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Virtual sports betting is a simulation played by the computer, rather than a livestream like you’d find with real sports and esports. Try betting on virtual sports like football, horse racing and more.
In this article, you’ll learn everything you need to know about the meaning of virtual sports gambling. Read our in-depth guide for virtual sports betting secets, tips and tricks. But first, read below to find the best virtual sports betting odds and bonuses of 2024!
Players who want to start and gamble on sports events have to open an account at a safe and legal operator. If you are looking for the best virtual sports betting sites, you can have a look on the following list, pick one and try all of its services. We recommend:
Latest offer
Welcome Offer
Up to €30 in Free Bets
No Welcome Offer
100% up to €100
Bet €10 get €10
Bet365 has one of the best virtual sports betting sites since 2000. It’s regulated by the Gambling Commission and provides one of the biggest sportsbook portfolios.
At bet365, you’ll find 8 types of virtual sports events, like virtual horse racing, greyhound racing, tennis, soccer, cycling, motor racing, speedway and even trotting, played every 3 minutes.
Out of all of their virtual sports, virtual football is usually a punter first pick, as it reminds of the most popular soccer leagues and events. In this category of virtual soccer, punters can place bets on the World Cup, Premiership or Superleague teams.
Apart from the virtual sports selection, you’ll get to learn more about the esports section events. To understand more about this topic, read the bet365 esports review. The bookie is full of CS:GO betting opportunities (ESL, ESEA, ECS tournaments). You can also bet on LoL, bet on Fortnite, bet on Starcraft 2, or bet on Dota 2 matches. So, if you are a fan of virtual sports but also a gamer, this bookie will cover a wide range of your betting preferences.
In order to gamble on Betway virtual sports games online, select the “SPORTS” menu and scroll the “All Sports” table until you find the “Virtual Sports” section. They have virtual football matches, horse, cycling and greyhound races, trotting, plus motor and speedway events.
The matches/races start from 3 to 3 minutes. If you select virtual football, the bets are various, starting from win/draw/win, total goals, to half time/full time and so much more.
While Betway offers plenty betting opportunities on virtual football, there aren’t many stakes available on other virtual sports, like greyhound races or horse races.
Besides virtual sports, Betway offers plenty of esports wagering opportunities as well, including CS:GO, Dota and Valorant betting. Read our complete Betway bookmaker review to learn more!
Pinnacle has the largest virtual sports portfolio, with over 30 different sports. These include virtual football matches from the likes of Spanish FastLeague, Italian FastLeague and Virtual World Cup, as well as Instant Speedway, Horses, Greyhounds or Trotting races. You’ll even find Pro-Pong table tennis!
The operator is also helping their clients with virtual predictions for various matches. And if that wasn't enough, Pinnacle is also a premier esports betting site. You can bet on Rocket League, bet on King of Glory, bet on World of Warcraft and more. Find the full catalogue of esports to bet on with our Pinnacle esports review.
Virtual sports betting is an animated simulation that recreates the general atmosphere of football matches or races that take place in real life. Virtual sports are played out by a computer program, with their outcome determined by a Random Number Generator (RNG).
Even though there is no real human element to them, they are appealing due to their graphics, sound effects and fast-paced nature. Best of all, they let punters place bets all year round – whether the sport’s in season or not!
Given that virtual sports are simulations at the end of the day, many players ask us if they are subject to the same laws and regulations as standard sports and esports betting .We personally verify that our recommended bookies have certifiably fair RNGs for all their virtual sporting events, so as to prevent tampering.
As you may know, licensing houses like MGA or UKGC require this certification – among others – to make sure that the operator functions honestly. We will talk more about this in the following topics – for now, let’s take a look at how people first got started betting on virtual sports.
Bettors should know that virtual sports are legal and fair. You have to gamble on sites that have a license provided by authorities like MGA, the Government of Curaçao or the Gambling Commission. Apart from that, there are other aspects to be considered, such as the fairness of the games.
When a bookie wants to get a license from one of the regulatory bodies, it has to get its RNG verified by agencies like eCOGRA. That certificate validates that all of the virtual sports and the rest of the products that require the Random Number Generator are fair.
Now that we’ve established the history and legality of virtual sports betting, let’s learn how to actually make virtual bets. To make it easier, just follow our step-by-step guide below.
Virtual sports betting software is always developing, with continuous innovation from game companies like NSoft, 1×2 Gaming, Betradar, Leap Gaming, iSoftBet and Golden Race.
In the near future, we expect to find even more virtual sports inspired by real-life sports like cricket, hockey and more. But for now, let’s take a look at the top 5 most popular games among punters.
Virtual Football is a duel between two teams, whether based on real ones – like Manchester United and Real Madrid – or fictitious. It may seem like a live-streamed match, but it’s not! The action of a virtual football match is compressed into no more than 3 minutes, even faster than a standard match in FIFA.
And like with FIFA betting, you can also use an esports betting app to make wagers on simulated football games from your mobile phone.
Virtual Motorsports are known as VMS (Virtual Motorcycle Speedway). You can place bets on one or more of the six contestants that compete one against the other one. All participants race on a circuit until one of them is declared the winner. You’ll find car races, bike races or motorcycle races – all inspired by real-life motorsport rallies.
The third-most popular form of virtual sports betting is digital greyhound dog races. You can choose from up to one or more dogs out of the six. The bets types are win, place and forecast.
These races are faster than other virtual sports simulations, only taking from 15 to 30 seconds (depending on the game developer). All of the greyhounds are nicely animated, accompanied by short statistics of how many races they won or other characteristics.
Horse racing may be one of the oldest sports in the world. The real experience of betting and watching the race from lodges is priceless, but today you can do that online, with only a few clicks – and it’s similarly fun and thrilling to watch!
