Virtual Sports Betting
Last Updated: 7 Dec 2022Virtual sports betting is very much a modern phenomenon, tapping into the ‘everything now’ culture created by new technologies that facilitate instantaneous betting opportunities on a variety of sports, with the action simulated using computer graphics.
- Our Top Pick1
Established 2022#ad. 18+. Gamble Responsibly. Begambleaware.org. New Customers Only. Max one £10 free bet. Qualifying bets must be placed at odds of 1/1 (2.00) or greater. Paid as bonus token with min 4/5 (1.80) odds req. Skrill, neteller & paypal not eligible. T&Cs apply. - 2
Established 2006#ad. 18+. Gamble Responsibly. Begambleaware.org. New UK customers only. Min Stake: £5. Maximum Free Bet: £30. First bet on a Football or Horse Racing multiple with 3+ selections. Overall odds: 3.00 (2/1) or higher. Free Bets available upon settlement of the qualifying bet. 50 Extra Spins on Big Bass Bonanza (£0.10 per spin) credited on settlement of qualifying Acca bet. No wagering requirements on extra spin winnings. Debit Card deposit only (exclusions apply). This offer is valid 7 days from the new account being registered. Bet the Responsible Way. Full terms apply. - 3
Established 2005#ad. 18+. Gamble Responsibly. Begambleaware.org. New UK only. Register with promo code WELCOME40, Bet £10+ on Sports in one transaction. Get £30 Free Bets & £10 extra spins within 10hrs of bet settlement. Bonuses expire 7 days after issue. Min odds, eligibility & payment exclusions apply. Full T&Cs apply. - 4
Established 2023#ad. 18+. Gamble Responsibly. Begambleaware.org. #AD New customers only, min deposit £10, wagering 40x, max bet £5 with bonus funds. Max bonus is 100% up to £100. No max cash out on deposit offers. Welcome bonus excluded for players depositing with Skrill or Neteller. Cashback is cash with no restriction. Full T&C’s apply. +18, Please Gamble responsible. BeGambleAware.org - Full Terms Apply - 5
Established 1946#ad. 18+. Gamble Responsibly. Begambleaware.org. 18+ New customers only. Opt in, bet £10 at odds 2.00+ within 7 days, no cashout. Get 6x £5 Free Bets, set events at odds 2.00+. 7 day bonus expiry. Debit Card / Apple Pay payments only. Click for T&Cs. Please Gamble Responsibly.
- 6
Established 2019#ad. 18+. Gamble Responsibly. Begambleaware.org. New players only, Maximum bonus is £123, Max bet with bonus is £5, No max cash out, Wagering is 50x – Skrill & Neteller excluded, Eligibility is restricted for suspected abuse. Full T&C’s apply. - Full Terms Apply
- 7
Established 2003#ad. 18+. Gamble Responsibly. Begambleaware.org. New bettors; Code BET50 ; Wager deposit & bonus 8x; Max qualifying bet stake=initial bonus; Valid 60 days; Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. - Full Terms Apply
- 8
Established 2022#ad. 18+. Gamble Responsibly. Begambleaware.org. New customers only. Opt in & bet via mobile up to £40 (min. £20) on any football market at odds of 2.00+, in 7 days. Get up to £40 in free bets on selected markets. Bonuses expire in 7 days. Card payments only. T&Cs Apply.
- 9
Established 2007#ad. 18+. Gamble Responsibly. Begambleaware.org. New UK customers (Excluding NI) only. Mobile exclusive. Min Deposit £10. Min stake £10. Min odds Evs. Free bet applied on 1st settlement of any qualifying bet. 30 days to qualify. Free bets expire in 7 days. Cashed out/Free Bets won’t apply. Account & Payment method restrictions apply. 1 Free Bet offer per customer, household & IP Address only. 18+. T&Cs apply.
