VCT Champions, the world championships in VALORANT, will be played in Seoul, South Korea, in August 2024. It brings together top teams worldwide to clash in a three-week event filled with intense action and engaging plays.
To shed some light on esports fan betting behaviour, Abios has put together fan demographics and the most bet-on teams, markets, and leagues in VALORANT based on betting turnover data from the Kambi network during the second quarter of 2024.
VALORANT Esports Betting Data
Each large esports title has its own demographic and fan base. To craft enticing messaging and markets that VALORANT fans would enjoy, it’s important to understand what aspects of the game they care about and want to bet on.
Demographics and betting habits of VALORANT fans
VALORANT fans are skewed to the younger side, with most fans being Gen Z or millennials. Esports fans are generally digitally native, accustomed to watching esports on one computer screen while playing games or talking with friends on Discord on another.
In terms of betting, they generally prefer live betting over pre-match. Studies have also suggested that esports fans tend to follow players over teams, which can also trickle over into betting, making player props important.
Related: VALORANT vs CS2 – Which game is tougher?
Here’s the age distribution of VALORANT bettors:
| Generation | Age Group | % |
| Gen Z | 19 – 27 year olds | 54% |
| Millennials | 28 – 43 year olds | 41% |
| Gen X | 44 – 59 year olds | 5% |
| Baby Boomers and above | 60+ year olds | 1% |
Top Leagues
VALORANT has multiple leagues that allow each region to show off their top talent. The best of each region will be at the VALORANT Champions. Here are the leagues that have got the most attention during the first half of the year:
| League | % |
| VCT: Americas | 30% |
| VCT: EMEA | 28% |
| VCT: Masters | 21% |
| VCT: Pacific | 9% |
| VCT: CN | 7% |
Top Teams to Watch at VCT Champions Seoul 2024
Two teams have caught fans’ eyes ahead of VCT Champions Seoul. The first is Fnatic. This team appears to be on a major comeback as the season goes on since they signed a new player, Hiro, from Brazil.
The second is Leviatán. This org has arguably the best player in the world, Erick “Aspas” Santos. Even if Leviatán doesn’t improve its performance in Seoul, it will be exciting to watch Aspas pop off.
Gen.G is a top team that will definitely be getting bettors’ attention after winning VCT Masters Shanghai. Paper Rex is another top team from the Pacific Championship. The top teams in the official VALORANT Champions Tour standings are Sentinels and 100 Thieves from the Americas Championship, FNATIC and Karmine Corp. from the EMEA Championship, and China Championship’s EDward Gaming and FunPlus Phoenix.
Some teams get more attention than others thanks to their popular players or consistently good performances. These teams likely are easier to follow thanks to their longer history in the game, making it easier for bettors to keep track of their performances and team changes. Here are the teams that got the most attention from bettors in the first half of 2024:
| Team | % |
| Fnatic | 9% |
| NRG | 6% |
| Team Heretics | 6% |
| Karmine Corp | 5% |
| G2 Esports | 5% |
Top Players
Some players are more standout than others. These are often players that pop off and have incredible moments quite often. Getting a lot of headshots, avoiding elimination, and getting clutch W’s for their teams make players more popular in betting.
Here are the most bet-on players during H1 2024:
| Player | Team | % |
| Derke | Fnatic | 3% |
| trexx | Team Vitality | 3% |
| aspas | Leviatán | 3% |
| cauanzin | LOUD | 3% |
| qck | LOUD | 2% |
Live vs. Pre-Match Betting
Live betting is more common in VALORANT than pre-match, as fans like to follow the action as it happens. Here’s the split between live and pre-match betting in VALORANT during the first half of 2024:
| Live vs Pre-match Split | % |
| Live | 53% |
| Pre-game | 47% |
Top Markets
The winner of the overall match is very clearly the most popular market for VALORANT betting. However, total kills and handicap markets have also been proven popular among bettors.
VALORANT is a round-based game like Counter-Strike 2, with each match consisting of 13 rounds. The first round of each half is particularly interesting, as players start with fewer resources (abilities, weapons and economy) than the rounds after. As such, the outcome is less certain and more entertaining to wager on.
Additionally, even if teams can create a resource advantage in the game by getting a stronger economy for every won round, it doesn’t mean the other team cannot make a comeback. As such, every new 2-minute round is an opportunity to place a bet on the other team winning, creating a fun and engaging live betting experience.
Here are the most popular markets in H1 2024:
| Markets | % |
| Match Winner | 69% |
| Total Kills | 12% |
| Map Handicap | 9% |
| Round Handicap | 4% |
| Round Winner | 2% |
VCT Champions Date & Schedule
VALORANT Champions 2024 begins on August 1 and ends on August 25th. Here’s the full breakdown:
- August 1-11: Group Stage
- August 14-18: Playoffs Stage
- August 23-25: Finals
The Group Stage will have four groups of four teams, each competing in a double elimination style tournament with best-of-three matches. The two top teams from each group will progress to the Playoffs. This will also be double elimination with best-of-three matches. The best of the best will qualify for a spot in the Finals, with a best-of-five Grand Final match that determines who wins it all.
Prize Pool
VCT Champions has an astonishing $2.25 million prize pool. Here’s how it breaks down:
- 1st – $1 million
- 2nd – $400K
- 3rd – $250K
- 4th – $130K
How to Watch the VALORANT Champions 2024
The main ways to watch the VALORANT Champions are on VALORANT’s esports site and the official Twitch channel. The tournament will likely also be co-streamed by industry personalities creating watch parties, adding an additional layer of engagement to viewers of the event.
Get player props and a bet builder for esports
With access to official tournament data for VALORANT through GRID, Abios delivers an automated odds feed built to capture the intense, rapid-action gameplay of esports. It includes player props and supports in-event combinations, allowing users to combine their favourite bets to get more entertainment from each match. Read more here.
