MLBB betting markets and types you need to know

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) is one of the biggest mobile esports titles with a rapidly growing betting ecosystem around it. Major tournaments like the M-Series, Mid-Season Cup, and regional leagues constantly draw massive viewership. This creates a fertile ground for diverse betting markets to emerge.

If you are curious about the betting scene in MLBB esports, here are some of the most popular markets and types you need to know and understand before you jump in.

There are a lot of options for the best online casinos where you can bet on esports tournament matches, including MLBB. If you’re looking for regional tournaments, there are official professional leagues like MPL Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and many more. 

These regional leagues culminate in major international events like the MLBB Mid-Season Cup and the M-World Series. Needless to say, there is no shortage of matches for you to check out.

Match Winner is the most straightforward and beginner-friendly betting type in MLBB esports. Usually, matches will be settled in “best-of” matches, usually best-of-threes (Bo3) and best-of-fives (Bo5). Your goal is to simply predict which team will win the overall series (first to 2 on a Bo3, first to 3 on a Bo5). 

Unlike League of Legends, most MLBB esports tournaments do not implement Fearless Draft. This is a special ruling where previously picked heroes can no longer be used in that same series. 

However, MLBB does have its own version called the Global Pick-Ban system that applies the same rule as Fearless Draft. This format is usually implemented in the Mobile Legends Development League (MDL), which is an official amateur tournament.

Another easy MLBB market type to bet on at online casinos is Map Winner. For this one, you predict which team will win each game of the series.

In a best-of-one (Bo1), this is the same as the match result. However, for Bo3s and beyond, you can bet on each map result. 

Map Handicap betting adds a spread to the map score to balance uneven matchups. Stronger teams are often given a negative handicap, meaning they must win by a certain margin for the bet to succeed.

For example, a -1.5 handicap on a Bo3 requires the favored team to win 2-0. Meanwhile, the underdog with a +1.5 handicap can still win the bet even if they lose 2-1.

Below is an example of the betting lines for a match between Arora Gaming PH (RORA) and Alter Ego (AE)

The Map Handicap betting market is where you can have a much safer bet, especially during an upset. 

Race to Kills is an in-map betting market in MLBB esports where you predict which team will reach a specific kill count first, such as 5, 10, or 15 kills.

This type of bet heavily favors aggressive teams with early-game compositions. Squads known for fast rotations, early invasions, and skirmish-heavy playstyles often perform well in this market. You can see each team’s kill counts at the top-middle part of the tournament’s stream interface. 

The Total Kills market revolves around the combined number of kills achieved by both teams in a single map. You are usually given an over/under line when betting. An “over” bet predicts that kills will go over the set number. Meanwhile, an “under” bet predicts that the kills will be lower than the set number.

Your wager depends on whether the actual total exceeds or falls short of the bookmaker’s prediction. Match pacing, team aggression, and draft scaling all influence this outcome. Take note of teams that want to play aggressively and those who prefer to focus on objectives to win matches.

Map Duration is a betting market type in MLBB esports that focuses on how long a single game will last. This is typically measured in minutes and seconds. Similar to Total Kills, this market uses an over/under format.

Fast-paced lineups with early push potential may lead to shorter games. Meanwhile, late-game scaling drafts and defensive playstyles often result in longer map durations.

Kill Handicap applies a kill spread between teams for a specific map. The favored team must secure a higher kill margin after the handicap is applied.

For instance, a -6.5 kill handicap means the team must win the map with at least a 7-kill lead. This market is ideal for betting is you can analyze team dominance beyond just winning the game.

That said, doing research about each participating player, their hero pools, and the game’s meta is key to predicting the outcome of matches. With the right knowledge, you can increase your odds of winning bets in online casinos.

To help you out, we have a monthly MLBB tier list so you can be up to date on the best heroes in the current meta.

MLBB is a five-versus-five (5v5) multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA), similar to games like League of Legends and DOTA 2, but in mobile form. The game is played on a three-lane map. The goal of each team is to destroy the enemy base, often called the Nexus or Crystal, while defending their own. 

Teams are divided into different roles: EXP Laner, Mid Laner, Gold Laner, Jungler, and Roamer. Each role has specific responsibilities that shape how a team approaches the early, mid, and late stages of a match.

The EXP Laner is responsible for holding the side lane alone in the early game. They usually pick sustain-heavy heroes to stay alive until the team is ready to group up. The Gold Laner is on the opposite side of the lane and picks mostly marksman or ranged heroes. They are usually the late-game carries unless the team cooks up a different strategy.

Meanwhile, Mid Laners are often mage heroes positioned at the center of the map and are responsible for rotating between side lanes for support. The Jungler farms neutral monsters to gai buffs and secures major objectives like the Turtle and Lord. They are also responsible for ganking lanes when necessary. Lastly, the Roamer is the support of the team, providing vision, initiating fights, nd protecting the carry. 

Aside from eliminating enemy heroes and pushing lanes, MLBB esports heavily revolves around securing neutral objectives, mainly the Turtle and the Lord.

The Turtle spawns early in the game and provides a teamwide gold and experience boost when defeated. Securing the Turtle gives teams an early economic advantage, allowing core heroes like the Jungler and Gold Laner to scale faster. Because of this, early Turtle fights are common in professional play and often lead to the first major team skirmishes.

The Lord, on the other hand, is a late-game objective and significantly more impactful. When slain, the Lord fights alongside the summoning team and pushes lanes, acting as a powerful siege unit. 

In competitive MLBB esports, objective control is just as important, if not more important, than kill counts. A team can fall behind in kills but still win the match through superior Turtle and Lord control, smart macro play, and coordinated team fights around these high-value objectives.

Between MLBB matches, the map randomly rotates between four types. Each of them has varying terrain and visual changes that add an extra layer of challenge and strategic depth to the game. If you want to know more, check out our deep dive on the MLBB Project NEXT maps. 

That’s it for our guide on the MLBB betting markets and types you need to know. If you plan to dive into the esports betting scene, make sure to always be responsible with your wagers.