- 10
Established 2017#ad. 18+. Gamble Responsibly. Begambleaware.org. New Players Only. Free bet - one-time stake of £30, min odds 1.5, stake not returned. 1X wager the winnings. Wager from real balance first. Wager calculated on bonus bets only. Max conversion: £200. Valid for 7 Days from issue. Withdrawal requests voids all active/pending bonuses. Excluded Skrill deposits. Full Terms Apply #AD
- 11
Established 2013#ad. 18+. Gamble Responsibly. Begambleaware.org. #AD 10% Cash back without wagering the day after if the player loses all the money in the account. Min deposit £10. Gameplay is monitored. Full T&Cs apply.
- 12
Established 2002#ad. 18+. Gamble Responsibly. Begambleaware.org. New UK+IRE Customers. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Min first £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 to get 1x £20 free bet. Free bet available to use on selected sportsbook markets only. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. Restrictions + T&Cs apply - Full Terms Apply
- 13
Established 2000#ad. 18+. Gamble Responsibly. Begambleaware.org. New UK+IRE Customers only. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Min first £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 to get 4x £5 free bets. Free bets available to use on selected sportsbook markets only. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. Restrictions + T&Cs apply. - Full Terms Apply
- 14
Established 2015#ad. 18+. Gamble Responsibly. Begambleaware.org. 18+, WELCOME BONUS: NEW PLAYERS ONLY, 1ST DEPOSIT, MIN DEPOSIT,: £10, MAX £20 FREE BET VALID FOR 14 DAYS, BETS MUST BE PLACED AT ODDS OF 1/1 OR GREATER AND BE SETTLED WITHIN 14 DAYS OF PLACEMENT. SYSTEM BETS NOT ELIGIBLE. NETELLER,SKRILL AND PAYPAL NOT ELIGIBLE. T&C APPLY
- 15
Established 2001#ad. 18+. Gamble Responsibly. Begambleaware.org. New Customers only. Bet £10* & Get £30* in Free Bets. Sign up, deposit between £5* and £10* to your account and bet365 will give you three times that value in Free Bets when you place qualifying bets to the same value and they are settled. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits. Min odds/bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Registration Required. T&Cs, time limits & exclusions apply. - Full Terms Apply
Virtual Sports Betting Tips
Recommended Virtual Sports Betting Sites in the UK
Here at Gambling.com our experts are always analysing the betting markets and always on the lookout for the best new betting sites available to customers.
Virtual Betting is available at nearly every online bookmaker, its the quality and variety of the virtual sports products and markets that set some betting sites apart from others. The more variety in sports and betting markets means the more chance there is for customers to get involved on desktop and on mobile.
We have assessed the best bookmakers with the most variety of Virtual Sports below.
| # | Bookmakers | Number Of Virtual Events | License Number |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 888Sport | 21 | 40996 |
| 2 | Bet365 | 12 | 39584 |
| 3 | BetVictor | 7 | 39576 |
| 4 | Paddy Power | 7 | 38939 |
| 5 | Betfair | 7 | 39435 |
| 6 | Betway | 7 | 39372 |
| 7 | Ladbrokes | 7 | 1611 |
| 8 | GentingBet | 6 | 54207 |
| 9 | Redzone | 3 | 45143 |
Virtual Sports Betting Tips
A famous adage in sports betting is that there is never a "sure thing" and that is definitely the case when it comes to Virtual Betting.
In traditional sports betting, experts find angles for themselves through many different processes and strategies, one being the age old tradition of reading the form in horse racing for example. Naturally in virtual sports there is no form to work off so the results are naturally open to a great deal of randomness.
Generally with such randomness at play, the main tips would be to keep stakes low, choose sports with smaller fields and never chase your losses.
The above tips are the usual advice given to every sports bettor no matter what they are staking on and that is to simply bet responsibly. Check out our Responsible Gambling Website for more advice.
What is Virtual Sports Betting?
Virtual Sports Betting is very similar to traditional Sports Betting only instead of betting on a live event involving actual human beings, you are placing your money on an unbiased computer algorithm. The concept of virtual sports is a simple one: to deliver wagering opportunities on a whole host of sporting events 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Virtual Sports has really improved over the last while with more markets and sports readily available for punters to get involved with and the product itself becoming much more slick as technology advances.
