some of the most common options are the following:

• Outright winner: Who will win the tournament?
• To reach the final: Who will reach the grand final?
• Tournament MVP: Which player will be crowned as the Most Valuable Player?

Totals

The most popular CS2 totals include bets based on rounds, maps, and player kills.

• Total rounds over/under: Will the given map have more or fewer rounds than what the bookie specified?
• Total maps over/under: Will the match have more or fewer maps than what the bookie specified?
• Player total kills over/under: Will the player have more or fewer kills than what the bookie specified?

Specials

The most popular CS2 specials are overtime, player duels, and both pistol round winners.

• Overtime yes/no: Will the match end in a draw and go to overtime?
• Team to win both pistol rounds: Can the chosen team win both pistol rounds?
• Player duels: Which of the two players will have more kills? Not to be confused with CS2 Duels betting.

Live Betting on Counter-Strike 2 Esports

Based on our research, top esports bookmakers have massive live betting sections packed with CS2, Valorant, and League of Legends bets. CS2 live betting markets are still the most popular choices, especially on Thunderpick thanks to seamless integration with Twitch.tv.

The most popular CS2 live bets are match winners and map winners. Other widely available options include team to win the next round, race to x rounds, and similar

Betting on CS2 with Cryptocurrencies

Cryptocurrencies are becoming a growing trend on esports betting sites. They’re easy to set up and offer instant deposits and fast withdrawals with minimum gas fees. Best of all, crypto esports betting is much more secure, private, accessible worldwide and free from intermediaries.

The key differences between cryptocurrencies and conventional payment methods can be found in the table below.

How to Start Betting with Crypto: 5 Simple Steps

1. Set up your crypto wallet. We recommend either Trust Wallet or Exodus which have a built-in crypto exchange.
2. Buy some crypto. Use the included exchange to purchase some crypto using your preferred payment method.
3. Log into your account. Navigate to your esports bookie, register or log into your account.
4. Make a deposit. Copy the given wallet address and paste it in the appropriate box when sending the funds via your crypto wallet.
5. Bet on CS2. Navigate to the esports hub, explore CS2 bets, select your options and stake, and place the bet.

Top Crypto Bookmakers

Please Bet Responsibly.

The Biggest Events for Counter-Strike Betting

Even though the competitive stage of Counter Strike 2 is still as decentralized as they come, it has changed drastically over the last few years. Counter Strike Majors are still the biggest and most prestigious occasions, but they’re surrounded by a slightly different competitive ecosystem. The likes of ESL, BLAST, and IEM are still alive and well, with new challengers climbing up the ranks, such as PGL and Skyesports series.

Here are the biggest CS2 tournaments you can bet on using sites like Thunderpick and GG.Bet:

• Counter Strike Majors. CS2 Majors are still the game’s bread and butter. Valve cooperates with some of the biggest third-party event organizers like PGL and BLAST to bring a true AAA esports experience.
• PGL Events. PGL events have been around since 2016, but have stepped things in recent years, featuring one massive Counter Strike event after another.
• BLAST Series. BLAST is a series of events organized by RFRSH Entertainment that dates back to late 2017, with the first BLAST Pro Series Copenhagen LAN event featuring a $250,000 in prize money.
  Intel Extreme Masters. The most prestigious CS2 events organized by ESL, typically hosted in some of the most mesmerizing sporting venues with million-dollar prize pools.
• ESL Pro League. The ESL Pro League remains a massive biannual tournament that recently celebrated its 20th edition.

Here’s how the four biggest 2025 tournaments compare in terms of type, size, and prize pool.

Reasons to Try Counter-Strike Wagering

While the game has evolved, many bettors still refer to CS2 betting as CSGO betting, given its long-standing history in esports wagering. The inherent engagement in an activity is directly correlated to what you have on the line, in this case, your stakes. It is much more exciting to watch the best Counter-Strike teams compete to win when you can potentially win along with them.

Betting with your friends makes it more enjoyable as well. When you have a few friends in Discord with you while you all have money riding on the game, it makes for great fun. Whether you’re all cheering for the same team or engaging in some friendly banter, it is a good time.

Counter-Strike Wagering: What to Keep in Mind

1. Understand what the esports odds mean in terms of the likelihood of an outcome.
2. Understand the CS2 betting markets before wagering.
3. Remember to always bet on licensed and reputable websites.

