During the first year there was $2.6 million up for grabs. This made it the third most lucrative esports prize pool of 2015. Well known competitions such as the League of Legends World Championships had lower rewards despite being considered more high profile at the time.
Gamblers can watch the SWC via online streams and place wagers on the matches. A range of bookies open markets based around this tournament.
Smite belongs to the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) genre. Since its release the game has been free to play. This is a common aspect of many of the most popular esport titles. Smite is currently available on several different platforms. This includes PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.
The player takes on the role of a mythological figure such as a god or goddess. They engage in team based combat matches. Each different character will have a unique ability to utilize during the fight. The team needs to come up with a winning strategy to outsmart both opponent players and NPC minions.
Smite esport championships such as the SWC tend to focus on player versus player modes. Consequently, gamblers need to familiarize themselves with how these matches work. It is also important to learn about the pros and cons of each specific god.
Only a dozen of them are available for free on a monthly basis. However, it is possible to unlock more by spending in-game currencies and completing challenges.
Professional players like to personalize their god characters with unique skins and emotes. However, events such as the SWC will usually restrict performance upgrades to make matches as fair as possible. It is important to take this into consideration when making a wager.