League of Legends is one of the biggest esports betting markets in the world! That’s not just because of the electric fanbase that likes to invest money into their favorite game, but it’s also because of massive events like regional championships, LoL Worlds, and Mid-Season Invitationals. The latter is what we’re focusing on. LoL MSI betting is coming up in the world and, as such, it requires our immediate attention!
It’s true, MSI events feature only the best teams out there, and in recent years, they’ve featured some pretty lucrative prize pools as well. The viewership numbers are up there with the best of them, which further polishes MSI’s importance in LoL’s esports scene.
Best Sites for Betting on Mid-Season Invitational in 2023
Kicking things off with betting platforms, did you guys know lots of conventional sports betting platforms feature esports bets? Yep, that’s the world we’re living in! Who would’ve guessed that conventional sports betting platforms would succumb to market pressure and start facilitating esports bets?
Be that as it is, we’re proud to present you with our list of the best sites with Mid-Season invitational betting odds.
You don’t need to worry about the freshness of this list. We update it on a regular basis with the newly gathered information, so you should be all good no matter which one you opt for.
If these bookies aren’t good enough for you, check out our in-depth tutorial on finding good LoL betting platforms! It’s a comprehensive guide focusing on key characteristics of online esports bookmakers. It’s a real must-read if you’re facing issues with finding the ideal solution to best match your online betting preferences.
Key Characteristics of Real Money MSI Gambling Sites
Here are four key characteristics to keep in mind when picking your go-to League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational gambling site.
Ease of Use
This is the most important factor if you’re just starting out. You want to have the easiest possible page-to-page navigation, otherwise, you won’t have any fun using the site. If your first go-to MSI bookie is slow, unresponsive, and takes five steps to go from one esports title to another, you might as well drop the hobby all together!
Supported Payment Methods
No matter what online payment method you’re thinking of using, ensuring your bookie has multiple banking options is of utmost importance. We’re not just talking about credit and debit cards here, but all sorts of online payment gateways and e-wallets, too.
You never know when your preferences are going to change, especially with dynamic things like online payment means. It’s important to be one step ahead in this department, so choosing a bookie that supports numerous options is the obvious way to go!
Competitive League of Legends Odds
If you’re just starting out, you want to maximize your potential earnings. To do so, you need to find a bookie with the lowest profit margins. It all comes down to comparison; compare a few bookies that seem suitable, take a closer look at their LoL MSI odds, and figure out which of them has the highest returns. It’s not nuclear physics. It will only take you a couple of minutes, but the difference is often night and day, especially with accumulators.
Other Esports Betting Markets
Last but not least, there are additional esports markets. Yes, League of Legends is one of the most popular titles people bet on. But the likes of CSGO and Dota 2 are not to be taken for granted either. They both have massive events with deep coverage on online bookmakers.
If you plan on betting not just on LoL but other esports too, make sure your go-to bookie supports them. Checking this it’s simple – explore their betting markets. If you can’t find other esports titles in the esports category alongside League of Legends, then you’re better off elsewhere.
On the bright side, you won’t find many bookies that have LoL but don’t have other esports titles. Given the rapid growth of the esports betting industry, this comes as no surprise.
How to Start Betting on Mid-Season Invitational in 2023
Mid-Season Invitational betting is as old as the esports betting industry itself. Nope, we’re not exaggerating here. The first real wave of esports betting came in 2015, with the rise of online skin gambling sites. We’re not implying MSI had an effect on that, we’re just saying they’re both the same age.
That said, a great number of esports betting enthusiasts have already tested their luck by betting on Mid-Season Invitational matches. But as the game’s player base grows, its betting community does, too! We see new people try to join the scene on a daily basis, flooding us with questions regarding where to look for Mid-Season Invitational betting sites, which wagers to place, where to find all the stats, etc…
The following step-by-step guide is for them, portraying the key steps needed for placing a simple match-winner. Obviously, you can do more complex wagers if your bookie offers them.
- First up, finding where to bet on LoL MSI. Easier said than done, huh? Well, not necessarily. You see, all you have to do is scroll to the top of this page and enjoy our list of the best Mid-Season Invitational betting sites!
- Once you’ve found your ideal esports betting site with Mid-Season invitational odds, it’s time to click that shiny register button and follow the procedure. It won’t take too much of your time, don’t worry!
- After joining, make sure you authorize your account and confirm your email address. You might be asked to fill in your bank account info right off the bat. It all depends on your bookie of choice.
- Now, you need to find Mid-Season Invitational betting odds. Typically, you’ll have to find the esports category first, then find League of Legends as a subcategory. Usually, categories are located either at the top of the page or on the left.
- This is when you’re supposed to make your first bet. But how do you do that? Well, let’s start with the basics! The simplest online esports bets you’ll want to place are called match-winners because, well, you’re supposed to just pick the match-winner.
- Select the team you think will win, enter the amount you wish to bet with, and click that shiny bet button. That’s it! You’ve officially started your very own Mid-Season Invitational betting campaign!
Types of Mid-Season Invitational Betting Options
After checking out our short step-by-step guide explaining the basics of Mid-Season Invitational betting, let’s go ahead and learn about more complex betting schemes. More precisely, let’s talk about advanced esports betting options, also known as esports specials!
Team to Draw First Blood
Why is all this important? Well, a lot of bettors think first blood doesn’t mean a lot so they’re avoiding it, thinking teams don’t think much of it. Obviously, that’s not the truth. Teams do care about first blood as it’s valued at much more than just extra gold.
