Virtual sports betting sites provide sports betting opportunities that are based on computer simulations, with the results provided as short videos. In this guide, we highlight the best sites currently available to virtual sports bettors in the UK and detail exactly what they have to offer.
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We have picked out ten of the best virtual sports betting sites in the UK, and given you a hint about what makes them stand out in terms of virtual sports.
You’ve flipped the virtual coin, and now it is time to find out a little about our top five choices for virtual sports betting in the UK. Why are they our choices for betting on virtual sports? Read on, if you have a desire to be educated.
It should come as a surprise to no one that there’s a sports betting category in the UK that bet365 wins by a landslide, and that’s virtual sports betting. In terms of what bet365 offers, it simply cannot be beaten. We are not just talking about the variety of virtual sports bets on offer at this site, but the standard too. What bet365 offers is exceptional.
The full range is football (two versions), horse racing, greyhounds, cricket, American football, speedway, motor racing, darts, basketball, tennis, baseball, trotting, cycling and golf. The standard of the video is staggering – almost indistinguishable from the real thing and indeed with darts it’s not, as it features real recorded action from legends such as Peter Manley, Alan Warriner-Little, Bob Anderson and Dennis Priestly.
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If you are a seasoned sports bettor, then you’ll know that Betfred is one of the best horse racing betting sites around. The origin of Betfred, as Fred Done Bookmakers, was in horse racing-centred betting shops after all. But, what we bet you didn’t know is that Betfred is great for betting on virtual horse racing too. It is also one of the few sites to offer a virtual sports betting bonus.
There are two opinions for virtual horse racing at Betfred. The first is Dash Horses which can have up to a dozen entrants per flat race. You get nothing but the odds though, which is a disappointment. Virtual Horses is the same except that races are run over jumps. As well as horse racing you’ll find virtual greyhounds, football, motor racing, speedway, darts, cycling and tennis. For reasons known only to Betfred, bingo finds its way into the virtual options too.
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Spread betting is common in the world of sports, and at Sporting Index you can also make spread bets on virtual sports. If you aren’t sure what this type of wagering involves, take a look at our Spread Betting guide. Then come back here, and we’ll tell you about the options available at this popular site.
The sports covered are football, horse racing, greyhounds, badminton (we kid ye not), motor racing and table tennis. The video graphics at Sporting Index are not as good as we have seen elsewhere but they are good enough. Plus, some of the team names (Wbrom Rovers, Watford City, Bourne Rovers) are a little unimaginative, but that’s not a major issue. Both spread betting and fixed odds betting are available, so choose whichever you feel comfortable with, or mix and match.
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If you’ve visited our pages before then you should know all about Betfair. It’s the UK’s biggest betting exchange where you exchange your bets with fellow Betfair users as opposed to betting against the online bookie yourself. It also operates a fixed odds betting side but how about virtual sports? Can you exchange bet on virtuals at Betfair? Is it fixed odds betting? Does it have virtual sports at all?
Well of course it has virtual sports, else we wouldn’t be mentioning it. They are all fixed odds betting too, which makes perfect sense as exchange betting would barely be possible given the frequency of the events. There are the usual options – horses (flat, jumps and sprint), football (World Cup, Club Football), greyhounds and motor racing. That should be sufficient to please most virtual sports betting fans but a few more ‘unusual’ options would not have gone amiss.
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We have to admit, the options for virtual sports in the UK are not brilliant. If you head to one site and look at the virtual horse racing and then to another and look at the virtual horse racing you will find it’s the same software but with the site’s branding all over it. 10bet though is different and we think unique, as its six virtual sports are all provided by Playtech. One puzzle here though – there’s no Playtech football!
The sports covered are horse racing (three versions including ‘Cheltenham Festival’ and ‘Epsom Downs Derby Festival’), dog racing (not called ‘greyhounds’ for some reason), speedway, trotting and cycling. Cheltenham Festival and Epsom Downs were created in 2022 in tandem with the Jockey Club and are exact replicas of those courses, realised in stunning 3D. The other options are more cartoon-y, but they’re decent, nonetheless.
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If you only want to bet on a specific virtual sport, then this section will help you! We have listed our top ten choices for virtual sports betting and indicated which virtual sports are available for you to bet on at each site.
