Online betting has transformed the betting industry around the world. Not only can you place bets on real sports events as they are taking place but you can also bet on virtual sports.

The first thing you must be aware of when betting on virtual sports, such as football, is that they are not being controlled by gamers in the same way as esports games. Virtual sports may look like computer games but they are generated by a computer algorithm which is set up to respect a specific set rules and generates a result in a non-biased way.

Therefore, virtual sports provide a happy medium between real life sporting events and online casino games.

They are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and this makes them popular when real sporting events are not taking place. The betting company sets the odds, adds a history to the participants and a profile. Therefore, unlike real sports, betting on virtual sports does not require any prior knowledge which can be advantageous for some people.

The graphics of virtual sports have become very good and it almost feels as though you are in the stadium or on the side of the race track watching the event unfold.

You can head to any of the popular online betting websites and find virtual sports available. To bet on them, you simply deposit money into your account and place a bet on fixed odds as you would any other sport or event.

So, let’s look at the best virtual sports to bet online.

 

1. Football

Football is one of the most popular real sports on which to bet, so it should come as no surprise it is one of the top virtual sports for betting.

The first thing to note about virtual football betting is the matches are much shorter than in real life. You will not have to sit through 90 minutes of computer generated action because although the quality of virtual football on websites such as Bet365, Ladbrokes and Betfair is very good and detailed, it could get a little boring to sit through 90 minutes, especially with no live betting options.

Virtual football is popular because the quality of the game is very high and it provides a quick way to bet on football matches, at all times of the day. You do not need any prior knowledge of the teams taking part and you have access to the same information as every other player, regardless of what you know about football in the real world.

Despite virtual football not offering live betting, there are still plenty of markets to choose from, which is why football is one of the best virtual sports to bet online. Below we have listed some of the markets on which you can bet with virtual football.

As you can see from the above list, these match the markets available on real football and work in the same way, which is why virtual football is one of the best virtual sports to bet online.

Advantages of Virtual Football Betting

 

2. Horse Racing

Virtual Horse Racing may not be as popular in mainland Europe as it is in the United Kingdom but it certainly holds its own as a top virtual sport on which to bet online. There have been reports which state around 25% of betting on horse racing in the UK comes from virtual horse racing so it equates for a quarter of all betting on horse racing in the country.

The quality of virtual horse racing has improved significantly in recently years, mainly due to the advancements in technology. If you took one glance at a virtual horse race online you may be forgiven for thinking it was the real thing, the graphics and presentation is that good.

While online betting companies cannot recreate real race courses due to licensing problems, they have done a good job in designing new race tracks and this brings some additional excitement when betting on virtual horse racing.

You will notice the coverage of a virtual horse race matches the television coverage of a real horse race, with the camera angles and race information displayed in the same way.

However, there are some major differences between real horse racing and virtual horse racing which you must be aware of before placing your bets.

 

So, if you have always wanted to bet on horse racing but know very little about the sport, virtual horse racing could be the best place to start.

The winner of each race is determined by a random number generator, so there is no way an outside influence can manipulate a race and you can rest assured each race is fair.

Advantages of Virtual Horse Racing Betting

 

3. Virtual Greyhounds

Betting on virtual greyhound racing is almost identical to betting on virtual horse racing. Obviously virtual greyhound racing will feature greyhounds and a greyhound track as opposed to horses and a race course but everything else is similar.

The betting markets, which include the winner, forecast and tricast are the same and races are generally completed on one lap of the track.

The advantages of betting on virtual greyhound racing match that of horse racing and include the following:

Advantages of Virtual Greyhound Racing Betting

 

4. Virtual Trotting

Betting on virtual trotting is basically the same as both virtual horse racing and greyhound racing. The race usually lasts for one lap and the markets on offer are winner, forecast and tricast.

As you would expect with all virtual sports on the top betting websites, the graphics and quality of the race presentation is excellent and matches a real trotting race as closely as possible.

Advantages of Virtual Trotting Betting

 

5. Tennis

Tennis has become an increasingly popular virtual sport at the leading online bookmakers and this is thanks in no small part to the quality of the visuals.