Many of the mainstream sportsbooks offer extensive virtual betting alongside their ‘real world’ offering, which highlights the growing popularity of the concept. Most bookmakers' Virtual Sports platform sit neatly alongside football, horse racing, tennis and cricket on their betting frontline.
Refund or free bet when one selection in an accumulator lets the bet down
Refund or free bet when one selection in an accumulator lets the bet down
Refund or free bet when one selection in an accumulator lets the bet down
Virtual Sports Events and Games
There has never been more Virtual Sports and markets to get involved with than there is now. Nearly all of the sports betting websites are improving their virtual products every day and nearly all of the most popular sports are covered now virtually online.
The remarkable likeness delivered by powerful graphics, match or event commentary and TV game visualisation means it is very engaging and close to the real thing.
- Virtual Football - the names might be slightly different than what you are accustomed to seeing in traditional Football Betting, but there is plenty of virtual football action to get involved with. You can bet on everything from the match winner market, to the correct score. Some bookmakers offer over 20 markets a match!
- Virtual Horse Racing - Horse Racing was one of the first sports to go virtual in a big way, with even the biggest horse race of them all, the Aintree Grand National having a virtual equivalent. You can back horses to win or each way, just like real life!
- Virtual Greyhound Racing - very similar to horse racing in market availability with customers able to back a greyhound to win straight or each way!
- Virtual American Football - Not quite the NFL, but customers can get involved with Virtual American Football action similarly to the real stuff. Bookmakers offer markets on everything from win markets, to the spread.
- Other Virtual Sports - There are plenty of other sports to get involved with such as Darts, Basketball, Cricket, Tennis, Cycling and Speedway.
Refund or free bet when one selection in an accumulator lets the bet down
Refund or free bet when one selection in an accumulator lets the bet down
Refund or free bet when one selection in an accumulator lets the bet down
How Does Virtual Sports Betting Work?
Virtual Sports Betting works in exactly the same way a normal sports betting on line but with a few key differences that are worth noting and some are explained below.
Placing a bet on Virtual sports will still require real money stake, will still generate a bet slip and a bet receipt and will of course pay out according with the odds you have taken for the market you have chosen to bet on.
- The events are often available 24/7 with often only a minute or two between races or matches in the Virtual Sport you are betting on.
- There are less markets to bet on than a prime time sporting event, often concentrated on the key areas or win, lose or draw, correct scores for football, plus forecasts, win or each way for racing fans as an example.
- Cash Out is not usually available in-play or during a multiple bet that has begun, this mainly due to the speed of events and that virtual sports is a random number generator software more like a casino product rather than an actual sport and operators can sometimes classify it as Casino rather than Sports betting.
- Teams or Horses do not usually have real names. Except the recent running of the Virtual Grand National the names and likenesses used in Virtual Sports betting are not those of the real teams and horses you would usually be able to bet on in real sport. For example the White Harts might be Tottenham Hotspur and the Red Devils could be Man United. These likeness do not in any way effect the outcome!
- Virtual Sports betting events are very quick, a usual football match would last 90mins but a virtual game will be over in a matter of minutes which can be watched in a highlights mode for those who bet on it.
Why Certification is Imperative for Virtual Sports
If a licenced and legal operator is offering Virtual Sports betting on their platform then you can be sure they have obtained the product and software from a regulated and certified software company. At Gambling.com we never promote or recommend offshore or black market operators which wouldn't be subjected to the same scrutiny or regulation and if you use any such services we strongly recommend you avoid their virtual products should they exist.
With random number generator (RNG) software independent verification and regulation is imperative to be sure you are getting a fair deal. Regulated and licenced RNG software never know what bets are placed or what financial outcomes could happen depending on a result and therefore the myth that the machine knows your bet is never true!
What Kind of Markets are Available for Virtual Sports?
Many betting options and markets are available for Virtual Sports punters and it depends mostly on the type of Virtual Sport you want to bet as to what exactly will be available. Here are the most common options of betting market you will find for playing with real money on virtual sports:
- Horse Racing and Greyhound Racing - Win, Each Way and Forecasts/Tricasts and accumulators.
- Football - Match winner, number of goals, correct score, total goals, handicap betting, both teams to score, half time/full time and winning margins among other variants.