Site | Football | Horses | Greyhounds | Basketball | Cricket | Darts | Tennis | US Football | Cycling | Golf | Others |
bet365 | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Speedway, Motor Racing, Baseball, Trotting |
Betfred | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | Motor Racing, Speedway |
Sporting Index | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | Badminton, Motor Racing, Table Tennis |
Betfair | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | Motor Racing |
10bet | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | Speedway, Trotting |
PaddyPower | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | Motor Racing |
QuinnBet | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | Motor Racing |
William Hill | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | – |
Fafabet | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | Motor Racing |
Coral | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | – |
How we rate bookmakers in general terms is stated elsewhere, but what do we look for when compiling our list of the top ten best virtual sports betting sites in the UK? Well, we’ve outlined a few key attributes that we keep an eye out for particularly, and you can learn what they are and why they are important below.
We look for as much virtual variety as possible. In our experience, nearly every sports betting site that has virtual sports offers football, horse racing and greyhounds. We like to see more than that – cycling, motorsports, cricket, darts, basketball, baseball … this is one aspect of sports betting where more is certainly better.
The standard of virtual sports video has risen in recent years, with many virtual sports now being live recorded video that is randomised to create a virtual contest (if you are unsure as to what we mean, take a look at bet365’s virtual darts). We expect high standards when it comes to virtual sports graphics, and in all honesty, we are seldom disappointed.
One black mark against virtual sports is that often, you just have the virtual sports betting odds to go on when making your selection. Of course, odds play a vital role when betting on real sports too, but they should not be the only information you have available. Virtual sports that hint a little about the form of the virtual competitors are better than those that give you the starting prices and little more.
Again, sports betting is about picking the winners, but it should be more than just about picking the winners. We look for sports betting software of the virtual nature that offers more than picking the first past the post, or the team or competitor that will be celebrating the win. When it comes to football, for example, virtual sports bets such as BTTS, over/under and handicap betting should be available too.
There are very few virtual sports betting offers available out there even in real bet land, but we have found the following that should be of interest to virtual sports betting fans.
If you are a regular user of virtual sports software then this Betfred offer should appeal. Betting over £250 in any one given week on Betfred virtual results in you receiving 5% back of all money staked up to a maximum of £100. There are a few exceptions – On Demand, Rush GO sports, Portman Park, Steepledowns and Sprint Valley all do not count. Free bets last for seven days and can be used for any sport, not just virtuals.
Virtual sports are pure computer simulations. Like non-virtual sports, you can take a look at the odds available for a few appropriate markets. You should also be given a light form guide as to each competitor’s recent competitive history. Unlike non-virtual sports though, you won’t have as much information to go on as most competitors are utterly fictitious. You place your bets and then watch the action unfold, hoping that your virtual sports bets are winning ones.
Some naysayers claim that virtual sports are ‘rigged’ so that, for example, if you bet virtual on ‘Manchester’ beating ‘Liverpool’ the computer decides that Liverpool will win. This is fundamentally not true for two reasons. The first is that if the UKGC found a licensed site was operating a rigged game, then that site would have its licence suspended and fined heavily. Secondly, dozens, if not hundreds of people will be betting on the Manchester v Liverpool game, and the result will be the same for all of them. Not everyone will be betting on Manchester, so there would be no point in the computer ‘fixing’ the game for one competitor or the other.
At this point, we must stress the differences between virtual sports and eSports. Virtual sports are purely computer simulations of existing sports such as football, horse racing and greyhounds. Esports are competitive video gaming contests between human competitors in popular video games such as Counter-Strike 2, Call of Duty, League of Legends and plenty of others. Of course, eSports include titles such as FIFA/EAFC (football) and NBA2k (basketball), but that does not mean they qualify as virtual sports. If you want to learn more about competitive video games, see our page about the best eSports betting sites.
So, what virtual sports can you virtual sport bet on? Well, we are glad you asked as we have prepared the following extensive list.
There are a few options when it comes to virtual American football, including Inspired Gaming’s V-Play Football. Here, teams such as ‘New England’, ‘New York’ and ‘Dallas’ (no nicknames) compete in virtual gridiron matchups. You will be given the last eight results from the same matchup, and betting options include the spread, money line, total points (under/over), winning margins and total points in groups. You have about 90 seconds to place your bets followed by 90 seconds of generated video highlights complete with authentic-sounding commentary. There’s a new matchup every three minutes or so.
