What Is Virtual Sports Betting?
Essentially, virtual sports betting is the act of wagering on virtual sports – events or competitions that aren’t held in real-life and are instead virtual. The games are played out by computer software which mimics a real-life event. Like with traditional sports betting and depending on the sport you’re betting on, you can wager on who or what you believe will win the game.
How Does It Work?
Virtual sports games work just like traditional sports betting, you simply navigate towards the game or event that you want to wager on and then place your bet. Unlike with most traditional sports bets, virtual betting is always done in real-time, so you’ll have to place a bet while watching the game.
Fortunately, most virtual sports games only run for around a minute or so in length as games are cut dramatically short. Virtual games’ short length means that virtual betting operators can run games frequently. In fact, you’ll find that virtual betting games and events take place every two or three minutes all day long. This means you can enjoy betting on virtual sports games whenever you want without having to worry about whether or not you’ll have time to place a bet before a game finishes.
After placing a bet, it will usually be settled within seconds since virtual games are so short. After this, if you are correct the winnings will be automatically credited to your account or you will lose the bet. You can then place a bet on the next virtual game or move on.
One of the great aspects of playing virtual sports games is that they feature life-like graphics and animations as well as life-like sound effects to provide a very immersive experience. When playing, you’ll actually be amazed at the amount of detail and effort that went into these games!
What Virtual Sports Can You Bet On?
Compared to traditional sports betting, there aren’t many virtual games to bet on. There’s quite a limited selection since virtual games take a fair bit of work to create, but they’re all worth trying. The most common types of virtual games available in the UK include:
- Football
- Greyhound racing
- Horse racing
- Motor racing
Generally speaking, you’ll be able to find all of the above virtual games at a UK online casino or betting website, and there may be some slight variations of the above games which means gaming much more fun. However, some websites offering virtual betting games may offer additional games like tennis and basketball, but these are somewhat rare to find.
Where Can You Find Virtual Sports Betting?
As already mentioned, virtual sports games are usually found at sports betting websites but some online casinos have begun offering the service too. If you’re thinking of registering with a website that offers sports betting services, you can find some of our top suggestions below.
BGO Casino
BGO Casino is a popular online casino operated by BGO Entertainment Limited. The website is best known for offering a wide selection of online casino games as well as for offering regular promotions to enjoy and slot tournaments to compete against other players with. If that isn’t enough, BGO also offers a range of bingo rooms for you to play in along with virtual sports betting on games like football, horse racing, and so much more! Check out our BGO review for more details on the games you can play and more.
Betway
Betway is a popular sports betting website in the UK. The website allows you to wager on various sports games like football, golf, eSports, basketball, rugby, and more. The brand also runs an online casino where you can enjoy video slots, table games, jackpots, and so much more. Finally, Betway also runs a virtual sports betting service where you can place bets on virtual games like football, cycling, greyhound racing, and more. There’s also a great selection of promotions for you to enjoy and try out! Want to find out more? Take a look at our Betway review here!
888 Casino
888 Casino is a very popular online casino website in the United Kingdom. The site offers players a very generous welcome bonus along with plenty of other promotions too. 888 Casino primarily offers a wide selection of casino games including video slots, table games, jackpots, and more. The site is also home to virtual sports games too including football, darts, cricket, horse racing, and so much more. Discover more about 888 Casino here in our review.
Mansion Bet
Our final recommendation is Mansion Bet, a leading sports betting website and online casino. Here, you can enjoy various sports games like football and racing, as well as traditional casino content like video slots, jackpots, and so much more. Alongside this and all of its regular promotions and bonuses, Mansion Bet also provides players with a wide selection of virtual sports games including football, tennis, cycling, racing, and plenty more. Read our full Mansion Bet review here for more information.
These are some of the websites that we’ve reviewed that offer virtual sports betting content. If they’re not for you, we suggest looking at reviews of our sports betting websites, some of which offer virtual sports betting. Go ahead and flick through our reviews, find a website you like, and then sign up to enjoy everything it offers you.
