Most famous for making video gaming adults all over the world feel like geriatric leeches squeezing the last dregs of their youth out of a sweaty Xbox controller, it turns out that some people take Activision's Call of Duty pretty seriously.
The competitive CoD season consists of a series of third party organised events, mostly by Major League Gaming, around Europe, North America, South America and Australia - and a World Championship final at the end of the year.
Free bets
Loyalty bonuses
Odds boosts during major tournaments
There are a lot of great online bookies out there that offer eSports betting for UK punters - and some not so great. So how do you sort the top of the ladder sites from the rest?
Luckily for you, we've collected an incredibly useful list of the best sites for UK eSports bettors to put down real money bets on Call of Duty. From great promotions and free bet offers to slickly designed sites that allow you to see all the information you need at a glance - all of our recommended sites will have you set up and ready to bet faster than a rage quitter leaves an S&D game after dying to a spawn grenade 10 seconds in.
British online bookmakers understand the value of eSports as a betting market, and so they are constantly coming up with new and better offers and deals to encourage fans of the more niche games to put bets down. Despite its huge popularity and great sales figures, betting real money on Call of Duty competitive matches has not yet reached the massively profitable state that it has the potential to.
To this end, online bookies offer a range of betting promotions for eSports customers - on top of all their usual offers. These can include:
Editors Pick
100%
100% deposit bonus of up to £30
T&Cs Apply
New UK & Ireland customers only. £10. First deposit matched up to £30. 1x wagering at odds of 1.75 to unlock Free Bet. Credit Card, Debit Card & PayPal deposits only. Full Terms apply.
Players Favourite
£30
Bet £10 get £30 when you place your first bet
T&Cs Apply
New customers only – Minimum deposit of £10 using deposit code 30F - A qualifying bet is a ‘real money’ stake of at least £10 placed on any sports market - Minimum odds of 1/2 (1.5) - Free bets credited upon qualifying bet settlement and expire after 7 days - Free bet stakes not included in returns - Deposit balance is available for withdrawal at any time. General deposit method & withdrawal restrictions apply & Full Terms apply.
Outright bets, as the name might suggest, are bets on your chosen team to win a match or tournament outright. Only a victory will doin - a draw, a second-place finish or a loss will not win you the bet. These are the most common form of eSports bets and are usually the kind of wager that comes to mind when a novice bettor thinks about sports betting.
Accumulators are a collection of outright bets added together - if you fail to predict one victory, then you don't get the payout. The difficulty of predicting multiple bets is matched by the multiplied odds, meaning eSports bettors can get huge payouts from low stakes.
In play bets are a staple of sports betting sites nowadays, and eSports are no exception. Call of Duty online betting is also extremely suited to this kind of betting, as games are staggered into rounds - meaning in play bets can be put down and resolved very quickly.
Special bets are bets on game specific outcomes - in Call of Duty betting, this can mean anything from next map victory to longest killing spree or most bombs defused. Special bets are often harder to predict with accuracy so are unsuitable for serious eSports bettors looking to consistently make real money. However, they can be a fun wager to put down among friends or for a quick flutter.
Since real money eSports betting is generally a younger person's game, UK online bookies have taken the opportunity to improve their mobile platforms considerably for eSports.
Furthermore, due to the mainly text based nature of sports betting sites, you'll be able to access them quickly and easily regardless of the model of device you own - as long as it can access the internet. Some bookmakers will also offer exclusive bonuses for mobile sports bettors, so it's worth checking out a range of sites from our top list to find the one most suited to the way you bet!
When it comes to making good eSports bets, if you want to win and not just have a casual flutter for fun, then there is no substitute for professional scene knowledge.
Since eSports are a (relatively) new market for many UK bookmakers, and Call of Duty isn't the biggest eSport out there, there are many chances for knowledgeable CoD punters to take advantage of value odds. Of course, if you don't know odds then you might not recognise when a team's chances have been underrated - so that leads us onto the second of our Call of Duty betting core tips.
Unfortunately, there's far too much history in the Call of Duty professional scene for us to go into here - but what we can help you with is odds! We have an excellent odds guide page that runs through all the basics - and a handy odds calculator should you not have time to put down the pad and stop owning people on Call of Duty to do some research. Don't ever say we don't treat you right, eh?