Virtual baseball is a rare find at sports betting sites, but one option you may find is Betradar’s virtual baseball. This is a product that’s officially endorsed by Major League Baseball and therefore features all thirty MLB sides. Unlike other virtual sports, this virtual baseball is as close to the real action as you can get, as games last the full length of a typical baseball game, which can be up to three hours long! You can bet on any aspect of the matchup you want, and this is also one of the few virtual betting options that’s available for live, in-play betting.
Basketball is another sport that has been taken to the next level, virtually at least, by Betradar. Unlike their baseball offering though, their game has yet to be endorsed by American sport, in this case, the NBA. Their virtual basketball game has been devised specifically for live betting as it operates in real-time.
LEAP Gaming has a more traditional virtual basketball game called EuroLeague Instant Legends featuring genuine European basketball teams such as Olympiakos (Greece) and Baskonia (Spain). The video is staggeringly realistic, and games last around three minutes.
You may not think that cricket is appropriate for virtual sports betting as games last so long (even limited overs or balls), but virtual betting site cricket exists nonetheless. Bet365 has two versions of virtual cricket – international cricket at the Clayton Oval and IPL-style cricket at Greenway Field. You can place plenty of authentic bets, such as total runs (over/under), total number of 4s/6s/boundaries and total runs odd/even. Once you have placed your bets you can watch brief highlights, with a ‘match’ lasting around four minutes.
There are a few versions of virtual cycling, but perhaps the best is the one offered by BetConstruct. The cycling action takes place in a velodrome, with races taking place as swiftly as every two minutes or so. Each race usually consists of six cyclists, and the virtual sport bet options include betting on the winner, plus forecast and tricast bets. Sadly, you have very little info to hand other than the odds of the competitors. Again, the video of the race is stunningly realistic.
The pubbiest of all pub sports, darts, has been treated to a virtual makeover thanks to a small handful of companies. The video here is cunning – with real competitors filmed chucking the arrows and real darts hitting the board, but the screen is split in two to maintain the illusion of the whole thing not being a computer simulation.
In bet365’s version of darts (shown above) genuine ex-pros like Bob Anderson and Dennis Priestley are thrown into the darting mix. Bets include match winner, checkout colour and so on, with only a single leg played. Matches take place every five minutes or so.
So, virtual football betting … where to start? You’d get no prizes for deducing that football is the most popular sport at any virtual betting site, with a large number of options. For example, LEAP Gaming offer Virtual Football League England (with teams such as the North London Whites and the Midland Clarets), Football Cup – World, Virtual English League, Virtual Football League, Football Penalty Duel and even Virtual Korean League. Games last on average around three minutes and whatever you can bet on with real football, you can virtual bet just the same when virtual soccer betting.
Virtual golf betting does not really trouble the other sports at the top of the virtual sports leagues, but we have found a couple of options, one at bet365 and the other by LEAP Gaming (again). LEAP’s Virtual Golf is based on a match-play style, with golfers pitted against each other over 18 holes. Betting is basically done on a hole-by-hole basis, but you can bet over the overall match if you’ve the patience to sit through all holes. Bets include hole winner and a golfer making par/a birdie and so on.
You’ll no doubt be pleased to hear that virtual sports has not gone to the dogs as far as greyhound racing is concerned. There are plenty of options, and many software companies provide a virtual betting app. GlobalBet is one company that has a virtual greyhound betting service, based on UK greyhound racing with six dogs competing in each race. Just like real greyhound racing you will need to be quick as races take place every two minutes or so. Bets available include race winner, forecasts and tricasts.
Almost as popular as virtual football betting, nearly all sports betting sites in the UK that offer virtual sports will have at least one example of virtual horse racing. We’re going to go back to BetConstruct for perhaps one of the best examples of virtual horse racing, with their video rendered from actual races in the UK and Ireland. Races are on a flat course with between six and eight runners per race. You only really have the SPs and a little bit of form to go on, but you should confidently be able to place your win, each way, forecast and tricast bets. Races come under starters orders every two minutes.
Motorsports are perhaps one of the most ideal contests for virtualisation. A race can easily be rendered into ‘highlights’ that last just a couple of minutes or so. That’s what several software companies have done, and you can see the results, for example, at bet365. Their motor racing takes place at the fictitious Mitchell Circuit and features a dozen fantasy Formula One drivers. You only have the odds to go on, and betting is win, each way, forecast and tricast. As thrilling as the real thing, and we mean that.
