Figure 1 Virtual sports markets can be found at plenty of sportsbooks
They are not usually the main reason why people get into sports betting – and they don’t feature teams and players that regularly feature on the sports pages and on the highlights show every night. But virtual sports are a very popular feature on nearly every sportsbook site these days.
Sometimes they will be prominently featured, but you will always find the markets in the sports section, offering a chance to bet when there may not be much else going on. The same best betting apps for horse racing or basketball are the same as the ones that also offer virtual sports. So, read on to find out everything you need to know about betting on virtual sports.
What are Virtual Sports?
At their simplest, virtual sports are digital simulations of sports events programmed using random number generators. It depends on the sportsbook and the country, but common sports featured in these betting markets are soccer, horse racing, cycling, horse racing and tennis.
Betting on these virtual sports is basically the same as betting on real sports. That is, after all, the attraction for many customers. The betting firms like offering these markets as they bring in money when there is not as much live sport available. They give sports fans the chance to bet at any time of the day.
How Did Virtual Sports Become Popular?
Online betting sites have offered markets on virtual sports for quite a while now. But there have been two factors that have made them more popular in recent years. One is the rising popularity of esports and the betting associated with those events. The other factor was the COVID pandemic.
Everyone remembers the lockdowns that followed the outbreak of COVID. You will also recall how most live sports around the world came to a shuddering halt. Bettors still wanted to place bets and found that virtual sports were the only game in town. Subsequently, the amount of money bet on virtual sports skyrocketed.
Figure 2 Lockdown cancellations helped with the popularity of virtual sports
Check the Betting Markets
For anyone unsure about virtual sports, the first thing you will notice about the betting markets is that they look exactly the same as for ‘traditional’ sports. That is why they became so popular during the lockdowns. Sports betting fans didn’t have to learn any new ways of betting – they just made the move to virtual.
The markets reflect the sport they are simulating. For example, virtual soccer games will offer markets on match winners and goal totals. For horse and greyhound races, popular markets include forecasts and tricasts – the same kind of markets that can be found at real-life meetings.
Tips for Betting on Virtual Sports
The thing that you should remember about virtual sports is that they are a computer simulation. They may have random elements but, in the end, it is a simulation. So you will not be able to study the form in any meaningful way. But that does not mean that there is no preparation available.
You should understand that random number generators do mean that there will sometimes be very random outcomes – just like in real life. But it is more important to understand the value of odds. It is also probably a good idea to bet smaller amounts than you would for real sports. You should still be able to manage your bankroll responsibly.
Upgrade to Esports
If you are interested in betting on virtual sports you should probably treat them as just a bit of fun. There is not that much information to analyze before making your selections. They have been designed as something to do between real events – so bet on them with that in mind.
But if you are interested in betting outside the more traditional sports, you might want to look into esports. These are competitive video games between actual esports athletes. They are more like sports than virtual sports and are becoming one of the real growth markets in gambling. As you can see, there is so much more to betting than the NFL or NBA these days.