Whether you're betting on Luminosity to beat Cloud 9 in an Uplink match at MLG Anaheim or Manchester City to beat Bournemouth in the Premier League, a bet is always better when its free! These kinds of offers are really a no-brainer way to boost your betting bankroll - and they come with less restrictions than the equivalent deposit bonuses in online casino gaming.
Odds boosts are a little more complicated, and you may be limited to a max bet in some cases, but they are still a good way to increase the payout of a great CoD eSports bet. Odds boosts are also usually only available during high profile tournaments, such as the Call of Duty World League Championships (or CWLC), which is the main event of the CoD season with a $1.5 million prize pool.
T&Cs Apply
New UK & Ireland customers only. £10. First deposit matched up to £30. 1x wagering at odds of 1.75 to unlock Free Bet. Credit Card, Debit Card & PayPal deposits only. Full Terms apply.
T&Cs Apply
New customers only – Minimum deposit of £10 using deposit code 30F - A qualifying bet is a ‘real money’ stake of at least £10 placed on any sports market - Minimum odds of 1/2 (1.5) - Free bets credited upon qualifying bet settlement and expire after 7 days - Free bet stakes not included in returns - Deposit balance is available for withdrawal at any time. General deposit method & withdrawal restrictions apply & Full Terms apply.
T&Cs Apply
18+ only, new customers only, gamble responsibly. Full Terms apply.
T&Cs Apply
New online customers only, min £10 stake, win only, min odds 1/2, free bets paid as 3x £10, 30 day expiry, free bet/payment method/player/country restrictions apply. Full Terms apply.
T&Cs Apply
New customer offer. Place 5 x £10 or more bets to receive £20 in free bets. Repeat up to 5 times to receive maximum £100 bonus. Min odds 1/2 (1.5). Exchange bets excluded. Full Terms apply.
T&Cs Apply
New UK & Ireland customers only. £10. First deposit matched up to £30. 1x wagering at odds of 1.75 to unlock Free Bet. Credit Card, Debit Card & PayPal deposits only. Full Terms apply.
T&Cs Apply
New customers only – Minimum deposit of £10 using deposit code 30F - A qualifying bet is a ‘real money’ stake of at least £10 placed on any sports market - Minimum odds of 1/2 (1.5) - Free bets credited upon qualifying bet settlement and expire after 7 days - Free bet stakes not included in returns - Deposit balance is available for withdrawal at any time. General deposit method & withdrawal restrictions apply & Full Terms apply.
T&Cs Apply
18+ only, new customers only, gamble responsibly. Full Terms apply.
T&Cs Apply
New online customers only, min £10 stake, win only, min odds 1/2, free bets paid as 3x £10, 30 day expiry, free bet/payment method/player/country restrictions apply. Full Terms apply.
T&Cs Apply
New customer offer. Place 5 x £10 or more bets to receive £20 in free bets. Repeat up to 5 times to receive maximum £100 bonus. Min odds 1/2 (1.5). Exchange bets excluded. Full Terms apply.
T&Cs Apply to All Bonuses. 18+ only. Gamble Responsibly.
You can bet money on Call of Duty during any of the major tournaments each year, at most of our top recommended betting sites. All you have to do is sign up, deposit some funds into your account and place your bet - whether you'll win or not, is another thing entirely.
The odds for Call of Duty betting work in the same way as normal sports betting, be they fractional, decimal or line odds. In the UK, fractional odds are usually the bookies choice. If you don't understand odds, our handy odds guide will have you analysing chances like a pro in no time at all - so check it out!
Of course! Online bookies in the UK are always looking to attract more eSports bettors and bonuses are a big part of that. From welcome bonuses to odds boosts and loyalty rewards, you'll be certain to find a great bonus at our recommended eSports betting sites.
As well as all the usual sports bets (match or tournament outrights, accumulators and in play bets), you can also make Call of Duty special bets such as longest killing spree, most kills or deaths and a variety of other interesting and unique wagers.
Right here! All of our top recommended betting sites have dedicated eSports sections that offer Call of Duty betting during major tournaments, and if you visit one of these you can be sure of a reputable, safe and smooth online betting experience.