Moving from motorsports on four wheels to motorsports on two. Speedway used to be tremendously popular in the UK, but now … things are different. Golden Race offers an excellent version of Speedway in which four riders compete against each other around a track. The video provided is completely authentic as high-definition pre-records of genuine races. Make sure you get your bets on swiftly for a vrooming experience as races motor off every couple of minutes.
There are several examples of virtual tennis. BetConstruct have a version of virtual tennis that has been created using an analysis of over 10,000 real tennis matches, with each separate event having 19 possible betting markets.
This is practically real-time tennis, as only 15 matches are available every day. GlobalBet also offers virtual tennis, with markets such as winner, correct score and total points.
Before considering virtual trotting, you may be asking yourself what exactly trotting is in the first place. It’s a form of harness horse racing in which the rider does not sit on the horse, but in a small two-wheel cart behind called a sulky, spider or chariot. It was once popular in the UK but is now practically unheard of. However, trotting remains popular in France, Scandinavia and North America. Bet365 has virtual trotting events every three minutes with eight runners per race. Bets can be placed on a win, each way, forecast or tricast basis.
So, what other sports are available at virtual betting sites? Via our extensive and hard-working research we have uncovered NASCAR (LEAP Gaming), drag racing (BetConstruct), marble racing (yes, really – BetConstruct), ice hockey (Kiron), badminton (Kiron), archery (Kiron), camel racing (GlobalBet), supercars (GlobalBet), MMA (GoldenRace), 3×3 basketball (GoldenRace), dirt track racing (GoldenRace) and kart racing (GoldenRace). Please note though that your chances of finding these options at sports betting sites in the UK are slim.
If you are enamoured with the idea of betting on virtual sports, you might want to know how you can get the most out of betting on video simulations. We’ve come up with a range of virtual sports betting tips that will help you hopefully do just that.
Can you bet on virtual sports on phone and tablets? Well, the very short answer is yes, of course! It’s probably a little more entertaining than betting on real sports as no matter what you are betting on, you will be able to watch the action! You can easily place your bets and watch them via downloadable sports betting apps for phones and tablets, or using a suitable mobile browser if downloading apps is not your thing.
We recommend though that you use a tablet as opposed to a phone to get the most out of the experience, as you will be able to see more via the bigger screen plus, if you intend to have an extended session, getting your bets on quickly for the next event will simply be easier to achieve. Check out our list of the leading sites at which to bet on virtual sports for a virtual betting app you’ll be keen to use.
You should really now be left in no doubt as to what virtual sports are, and how you go about betting on them. We have also explained what options are available to you, and where you can find them along with our recommended sites for betting on virtual sports. We must reiterate that because of the frequency at which virtual sports events run, you bet sensibly and responsibly at all times. Above all, make sure your virtual sports experience will keep you entertained.
Virtual sports are computer-generated simulations of real sports that you can bet on. Usually, the result of any event is decided by the analysis of thousands of real-world contests, using the prices offered as the basis for the simulation. They try to be accurate, realistic and genuine.
Virtual betting is completely safe as long as (a) you bet in a responsible manner and (b) if you are based in the UK you bet on virtual sports only at sites with UKGC licenses.
That’s not the right question to ask. As with any kind of betting, there is no guaranteed way to win, no matter what anyone may tell you. You should view any bet on virtual sports as entertainment, and nothing else.
It can be, but we feel it is extremely unlikely. The majority of virtual betting software is made by third parties, and not by the betting companies themselves. It is unlikely that such companies would risk their reputation by creating software that can be rigged. Also, if a betting company was found to be using ‘manipulated software’ by the UKGC, they would have their licence revoked and suffer a heavy fine. Finally … why would they? There will be dozens of bettors betting on any single virtual sport betting event, all betting slightly differently. The betting company is likely to come out on top no matter the outcome of the event, and it would be impossible to ‘rig’ the virtual betting contest in a way so that the majority of virtual bets lose without arousing suspicion.
In terms of variety, frequency, and the standard of what they offer, we feel that bet365 stands top among betting sites with virtual sports options.
Peter is one of the most well-known and well-respected names working in the field of online sports betting today. Having a Bachelor of Arts degree, Peter has worked for many high-profile publications in the industry, both online and in the real world. He joined the SafestBettingSites team in 2021 and has provided millions of words ever since. When not writing, Peter enjoys performing and writing music, gaming, reading and he is a massive movie buff, with a particular love of Japanese cinema and anime.
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