World of Warcraft Betting – everything you need to know about WoW

What is World of Warcraft?

World of Warcraft, often stylized as WoW, is one of the biggest success stories in the history of video games and in the MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) genre. Developed by Blizzard Entertainment off the back of their popular Warcraft series of strategy games, the game has become an incredible cornerstone of the gaming world and by far the most influential MMO in history. Interest in World of Warcraft betting would soon follow.

The story of the game and its expansion follows up the storylines of the past Warcraft games detailing the exploits of the denizens of the world of Azeroth, a fantasy world populated by many classic races like night elves, dragons, dwarves and more. The robust clan-based community aspect, the memorable grinds and the robust in-game economy, which even has real-life implications thanks to the auction house, makes this game a real lifestyle choice rather than a mere pastime, and you can easily see how it can really suck you into its unique universe, up to and including WoW esports and competitive play.

A timeline of the World of Warcraft franchise

·         2004 – World of Warcraft (base game)

·         2007 – The Burning Crusade (also the year of the first WoW Arena World Championship, marking a new era in WoW esports)

·         2008 – Wrath of the Lich King

·         2010 – Cataclysm

·         2012 – Mists of Pandaria

·         2014 – Warlords of Draenor

·         2016 – Legion

·         2018 – Battle for Azeroth

·         2019 – World of Warcraft Classic

·         2020 – Shadowlands

Why choose Rivalry: a safe and regulated WoW betting site

Rivalry, created by gamers to provide a safe World of Warcraft betting site for esports fans, is one of the safest and most secure sites in the industry. We are proud of our adherence to all rules and regulations. We also work tirelessly to develop new and exciting features you won’t find on any other WoW betting site.

Here’s why you should choose us for online World of Warcraft:

One hundred percent legal

Our WoW betting operations are fully licensed by the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission.

Our site is one hundred percent safe

Your deposit is safe with us. All debts are enforceable by law, and we are strictly compliant with all rules and regulations to ensure the best World of Warcraft betting experience.

A generous welcome bonus

We’re so happy to have you start your esports betting journey that we offer a 100% bonus on your deposit up to $100, no questions asked!

Instant deposits and real money

Cash is not only one hundred percent legal (unlike skins betting) but it allows us to make your deposits available instantly and to pay you faster. This also lets us offer a wide range of transparent deposit methods to you for the best World of Warcraft betting experience!

Rivalry Academy

New to esports betting? No worries. Our Rivalry Academy is unique among WoW betting sites in that it teaches you everything you need to know to start having fun and place informed bets on your favorite games in a safe environment with every information you need for a good time.

Guide to World of Warcraft betting: the best WoW esports betting tips

The best WoW teams won’t always beat the rest

You can’t expect to bolster your bankroll by always betting on the favorites: the real meat of World of Warcraft betting is identifying the underdogs with a great chance to upset the odds and researching their unique strategies and capabilities that may serve as the perfect recipe for success against the elite in World of Warcraft Arena competitions. A good understanding of each player and every participating team is a must if you’re looking to place informed bets on any tournament of the WoW esports scene.

World of Warcraft esports is serious business

It may not be one of the biggest games on Twitch or the hot new trend in esports, but that doesn’t mean that you should underestimate the skill, dedication and craft of competitive World of Warcraft players. Person-versus-person combat is tough and challenging, and the best players will inevitably rise to the top. Don’t slack on your bankroll management and other betting principles just because your intuition may tell you that this is not a “real” esport: the best WoW players easily stack up to the top CS:GO teams and the best Dota 2 squads in terms of individual skill and accolades. Care and attention given to your wagers will always trump a random guess in the long run.

Keep up with the WoW meta

Any changes in the metagame or a big update made by the developers will have an instantaneous and tangible impact on the way World of Warcraft is played at the highest levels. Teams, coaches and players with a knack for innovation will have a leg up on the rest of the competition at these times, and if you know the game very well yourself, these are the moments when you can outperform the bookies’ analysts by going two steps further in your research. This is only possible if you live and breathe the competitive scene, so you can’t just quickly figure out who will win after the latest patch: again, research and dedication will make themselves known in the long run when it comes to WoW betting.

The biggest WoW esports events

The Arena World Championships (AWC)

The World of Warcraft Arena World Championship is the “original” and biggest WoW event in the competitive scene, focusing on PvP (player-versus-player) gameplay. Its growth in 2019 was a part of Blizzard’s investment into their games’ esports scenes, and it’s the main draw of WoW betting as well.

Two three-player teams (with one tank and one healer at most) face each other in an arena, featuring different matchups and compositions for their fights. The regional competitions all feed into the WoW Arena World Championship final at BlizzCon, with a prize pool provided by crowdfunding, showing there’s interest in supporting these competitions beyond the esports betting side of things as well.

The Mythic Dungeon International (MDI)

This relatively new competition is a PvE (person-versus-environment) tournament in World of Warcraft, pitting experienced groups of players against one another in a time trial format across WoW’s toughest dungeons. Relying on the “Mythic Plus” system of raids, the goal is to make it through the level while killing all the bosses, racing each other in separate gameplay instances to victory.

Racing to world-first dungeon clears

A less formal though still important aspect of competitive World of Warcraft esports is the clans racing for the honor of achieving world records on the highest difficulties of new dungeon content whenever a WoW expansion is released. Those who claim these records are part of World of Warcraft lore as much as Sylvanas or Tirion Fordring are. Though WoW betting sites may not offer odds on these events, they efforts get as many, if not more views, than the big tournaments like the Arena World Championship.

Final thoughts

That about covers everything you need to know in order to jump into the exciting world of WoW betting. Of course, our awesome support team is standing by to help you out regarding any concern you may have about WoW tournaments esports betting.

FAQs

Is World of Warcraft free to play?

World of Warcraft now offers a Starter Edition to those interested in experiencing the game without wanting to pay for the initial gameplay experience. These free accounts can level up to 20 and you can also keep playing after that point, albeit without further experience point gain. You also cannot join Guilds or use all in-game comms tools, which is perhaps the biggest limitation on the MMORPG experience alongside the 10-gold cap on your account. Any player with a previously subscribed account will now “revert” to starter status should they not renew their subscription.

What is WoW Classic?

World of Warcraft Classic is a way for players to experience WoW as it originally was at the time of its 2004 release. Launched fifteen years after the game’s original arrival, it hit incredible levels of popularity on Twitch and social media, and now the “classic” experience has progressed to The Burning Crusade, the first expansion pack of the game, which was originally released in 2007. World of Warcraft Classic is free for anyone with a regular subscription to the game. No doubt it’s only a matter of time until World of Warcraft esports branch out to this segment of ultra-committed players.

Is World of Warcraft still getting updates?

Yes, World of Warcraft still has an active development team and new content is regularly added to the title. The latest expansion called Shadowlands launched in 2020, featuring the return of Sylvanas Windrunner and her quest to break the barrier between the realm of mortals and the afterlife. It is the latest content release at this time with major implications on the World of Warcraft esports meta.

How to read WoW betting odds?

Though this can differ across WoW betting sites, we at Rivalry display our betting odds in a decimal format: 1.8 odds, for example, mean that you get 80% profit on your initial bet should you get it right!

Where can I watch WoW esports?

The biggest World of Warcraft betting enthusiasts keep their eye out on the live broadcasts for WoW esports events, which are currently on YouTube thanks to Blizzard’s exclusivity deal with the platform. This means that you can also easily catch up with any events you may have missed. The VODs for the 2020 Arena World Championships are available on the official World of Warcraft esports YouTube channel here.