Valve releases Dota Pro Circuit app to bet on esports matches

Valve has released the Dota Pro Circuit app for Android and iOS. The app allows players to follow live matches and read news about teams. The app also comes with a gamble feature to bet in-game money on matches.

The betting system works with every DPC match, Valve writes in a blog post. Users can bet the ingame currency shards on the side they think will win the match. Gamblers get to see who has the best chance of winning and how many shards they can earn. After the game, the users who correctly guessed will get their money. Whoever got it wrong loses the bet.

The gambling feature is notable because, according to VPEsports, Valve previously “advised” professional teams to stop accepting sponsorship from gambling websites. Valve may find the function in the DPC app less of a problem because it is purely about in-game money. Players can only get shards through a Dota Plus subscription. They can buy exclusive items with the currency.

In addition to gambling, the app also allows users to read news and information about matches, players and teams. Users can follow matches with a live minimap feature. Also new is the fantasy challenge feature, which allows users to build teams of esports players. Those teams allow players to compete against others for points and shards.

The app requires a Dota Plus subscription. In addition to the shards, subscribers also get additional features such as a chat wheel, an in-game assistant and analysis tools. A Plus subscription costs 3.50 euros per month. The DPC is the competitive season of Dota 2 and started in September 2018. The season will run until the end of June 2019.