Typically, these bets are over in the first 10 minutes of the match, sometimes even sooner. If you’re looking for some fast-paced high-stakes action while taking part in some Mid-Season Invitational betting, first blood bets will be right up your alley!
Creep Score by Tenth Minute
Farming, or creep scoring, is the key characteristic of League of Legends and other MOBA games. Sure, kills are awesome, but a good farm is what wins matches! Players fight over it, dance around it, and do all sorts of tricks just to be on top of the opposing lane. There’s a lot of poking going on back and forth, and creep score is usually what decides the mid-game.
As far as this particular LoL MSI betting option goes, esports betting sites typically offer creep score bets for the first 10 and 20 minutes of the game. 10 minutes is our favorite because it’s easier to predict, and the stats make a lot more sense than their 20-minute counterparts.
Team to Destroy First Turret/Inhibitor
Luckily, with Mid-Season Invitational betting, you’re not supposed to guess exactly when these structures will be destroyed but, rather, which team will destroy the first one.
Team to Kill First Baron/Dragon
Talking about global objectives in League of Legends, they don’t come any bigger than Baron Nashor. Dragons are important as well, which is probably why LoL betting sites love facilitating wagers on them. They’re easy to track, relatively easy to predict, but they still offer plenty of upset (and profit) potential.
Match Duration/Score Over/Under
Last but not least, let’s talk about totals! Yep, totals aren’t just reserved for stuff like CS:GO betting but for MOBA games, too! How do totals work in LoL and Mid-Season Invitational betting? Well, there are two main types you can bet on.
- First off, you have match duration totals where esports betting sites specify a rough estimate for the duration and you have to guess if the match will last shorter or longer than that.
- The second type is your typical score duration, based solely on the best of matchups. Let’s take a Bo3 match as an example. Esports bookmakers will specify 2.5 rounds and you’ll have to guess if the result is going to be under or over that number (in other words, 2-1 or 2-0).
Common Mistakes People Make Betting on MSI
Let’s go through the three most common mistakes we see people make when betting on MSI matches:
Chasing Losses
Chasing losses is when players keep depositing more and more money into their betting bankroll, following massive losses, thinking they’ll eventually break even. Obviously, this rarely works to their advantage. Most of the time, people who chase losses end up losing their savings and getting themselves into serious financial trouble.
Not Being Patient
You can’t become a successful esports bettor overnight. It takes lots of hard work and above all, it takes experience! It takes yours to get good at esports betting, especially in complex esports titles such as League of Legends.
Expecting rags from riches stories just isn’t realistic in this hobby. Take it for what it is. A thrilling pastime that can yield some extra profit every now and then.
Trusting Self-Proclaimed Experts
There are lots of fake inside tips for esports matches. It’s not just for MSI betting lines but all across the esports betting ecosystem. Needless to say, you shouldn’t trust them! You also shouldn’t trust self-proclaimed esports betting experts who give you tips without any detailed elaborations. These are either totally random or half-baked. Either way, don’t trust them!
Interesting Facts Regarding LoL MSI
Moving on with our Mid-Season Invitational betting guide, let’s focus a bit on the key factors surrounding MSI events!
- The first-ever Mid-Season Invitational was held in May 2015. It was held in Tallahassee, Florida, and featured six teams (five regional championship winners and one wildcard team.)
- The total prize pool for this event amounted to $200,000, which was pretty high at the time, even for a filler event. Why was it considered a filler? Well, MSI wasn’t planned to be anything more than a small(event to fill the gap between Spring and Summer Splits.
- When it comes to the total prize money won, SKT1 is the dominant champion here with exactly $1 million in their MSI-sponsored bag. RNG is right behind them with $577,000, followed by G2 in the distant third place with “just” $438,000.
- As far as individual domination goes, Faker is the first name on the standings, as if anyone doubted this. He’s the only player in MSI’s history to participate in four events. He’s also among the three players that have won two MSI events—the famous SKT1 trio of Bang, Wolf, and lastly, Faker.
- Mid-Season Invitational betting is the second most popular betting campaign in LoL. It’s second only to the one and only League of Legends World Championship. And it’s no surprise, LoL Worlds betting sites do their best during the biggest LoL event, so it’s only logical that LoL betting enthusiasts are there to cover it.
A Quick Look into the History of LoL MSI Events
For starters, here’s a list of MSI’s total prize pools, winners, and runners-up.
| Year | Prize Pool | Winner | Runner-Up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $250,000 | RNG | DAMWON |
| 2020 | Event Cancelled | ||
| 2019 | $1,000,000 | G2 | Team Liquid |
| 2018 | $1,370,520 | RNGU | Kingzone DX |
| 2017 | $1,690,000 | SKT1 | G2 |
| 2016 | $450,000 | SKT1 | CLG |
| 2015 | $200,000 | EDward | SKT1 |
As mentioned earlier, in the “interesting facts” section, the Mid-Season Invitational betting craze started in 2015. That’s when the first MSI event took place. It was held in Tallahassee, and Edward Gaming took the grand prize after defeating SKT1 in the grand finals. However, SKT1 was having none of it for the next two years, dominating over CLG and G2 in the grand finals.
We’re also looking at increasingly higher prize pools as well as the overall importance and charm of the event in fans’ eyes. Over the years, MSI developed into a small event to fill in gaps between the two splits but evolved into a giant, often labeled as the Worlds before the Worlds.
