Interested in the growth of virtual sports? As a matter of fact, virtual sports betting is becoming one of the most popular markets among punters. Below, we explain the rise of virtual sports, how it compares with real-life sporting events and the types of markets available for betting on virtual sports.

Evolution of Virtual Sports

Virtual sports have been around for several decades now. In fact, the first virtual sports simulation was developed by engineer, John Burgeson, back in 1961. Burgeon built a virtual baseball game which saw two virtual teams face-off, with a random number generator (RNG) utilised to set the random result, complete with play-by-play commentary.

Fast forward to the present day and virtual sports have come on leaps and bounds. With immersive graphics and audio, including crowd noises and broadcast-style commentary, virtual sports events now look and feel like the real thing in so many ways.

How Virtual Sports differs from real life sports betting

Although developers of virtual sports software try hard to replicate many elements of real-life sporting events, there are some key differences between the two.

• Virtual sports events are 100% random. The outcome is determined by a fully decentralised RNG, unlike in real-life sports where the outcome is decided by the performances of players or athletes.
• Virtual sports markets are still limited in their choice of markets compared with real-life sports betting, but the gap is narrowing between the two all the time.

What to know about Virtual Sports betting?

If you’re a total novice when it comes to betting on virtual sports, we’ve put together some additional information about the features of virtual sports:

• Virtual sports events run 24/7 – new games and races normally begin within a few minutes of the previous event.
• The virtual sports ‘broadcast’ is compatible with all devices, including smartphones and tablets.
• Virtual sports matches are a condensed version of a real-life event – virtual football games may last 90 seconds rather than 90 minutes.

What Virtual Sports can you bet on?

There are several virtual sports available to bet on as a talkSPORT BET customer, including:

• Horse racing
• Greyhounds
• Football
• Basketball

Reasons to bet on Virtual Sports

If you’re just getting started with betting on virtual sports for the first time, we’ve got several reasons why you should give our virtuals a try:

• Virtual sports events aren’t fixed or rigged. They are fully random, with all outcomes a genuine possibility.
• The main virtual sports betting markets mirror those offered for real-life sporting events – including match winner, over/under goals and Asian Handicap.
• Virtual sports are fully legal and licensed by the UKGC in the same way as real-life sports betting markets.

How to bet on Virtual Sports?

Start placing virtual bets in six simple steps at talkSPORT BET:

• Log in or create a new talKSPORT BET account
• Choose a deposit method and make your first real-money deposit
• Head over to our Virtual Sports page
• Find a virtual sport event you wish to bet on
• Select the market and add to your betslip
• Set your stake and submit your betslip before the “no more bets” announcement

What are the Virtual Sports betting markets?

If you are familiar with normal online sports betting, the virtual sports markets will make total sense. You’ll get to scroll between virtual sports at the top of our virtuals section. Click your chosen virtual sports event and access all available markets, including outrights, over/unders, Asian Handicap, correct score and both teams to score. These bets settle immediately at the end of each event, which normally lasts no longer than one or two minutes, although you can’t bet in-play like you can with real-life sports.

We’re adding more virtual sports and markets all of the time, so keep your eyes peeled!

Tips for Virtual Sports betting

Looking for virtual sports betting tips? We’ve got some pointers to get you started:

• Keep your bets small – with so many virtual sports events, the temptation is to bet the same as real-life sports bets. Bet smaller amounts as consecutive losses can mount up fast in virtuals.
• Start by betting on smaller fields – if you're betting on virtual horses, look at races with smaller fields to increase the probability of winning. Better still, look at football virtuals where there are only three possible outcomes – home win, away win or draw.

Common mistakes in Virtual Sports betting

There are several errors that punters make when betting on virtual sports. Do your best to avoid these:

• Over staking – some bettors may try to chase losses. Only bet with what you can afford to lose. We have a string of safer gambling measures to help with this.
• Thinking that pre-game favourites are certain winners – the RNG decides the winner and it’s not always the one you think it will be!
• Betting on too many virtual sports markets – stick to the markets you know and understand.

Bet on Virtual Sports with talkSPORT BET

Make talkSPORT BET your number-one home for virtual sports betting. We cover horse racing, greyhounds, football and even basketball in virtual events, with races and games starting every two-to-three minutes.

Virtual Sports betting FAQs

Is Virtual Sports betting popular?

One of the main reasons virtual sports betting is in such high demand is its accessibility. Virtual sporting events offer the adrenaline rush of a real-life sports event in a bite-sized format. With virtual sports events starting every minute of the day and night, you can log in to your talkSPORT BET account and enjoy placing some virtual bets whenever you fancy.

What types of bets are available for Virtual Sports?

When it comes to virtual horse racing betting, you can place bets on selections to win or finish each-way. It’s the same with our virtual greyhound races. Each-way bets pay to two places at a quarter of the outright odds. If you decide to bet on virtual football, you’ll find heaps of available markets, including over/under goals, Asian Handicap and correct score markets, as well as outright markets.

What Virtual Sports are available to bet on?

At talkSPORT BET, you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to our online virtual betting markets. Choose from jumps and flat virtual horse racing betting events, as well as our virtual greyhound races. We’ve got domestic and European-themed games for those who want to bet on virtual football and there’s also NBA-inspired virtual basketball betting too.

What are the advantages to betting on Virtual Sports?

There are several benefits to virtual games betting over betting on real-life sports events. First and foremost, you don’t need any pre-game knowledge to pick a winner. With randomised outcomes and no pre-game data to analyse, virtual sports betting is accessible to all talkSPORT BET customers. Furthermore, with events running 24/7, you can pick and choose when your virtual sports betting sessions begin.

Is betting on Virtual Sports safe?

You can rest assured that all our virtual betting markets at talkSPORT BET are 100% safe and offer fair gameplay. We’re supplied by the market-leading virtual sports betting providers, which provide 100% random results when betting on virtual sports, including horse racing and football events. As a UK Gambling Commission-licensed operator, we’re duty bound to offer secure and transparent virtual bets 24/7, with no hidden agendas.