Virtual Sports Betting Explained
The time when gambling meant leaving one’s home has long since passed. The advent of online sportsbooks and casinos over the past twenty-five years has made wagering of all kinds readily accessible and available in ever newly developed mediums. The technological age has made real-time live betting possible from one’s living room, and betting on increasingly discrete possibilities has become the norm. A recent leap in bookmaker offerings is virtual sports betting, which saw a recent surge in popularity amid the global cancellation of all major sporting competitions.
What is virtual sports betting?
In short, it is sports betting without sports. Not to be confused with esports, competitive video game competitions, virtual sports betting allows a punter to wager on an entirely simulated sports event. The framework of sports itself becomes a sort of dressing around a wager game based on randomly generated data. Complex computer algorithms process this data and produce an outcome, which advanced computer graphics display as a viewable match. The appearance of these simulated sports broadcasts resemble that of games like FIFA and Football Manager, to which virtual sports owes some of its popularity. Virtual sports is offered not only for football, but also basketball, tennis, greyhound racing, and more. The practice of virtual sports betting operates almost indistinguishably from its real-life counterpart. The bookmaker’s betting program provides simulated ranking tables and player statistics which bettors can use to assess the value of the relevant odds. In terms of betting markets, one will find the same moneylines, over/under bets, goalscorer predictions, and other outcomes that can be probabilistically measured. The novel aspect of virtual sports is that a virtual match can be found every few minutes. Without a dependency on physical athletes, virtual sports can be hosted twenty-four hours per day in rapid, almost instantaneous intervals. This possibility can be problematic for at-risk gamblers, but benignly convenient for recreational bettors during periods without real sports.
Is it really sports betting?
While the creators of virtual sports betting have gone through great pains to bring the experience as close to actual sports betting as possible, it is a stretch to call it sports betting. Rather, it is a betting product created to be marketed to sports bettors, and in truth shares a greater affinity with online casino games. This is due to the fact that match outcomes are always predetermined by the bookmaker, which brings about two consequences. First, no sports knowledge is required because none is useful. Because there are no real players with actual statistics or performance variables, the intuitive union of gut feeling and logic in traditional sports betting asserts no influence. One gauges probabilities based on cut and dry probability, as one does when playing roulette. Second, virtual sports betting is structurally designed to favor the bookmaker. Unlike when betting on physical sports matches, outcomes are random only insofar as the program’s random number generator does its job. Such software is verified for fairness in a bookmaker’s licensing process, but because the bookmaker has foreknowledge of the outcome, it has complete control over determining the most advantageous odds for itself. The bookmaker can design a structural edge into its calculations, making the possibility of betting profitably in the long term even more remote. Roulette’s 5.26% ‘House edge’ is designed in a similar, albeit less complex manner.
Replay sports betting
A less common but comparable betting alternative is replay sports. In essence, replay sports functions on the same principle as virtual sports, but the source data is different. Where virtual sports displays simulated matches based on randomly generated data, replay sports does the same with actual historical data. With replay sports one can bet on the outcome of a match that has already taken place, which will unfold virtually exactly as it had physically. The player of course does not know the teams or the match until afterwards, but the ambition is to simulate a more authentic betting experience.
Conclusion
Virtual sports betting is clearly no replacement for sports betting. While it is convenient, it is less profitable, given that it removes the sports bettor’s greatest advantages, intuition and indeterminacy. Nonetheless, it is a viable form of entertainment when all things are considered. Virtual sports can be found at most major bookmakers, and a few big names in the market are Unibet, William Hill, and 888Sports.
Virtual Sports – Frequently Asked Questions
What is Virtual Sports?
Do I need to be an experienced sports bettor before I play?
How do I play Virtual Sports?
Do Virtual Sports follow the same seasonality as real life sporting events?
Is it real sports?
How are the results determined?
10 Differences between Virtual Sports and Real-Life Sports
1. Virtual sports offer more betting opportunities
Since bookmakers continue to search and offer more and more betting opportunities, from multiple markets to new games introduced into their final offer, players have an ever-increasing array events to bet on.
