Riot’s League of Legends (LoL) esports series has just wrapped up its Spring Split, with every region’s top teams emerging victors. The main regions analysed were:
- LEC Winter. 13 Jan – 18 Feb, 2024. Prize pool: $87,591.56
- LEC Spring. 9 Mar – 14 Apr, 2024. Prize pool: $85,365
- LCS Spring. 20 Jan – 31 Mar, 2024. Prize pool: $200,000
- LCK Spring. 17 Jan – 7 Apr, 2024. Prize pool: $285,494.51
- LPL Spring. 22 Jan – 20 Apr, 2024. Prize pool: $590,667.04
The LCK had an especially successful Spring Split, shattering LoL viewership records with a peak audience of 2.6 million fans. Fans wanted to watch T1’s iconic player Faker take on top teams like Gen.G and KT Rolster. But did the LCK compare to other regions’ splits when it came to betting?
Take part in Abios’ exclusive insight into bettor behaviour based on data the Kambi network during the League of Legends Spring Split across the four largest LoL regions.
Most Popular Bet Offers
In every region, betting on the match winner — or which team bettors felt would win the match — was the most popular bet offer. That’s no surprise since the match outcome is the biggest spectacle.
- LEC – Match Winner at 81%
- LCS – Match Winner at 86%
- LCK – Match Winner at 64%
- LPL – Match Winner at 70%
In the LCK, however, 12% also bet on map handicaps, which was also popular for the LPL at 8% and the LEC at a little over 3%. This means that bettors were potentially not only betting on the most popular teams to win but also hedging their bets to be able to favour underdogs. LCS bettors’ second-most popular bet offer was actually total minutes instead, at 4% of turnover.
Live vs. Pre-Match Betting
In esports betting, live betting, bets placed during a match, is gaining traction.
All regions preferred live betting over pre-match betting, which sometimes has higher stakes and more fast-paced decision-making. The LCK was the region that had bettors placing the most live bets.
- LEC: 56% live betting
- LCS: 56% live betting
- LCK: 57% live betting
- LPL: 65% live betting
Most Bet-On Matchups
Every region has its most popular teams, consistently performing well in competition or having fan-favourite players who make exciting plays. Here are the most bet-on matchups in each region.
LEC:
| Fnatic – MAD Lions | 3% |
| Team BDS – MAD Lions | 3% |
| Fnatic – SK Gaming | 3% |
| G2 Esports – MAD Lions | 3% |
| G2 Esports – Fnatic | 3% |
| Team Vitality – Team BDS | 3% |
| Team BDS – Fnatic | 3% |
LCS
| Cloud9 – 100 Thieves | 4% |
| NRG – Dignitas | 3% |
| Team Liquid – Shopify Rebellion | 3% |
| Cloud9 – Shopify Rebellion | 3% |
| Immortals – 100 Thieves | 3% |
| Team Liquid – Cloud9 | 3% |
| NRG – Cloud9 | 3% |
LCK
| Gen.G – T1 | 4% |
| Hanwha Life – T1 | 3% |
| Dplus KIA – KT Rolster | 3% |
| Dplus KIA – Hanwha Life | 3% |
| KT Rolster – T1 | 3% |
| Kwangdong Freecs – FearX | 3% |
| Hanwha Life – KT Rolster | 3% |
| Nongshim RedForce – Gen.G | 3% |
| DRX – KT Rolster | 3% |
LPL
| FunPlus Phoenix – Ninjas in Pyjamas | 3% |
| Ninjas in Pyjamas – Team WE | 3% |
| Bilibili Gaming – Top Esports | 3% |
| Weibo Gaming – Invictus Gaming | 3% |
| Bilibili Gaming – Top Esports | 2% |
| Bilibili Gaming – Ninjas in Pyjamas | 2% |
| Ninjas in Pyjamas – JD Gaming | 2% |
Interestingly enough, LEC’s Grand Final match was G2 against Fnatic, which wasn’t the most popular matchup for bettors. The most bet-on LCS match wasn’t the Grand Final either, but featured two of the most popular teams. LPL’s Grand Final followed the trend, showcasing that fans preferred to bet on the Upper-Bracket Quarterfinals between FunPlus Phoenix and Ninjas in Pyjamas rather than the Grand Final. It highlights how team or player fandom can triumph over high-stakes matches in betting activity.
RELATED: How Esports Fans Are Betting on League of Legends: Key Data and Insights
LCK’s most bet on matchup was the Grand Final match. It was between T1 and Gen.G though, the most iconic squads in the region.
Most Bet-On Teams
Each region, as you can see, has clear favourites. These teams have the most fans, whether due to iconic players, exciting plays, or consistent W’s. Here were the teams that were bet on the most in each Split:
- LEC: G2 Esports, MAD Lions, Fnatic
- LCS: Cloud9, FlyQuest, NRG
- LCK: Gen.G, T1, Dplus KIA
- LPL: Bilibili Gaming, JD Gaming, Ninjas in Pyjamas
It’s not surprising that these teams were the most popular for bettors. They are consistent performers who win games and make hype plays. They also have a long history in the League of Legends scene (for the most part), so fans can follow their past performances and team updates before and throughout the season to gain better insight into how they’ll do in a given match.
Looking for up-to-date and accurate insights for League of Legends and beyond for your sportsbook? With more than 10 years of experience in esports, Abios provides a data-driven product suite for popular esports titles, such as CS2, League of Legends, VALORANT and Dota 2, to sportsbooks looking to take their esports offering to the next level. Read more here.