Betting can be intimidating to those who are starting out. Check our out CS betting tips page for everything related to this activity, including some strategies we found good success with.

If you want to learn more about how to read and interpret odds check out our page on Counter-Strike odds that explains things for specific betting markets and exotic markets.

Is Counter-Strike Betting Safe?

CS betting is entirely safe, as long as you are betting through a regulated and licensed esports betting site such as Thunderpick Esports.

It is very important to know that you must use reputable betting websites before proceeding. It also allows for fun to be had while peace of mind is maintained.

There is always the risk of organizations operating in bad faith, as can be the case with the betting industry too. Therefore, you should always check in with forums and communities like Counter-Strike Reddit to learn from experiences of CS bettors.

Separate from standard bookmaking, there is CS skins gambling. The promoters of these activities include so-called CS casinos that accept crypto, skins and fiat as payment in exchange for casino-style CS inspired games.

How to Make ‘Safe CS2 Bets’

Trying to make safe bets on CS2 can be difficult because there are so many variables with a team’s performance that it’s not just as easy as picking out one good team and siding with them. Instead, you have to look at the overall performance of the top 5-10 teams and know when to pick the right ones to bet on.

In this article, we explain exactly how this can be done. Making a safe bet on Counter-Strike involves working out which teams are performing well at that point in time.

• Team performance changes erratically.
• A good starting place would be to go to the world rankings.
• Once you’ve found a good team, it’s now time to find safe CS2 matches to bet on.

For your chosen team, find out all of the upcoming games that are planned:

• You must look for games where your team is playing against underperforming teams.
• You can also find matchups that put your team against lower tier teams – these teams may not necessarily be underperforming, but they would struggle to play against a T5 squad.

It may take longer to find suitable matches whilst using this method, but it can ensure you can make the safest CS2 bets possible.

How is CS 2 Played?

Counter-Strike is the biggest esport game in the world. Part of why CS is so big is the excitement that comes with playing or watching the games. Another large part of the excitement can come when there is money on the line.

• At first, Counter-Strike may seem extremely simple.
• Two teams of five try to accomplish the goal of planting a bomb versus trying to stop the other team from planting the bomb.
• Each team has a chance to play both sides of the coin. The Terrorist side trying to plant the bomb and the Counter-Terrorists trying to defend against bomb planting and detonation.
• While being easy to understand on a surface level, upon a closer look, it is quite complex.

The game is played until one team wins 13 rounds, with a potential of 24 rounds not including overtime. This means that both teams must plan to have efficient strategies for potentially all of those rounds. This is where the complexities lie.

• First of all, at the start of each round, both teams will get a certain amount of money based on whether they won or lost the previous round.
• Sometimes teams will have enough to buy everything they need to best execute their game plan.
• When they don’t have enough for that, they will need to use tricks and different tactics in order to make the best of what they have.
• This can lead to extremely exciting gameplay to watch, especially in competitive environments.

A Very Brief History of Counter-Strike Betting

The inception of Counter Strike betting dates back to the summer of 2013 when Valve introduced in-game skins to CS:GO via the Arms Deal update. Shortly afterwards, the first CSGO skin betting sites like CSGOLounge started popping up.

Only a few months had passed and more people began searching how to bet on Counter-Strike. CSGO betting became the new emerging trend. Back then, there was no way for players to bet on CSGO legally. Unsafe skin betting sites ruled the market up until 2016 when Valve went on the hunt with its cease and desist letters. This resulted in the shutdown of several major skin betting sites and finally pushed licensed bookmakers with esports bets into the limelight.

Fast-forward to the present day and CS2 betting markets are the most popular types of bets on esports betting sites. The legal esports betting market is booming, with CS2 betting setting the tempo. The game still has an extremely busy competitive circuit with decentralized tournaments from third-party organizers like PGL, BLAST, and ESL.

Is CSGO Betting the same as CS2 Betting?

Technically, betting on CS:GO is not the same as betting on CS2 because we’re looking at two different games with slightly different gameplay mechanics.

CS2 betting succeeded CSGO betting in the same way CS2 succeeded CSGO. However, the betting options have remained the same for the most part, including match winners, map winners, handicaps, and totals, so it’s difficult to provide a clear-cut answer here.

FAQs