Some games can have special features like a bonus wheel that will multiply a winning bet. There are maximum 12 contestants. You can place main bets (who wins), special bets (even number horses to win, lucky 8 to finish in the first 3, etc.) or forecast bets.
Many virtual tennis games let you pick up either famous or fictitious players that then compete against one another. You can place multiple bets starting with the match stakes to the best point and the correct score.
Besides that, this virtual sporting game accurately simulates the atmosphere of a live tennis match using sound effects to mimic the screams of the crowd or the racquet hitting the tennis ball. You have the option to “end the game” whenever you want, in case you’re anxious to see the final results.
If in the past virtual betting sites were limited in their virtual sports games selection, now they provide a much larger portfolio with even more matches and races. The stakes can be placed on a variety of betting markets, depending on your choice.
For instance, the most popular markets for punters who opt for football can bet on the winning team, the forecast, tricast, each way, etc., while for those who opt for races the top pick is to bet on the winner. Here are the most important markets you’ll find when betting on virtual sports events.
Virtual sports betting tips can make a big difference while gambling, as they can boost your chances to win if they are used in the right moment and with the right amount of luck.
Before real money betting, note that there aren't any virtual sports betting hacks to guarantee a win. But here are some virtual betting secrets to help you make smarter wagers.
There are so many virtual sports betting events to choose from, that it may seem difficult to pick the right one for you. Before starting to gamble on them, keep in mind a few pros and cons of these virtual matches and/or races.
● Constantly new betting opportunities
● A match or race usually takes no longer than a few seconds or minutes
● Virtual sports are mobile-friendly
● Virtual sports can glitch, which can cause headaches that you’ll need to resolve with the bookie’s Customer Support
While betting on virtual sports can be great fun, it’s important to remember one key thing – virtual sports are just a visualization played by the computer, and not an actual livestream!
By contrast, you can watch esports streams to follow competitive video game action in real time and make in-match wagers – whether you bet on SMITE, bet on Call of Duty, bet on Street Fighter V or on other classic esports.
There are plenty of similarities and differences between simulation sports, esports betting and virtual sports. Simulation sports are virtual contests held between two AI computers on video games like Madden Football or Mortal Kombat. The games are controlled by the RNG that establishes the outcome from the beginning, and then you watch them unfold.
Only in esports will you find contests between real humans, unlike in the cases of simulation sports and virtual sports betting. In esports, the outcome is determined by professional skills and strategies used to defeat the other team.
In 1961, John Burgeson, a former IBM engineer, created the first version of virtual baseball, as he and his brother were huge fans of the sport. The game was available on an IBM 1620 device, and it was pretty primitive but innovative for that time.
The Burgeson brothers improved the virtual baseball game by including famous baseball players like Babe Ruth or Joe DiMaggio. The game turned out to be a hit and, in the same year – 1961 – virtual sports were officially born.
As they looked promising for the future, developers made games inspired from football matches to racing. Over time, the technology has evolved, and now developers focus on developing virtual sports with cutting-edge graphics and sounds, as well as more virtual sports betting markets than ever.
Gambling on virtual sports reached its peak in 2020, when the global Covid-19 pandemic started. As many real sports matches were put on hold or even cancelled, punters had to find an alternative – which led them to pick up virtual sports betting events.
Virtual sports are animated sporting contests that create entertaining visuals and audio, with their outcomes determined by an RNG. One of the biggest advantages here is that you can gamble on them all year round without waiting for official competition.
If you are ready to start virtual sports betting, take a look at one of our recommended esports bookmakers offering virtual sports wagers to give it a try today! Always remember to gamble responsibly.
All of our recommended virtual sports betting sites must have both SSL and eCogra encryption verification. SSL assures the user that all of his/her personal and financial data are encrypted, while the eCogra ensures the fairness and randomness of the virtual sports events.
The most played virtual sports are virtual football, horse & greyhound races as well as tennis.
Yes! There are special bonuses you can use to bet on virtual sports, including bonus cash and/or free bets. Check out our recommended operators to find your favourite!
The best tips to follow when gambling on virtual sports is to start and bet small amounts of money – especially because the outcome of the game is unpredictable – to have a closer look at your losses, and to use a bonus to boost your bankroll.
Yes! You can bet from your mobile phone on virtual sports, directly from the browser or the mobile application. For instance, one of the best virtual sports betting apps on the market is bet365.
There are new matches to bet on every 3 minutes and plenty of virtual sports to select from the bookie portfolio. They are also on the market all year round, 24/7. Besides that, ame developers have optimised virtual sports for bookmakers’ mobile applications, so that you can play them on the go.
Virtual sports are animated sporting contests, played out entirely by a computer via a Random Number Generator (RNG). They are available all year round and have plenty of virtual sports events, from virtual football to different types of races. The events take place every 3 minutes, and can last from only a few seconds to 2-3 minutes per match/race.
Virtual sports betting is fair and random and it cannot be rigged by legitimate operators. If a bookie were to falsify its games, it would lose its license and cease to operate on the iGaming market. To obtain and maintain licensure, online bookies must have their RNG vetted by third-party testing agencies, such as eCOGRA or GLI.
It can be! Virtual sports betting can payout profits like any other form of gambling. However, since the matches/races happen very quickly, you should manage your bankroll with a lot of attention, and know when to stop. Never wager money that you can not afford to lose, and don’t forget that luck is decisive in any gambling session.
There is no surefire virtual sports betting solution, since a Random Number Generator (RNG) is the thing that creates the final result. In the end, virtual sports betting is partially about smart betting strategies, but it is mostly determined by luck.