- Cricket - Match winner, total runs, total boundaries, method of next dismissal, total 4s, total 6s and next wicket to fall among other variants.
- American Football NFL - Game Lines, Handicap Spreads, Total Pts, Spreads and Totals, Results and Totals and other variants.
- Basketball - Winning Margins, Match Winner, total points spreads, handicap betting, highest scoring quarter and multiples plus other variants.
- Motor Racing, Speedway, Trotting and Cycling - Singles on Race winner along with forecasts/tricasts and multiple betting options.
- Darts - Match winner, match events, three dart totals and check out markets are the most common options.
- Tennis - Total points, correct scores, set betting and match winner odds as well as multiples.
Virtual Betting Strategy
As in the ‘real world’, virtual sports have given rise to a number of betting systems that aim to take advantage of prevailing trends. Some of these systems are well thought out and offer opportunities for punters to make small profits on a long-term basis, while others promise riches but in reality deliver very little. The skill is in separating the wheat from the chaff, but remember that virtual sport is consistent with the ‘unusual and the unforeseeable’ that prevails in real world action.
One system that has garnered a lot of attention has been devised by Frank Belanger, and while it is not foolproof by any means it does have its advantages over the likes of Martingale in that even if a losing streak is experienced, the staking plan ensures that the amount of investment required remains at a sensible level.
At its core, virtual sports betting is no different to regular punting, so it is essential to remember those well-rehearsed rules for success no matter which sports/markets are preferred.
Discipline is key – chasing losses is a no-no, as is managing bankroll from a business perspective and considering each bet as an investment. This way, it's possible to minimise risk and maximise the potential for long-term profit – the key building block to betting success.
References
- The Alderney Gambling Control Commission
- The National Casino Forum
- Gamblers Anonymous
- The Alderney Gambling Control Commission
- The Independent Betting Adjudication Service (IBAS)
- GamCare
FAQ
A virtual bet is best described as a real bet, but placed on a randomly generated outcome of a virtual event. You can bet on several different types Virtual sports with most of the leading betting operators and you do this using funds and therefore it is possible to win real money.
Placing a bet on Virtual Sports is exactly the same as placing a bet on a normal sporting event. you have access to the usual markets like 1X2 in virtual football betting, correct scores, win and each way for virtual racing and so on. The major difference is that the events are a hugely shortened experience, like a highlights package and the next event or race is usually only minutes away and they run 24/7 on online sportsbooks.
If winning money betting on Virtual Sports with online bookies was easier than doing the same on the real thing then bookmakers just wouldn't offer it. It's a random generated result each and every time and therefore akin to playing the lottery, a roulette wheel or rolling dice. There are a number of outcomes possible and you take odds on the one you think will occur - with the house taking an edge.
Most of the leading online betting platforms will accept multiples across a host of virtual sports, whether you want to place an accumulator on the virtual football or an attempt to go through the card at the virtual racetracks.
Some punters may find the quicker and instant thrill of winning a virtual bet more appealing than traditional sports betting. The action is quicker, the events are more frequent and there is never a postponement, no injuries to star players and the weather doesn't play a part like it would in analysing usual sports to bet on.It can be easily argued that it is perhaps fairer to bet on Virtual Events than it is with the real thing given that their is no external human influence on the result, but there is no influence at all on the result when betting on virtual sports and therefore it should be considered as a game of pure chance with a house built edge into the odds the obvious drawback.Do remember though that all of these factors mean it is far easier to get immersed in virtual betting than it would be with the usual sporting calendar of events and therefore gambling responsibly is paramount. Be sure to consider time outs, deposit limits and staking limits to make sure you bet within your means and treat betting on virtual sports as entertainment and fun. If you need more information do visit our Online Gambling Responsibility Site.
Cash Out is not normally available on Virtual Bets whilst events are in-play or multiples have begun with one leg or more having taken place. If you place a Virtual Bet and wish to cash it out before any action has taken place then this is usually possible with the best platforms. Sportsbook Customer Service teams can help if you have placed any bets in error but again this is only if absolutely no action involving the selections has begun.