2. Virtual sports deliver a new type of entertainment
Since they are created by using advanced technological means that include innovative graphics and features, the user benefits a novel experience and a new way of approaching entertainment and online betting.
3. Virtual sporting events are available around-the-clock
Players can place wagers on virtual sports at any time of the day, as they are able to choose from multiple events. It is indeed a big advantage to place a wager on a virtual football event every 2 or 3 minutes, instead of waiting full 90 minutes for the outcome or another week for a new game.
4. Virtual sports come close to recreating a real-life atmosphere
The latest software platforms on the market manage to render the sports arenas’ electrifying atmosphere and to make players feel as if they were there. The ultimate virtual experience is achieved by delivering additional commentaries and having fans singing their favorite team’s anthem.
5. It is easy to place a bet on virtual sports
Beginners can use virtual sports betting to better understand the game and improve their skills. Betting on virtual sports doesn’t need up-to-date knowledge of a real sporting event. Also, bookies offer profiles that are not connected to real-life teams, which makes it easier to anticipate and place bets accordingly. In real-life football, for instance, you need to be aware of the players’ fitness or the team’s competitive record. And even then, unexpected changes occur from time to time and they are difficult to predict.
6. Virtual sports are profitable for both operators and players
Online operators can easily tap into this complementary source of revenue, which has the possibility to attract a very broad audience, from real-life punters to eSports and casino players. Virtual sports can be virtually tackled by anyone, and operators can make this even easier by providing clear concepts and tutorials. By creating a seamless experience, as well as a safe and fun environment, operators can lock in the potential of this niche, while players can take advantage of a new source of entertainment. Another thing worth mentioning is that this eliminates the streaming costs of real-life events – which are a no small feat in some cases.
7. Virtual sports do not require real sports knowledge
An extensive understanding of real-life sports events is not a prerequisite in the virtual sports arena. In virtual football, for instance, famous players may find themselves on the same team or not.
8. Virtual sports offer a short learning curve
Virtual sports knowledge can be obtained the same way as in real sports, all it takes is time and patience to monitor the teams throughout the season and acknowledge their strategies, their players and their results. However, since the number of virtual games is higher, the learning curve is reduced for beginners into online sports betting.
9. Virtual sports don’t rely on external factors
Real life comes with many unknown factors, whereas the online realm offers a relative safety. Games will not be cancelled or postponed due to adverse natural phenomena, flight cancellations or other kind of issues. Furthermore, users can access them from anywhere, provided they have an internet connection.
10. Virtual gambling is “more regulated” than normal sports betting
While betting on sports may sometimes slip through the regulated hand of the law, virtual gambling is strongly regulated and there can be hardly found any fixes or scams that could affect the result of a game or race. From this point of view, bettors are safe to choose virtual sports over normal sports betting, since there are no unexpected events like sudden weather changes, injuries affecting an important player or some “fixed” game.
Betting on Virtual Sports
Most virtual sports offered by operators to punters focus on popular events, such as: football, horse racing, greyhound races, tennis, baseball, basket, cycling, etc.
Virtual football
Popular sporting bets revolve around virtual football, which usually offers bettors the widest selection of odds. Matches may involve games between nations or various club teams and punters are able to select the winning team, the numbers of goals to be scored, etc. To better convey the “reality” of placing a bet and the additional tension involved, punters can watch a visual representation of the game developing in front of them, though only for a few minutes.
Virtual horse racing
Horse races are becoming a popular choice of betting on iGaming websites with virtual tournaments and attractive prizes. The virtual racing environment attracts players with amazing graphic animations and unique entertainment features that deliver the best online gaming experience. Horse racing is easy to understand: players are allowed to choose their horses and compete against each other in order to determine the final winner of the race.
Virtual greyhound races
Virtual greyhound races offer additional options to place bets and have fun in a virtual environment, where computer-generated content recreates and goes beyond the self-imposed boundaries of reality. Building on a tradition of betting on greyhound races, virtual reality manages to restore the racing atmosphere of old days and brings players closer to the thrill and excitement they are looking for.
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