Do You Have Any Virtual Sports Betting Tips?
For many first-timers, virtual sports betting can be a little overwhelming. However, we’ve decided to put together a few virtual sports betting tips to help you when it comes to placing these bets. Take a look at them below:
1. Start off slow and simple
This is particularly important if you’re new to virtual sports betting or gambling in general. As we’ve mentioned, virtual sports games run every two or three minutes, but that doesn’t mean you have to bet on all of them. Take your time and start off slow, bet only on simple games like football and once you understand how virtual betting works or you become more confident, then feel free to play more.
2. Register with a site offering other content
It’s also important to register with a website that offers more than just virtual betting or sports betting because you will get bored if all you do is bet on virtual games. Register with a site that offers lots of content, it will help keep you entertained and prevent you from getting bored or frustrated with the virtual games and how similar they are. It’s also worth pointing out that you should try and register with a website that offers lots of virtual games rather than just one or two.
3. Enjoy promotions and bonuses
Most online casinos and sports betting websites offer promotions and bonuses to players, particularly first-time depositors. We suggest you try and use these promotions and bonuses on virtual sports games, it’s a great way to potentially make more wins and can make playing much more fun.
4. Bet carefully
When you are betting on virtual sports games, make sure that you only bet small amounts and don’t go overboard. This will help you stay in-check when playing and can prevent gambling-related harm. We also suggest you avoid chasing any losses by placing more bets. All of this goes in-hand with our final tip…
5. Monitor yourself
Gambling is fun but you should always ensure that you monitor your activity and your spending. Set a limit for yourself to prevent you from developing any gambling-related harm. Remember, gambling is supposed to be fun!
Virtual Sports Betting Vs Traditional Betting
Although virtual games and traditional sports betting work similarly, there are some stark differences between the two activities. First of all, virtual games are not based on real-life characters, players, or events – they’re all made up and run by external software. Another huge difference between virtual betting and traditional sports betting is that games are held every two to three minutes all day long, which gives players the option to bet as much as they want when they want.
Unfortunately, the fact that these virtual sports games are held so frequently and are so short may make them feel other casino games rather than sports. The fact that all players in the game are fictional and that these games do not include real-life locations, people or events may also make the activity somewhat boring. Finally, virtual sports betting can be harder to play since you cannot research players and teams, essentially making virtual sports betting more of a game of chance than anything else.
What you prefer will be down to personal opinion; do you want to play and bet on real-life games and events that other people will be discussing or you do simply want to enjoy quick, fast games that run all day? Virtual sports betting may be better for you if you’re someone who has limited time to play, wants to bet more frequently than traditional betting allows, or for someone who simply enjoys the unpredictability of virtual games.
Questions & Answers (FAQ)
Where can I find a virtual sports betting strategy?
Unfortunately, there aren’t really any virtual sports betting strategies to follow since the outcome of virtual games are dependent on the software that runs the game. This means that all virtual games are completely unpredictable. However, we did share a few virtual sports betting tips in our guide which you may find helpful.
Is virtual sports betting safe?
Yes, as long as you play at a licensed online casino or sports betting website. All the online casinos and betting websites we suggest here are licensed by the UK Gambling Commission which means it’s completely safe to play at.
Are virtual games better than normal betting?
That’s completely up to you! We suggest you have a read through our guide on virtual sports betting to determine whether or not it’s worth playing. If it is, find a site that offers these virtual games and go for it. If not, take a look at some other casino games to find something that does appeal to you.
What are the best virtual sports betting sites?
We’ve listed several of our best virtual sports betting sites and we suggest you take a look at our in-depth reviews of these websites. If they don’t interest you, however, it may be a good idea to look through some of our sportsbook reviews to find a site you do enjoy.
What virtual games can I bet on?
Most websites offering virtual sports betting provide you with greyhound racing and football. However, as we explained in our guide, some sites may offer other games so it’s important to check with them before you register and make a deposit.