Social Sportsbooks & Esports Betting: Allowing US Gamers to Boost their Fun during the Shangai Major

The Shanghai Major is almost upon us and this guide is here to show you how you can enjoy betting on this epic CS2 tournament. Perfect for adding an extra dimension of interest to the on-screen carnage.

Here you’ll get to see how you can legally bet on the Shanghai Major at a trusted social sportsbook from the majority of states in our nation. Not only that, but you will learn how you can pick up some free credit to bet with using a range of exciting bonus offers.

Social Casino Promo

4.4/5

150% First Purchase Offer: Up to 600K Gold Coins + 303 SC FREE

Welcome Offer

|

21+, Other T&Cs Apply

Copy

Get Bonus

The basics of the Shanghai Major

Chances are that you already know what the Shanghai Major is, but it’s still worth having a quick recap of what it is you’ll actually be betting on. Here are the main points:

• The Shanghai Major is the second Major championship for the Counter Strike 2 esport
• The esports tournament takes place from November 30 to December 15, 2024
• There are 24 teams taking part from Europe, Asia and the Americas
• The defending champions are Natus Vincere
• There is a $1,250,000 prize purse

Who should you be betting on in the Shanghai Major?

While esports is unpredictable at best, we are already starting to get a good idea of who is most likely to win the Shanghai Major. Take a look below to see our predictions about which teams are most likely to reach the eight-team elimination playoffs:

Key players to bet on in the Shanghai Major

While CS2 is a team esport, it’s fair to say that certain players have the power to put in a game-changing performance. Here are just a few esports stars to bet on for tournament MVP along with which teams they are playing for:

• m0NESY (G2)
• Aleksib (Natus Vincere)
• apEX (Vitality)
• chopper (Spirit)
• Brollan (MOUZ)

How to bet on the Shanghai Major

So now you know the basics of what the Shanghai Major is and who is taking part, you will probably be keen to bet on the action. So just follow these simple steps to get started:

1. Click on any of the social sportsbooks listed in the banners of this page
2. Register your account by hitting the Sign Up button on their website and filling in the registration form with your personal details
3. Enter in any promo codes to activate the welcome offer and get your free credit
4. Navigate to the esports betting section of the social sportsbook
5. Click on the Shanghai Major odds that you want to bet on
6. Select which kind of virtual currency you want to bet with and enter your stakes
7. Submit your bet and hope for the best

The legality of social betting on the Shanghai Major from the US

You will probably know that the US has very strict laws about online sports betting, and things get even stricter when it comes to esports.

The good news is that social sportsbooks are legal in way more states compared to regular online sportsbooks. This is because social sportsbooks don’t actually let you bet with real money. Instead you will be betting with virtual currencies that are usually called the following:

• Gold Coins: These are just used to bet on sports and esports for fun meaning that you cannot redeem any prizes with them. You can either purchase Gold Coins or get them for free through a range of different bonuses.
• Sweepstakes Coins: These let you bet on sports and esports in a promotional sweepstakes mode. If you manage to win back enough Sweepstakes Coins you may be able to redeem them for a real-world prize. Just note that Sweepstakes Coins can only be given away for free.

Just remember that you will usually have to be at least 18 years old to use social sportsbooks. Plus each state has the power to decide which social betting sites to operate within their borders. For example, if you read our Rebet review, you’ll see that this brand is currently unavailable to customers in Idaho and Nevada.

Social Casino Promo

4.9/5

625K Golden Coins + Up to 125 SC FREE + 1250 VIP Points

Welcome Offer

|

18+, Other T&Cs Apply

Open Real Prize

Get Bonus

Different ways to bet on the Shanghai Major

Just like any other sport or esports league or tournament, the Shanghai Major will present you with a variety of different betting options. Here are just some of the different ways that you can bet on the action:

• Futures bets: These tend to be long-range bets, such as a bet on whether Natus Vincere will win the tournament again, or whether FaZe can reach the semi-finals.
• Match-winner bets: Also known as money line bets, these are probably the most popular kinds of bets and it means that you could bet on something like Imperial to beat Liquid and so on.
• Map winner: Here you will be betting on the winner of each individual map, such as whether Rare Atom will win the first map in their game against Vitality.
• Total rounds per map: These are a kind of totals bet where you just have to bet whether the total number of rounds in a map will be a higher or lower amount than a number set by the sportsbook.

Simple tips for betting on the Shanghai Major

Before you go, here are some handy tips that you can use for betting on this massive CS2 contest:

Pros and cons of social betting on the Shanghai Major

Of course, you might not be totally sold on using a social sportsbook rather than a regular online sportsbook for betting on things like the Shanghai Major. So here are the key reasons as to why a social sportsbook could be worth a closer look:

Conclusion - Enjoy betting on the Shanghai Major

By now you should have everything you need to enjoy some quality social betting on the Shanghai Major. After all, brands like Rebet have shown that you can enjoy social betting in the majority of states across the US, and you can do it all without having to spend any of your own cash.

Just remember that esports betting is risky at the best of times, so be sure to bet responsibly. But for now, sign up to one of the social sportsbooks listed here and bet on the Shanghai Major.

Social Casino Promo

4.6/5

25 Stake Cash + 560K Gold Coins + 3.5% Rakeback

Welcome Offer

|

21+, Other T&Cs Apply

Copy

Get Bonus

To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Jason Bevilacqua as part of our fact-checking process.