Take one glance at the virtual tennis section of an online bookmaker such as Bet365 and you will see the incredible detail in which tennis matches are recreated. There are no real-life tennis courts, tournaments or players used in virtual tennis but in terms of watching a game of tennis, it comes very close to the real thing.

Actual tennis footage has been recorded and used to create virtual tennis matches and you will see everything including serves, volleys, aces, drop shots and lobs. There are also replays for when there is a close call and the ball bounces near the line.

Much like real tennis, you will find matches played on various surfaces such as grass, clay and hard court but while real tennis matches can last between two and five sets, virtual tennis matches are just one game in duration.

This limits the betting markets which are available for virtual tennis and if you enjoy the wealth of tennis betting options for real matches, you may find yourself restricted with virtual tennis. However, you still have several options within the following markets:

You can choose to bet on whichever lines you like within these markets and sit back and enjoy the match. Thanks to the fact matches only last one game, they are over quickly. You can move on to the next match rather than sit through 3 gruelling hours of watching virtual tennis, which is good but not good enough to sustain matches of that duration. Most virtual tennis matches tend to last only a few minutes.

As one player will always have the advantage of serving, they tend to start the match as the favourite, so it is worth keeping that in mind when betting on virtual tennis. However, just because a player is serving does not mean he/she will always win the game.

Advantages of Virtual Tennis Betting

 

6. Cycling

This is perhaps not as popular a sport for betting in general as those mentioned above but virtual cycling has many fans who enjoy betting online.

The virtual cycling races take place in a velodrome, much like you see when watching the Olympic Games. There are no races which take place outside on a road, like the Tour de France, all virtual cycling races take place inside a velodrome and with most top bookmakers, you will join the race with 3 laps remaining.

Therefore, much like the other virtual sports highlighted above, virtual cycling races are over quickly and you do not have to wait long for the next one.

The graphics on the races are excellent and you get to view the race from various camera angles, as you would when watching a cycling race live on television and this adds to the experience of virtual cycling betting.

The markets on which to bet match that of horse and greyhound racing and include:

Races tend to consist of between 6 and 9 riders and races are usually over within a couple of minutes so even if you only have 15 minutes to spare, you can bet on several races.

Advantages of Virtual Cycling Betting

 

7. Speedway

Virtual speedway comes close to matching virtual cycling. There are four riders in a race and in most cases, you can only bet on the winner, as there is not the same amount of rider’s present as there are in the virtual cycling events. Some bookmakers will also offer forecast for some races.

The riders usually complete between two and three laps of the track maximum, so the race is over very quickly. In truth, there is not a great deal of difference between virtual speedway and virtual cycling and you are most likely to pick the one you prefer when watching in real life.

Advantages of Virtual Speedway Betting

 

8. Formula 1

You will find virtual Formula 1 listed alongside virtual speedway at many of the top online bookmakers because they are very similar in terms of betting.

The only major difference is in the betting markets and thanks to the higher number of drivers in Formula 1 both forecast and tricast betting markets become available.

The races are contested over two or three laps maximum and you must place your bets before the race begins. As with every virtual sport, there are no live betting markets available.

Advantages of Virtual Formula 1 Betting

 

Summary

Betting on virtual sports has become big business and it’s easy to see why. The quality of the action is superb and you cannot fail but admire the graphics, presentation, commentary and crowd reaction for every virtual sport.

It’s as close to betting on the real thing as you can get but with the advantage of not requiring any prior knowledge before you bet. Furthermore, regardless of which virtual sport you enjoy the most, you can find a match or race on which to bet at any time of the day. This is a huge bonus, especially if you cannot find time to bet on real life live events.

The only major drawback is there is no live betting option available and if you do have a strong knowledge of the sport, it will be useless when betting on virtual sports.

However, you can rely on virtual sports to always be available, never cancelled or postponed and for each match/race to be completed fairly and quickly.

Betting on virtual sports can be very exciting and it will be interesting to watch how this sports betting niche continues to develop in the future.