Virtual Sports Betting Sites In 2024

What Are Virtual Sports?

Virtual sports trace their genesis back to the 1960s and the development of industrial computers. Of course, back then, these giant machines just took in some baseball data from the Majors, crunched it, and spat out simulated contest results. Now, the approach is the same, but the scale of the operation is far broader in scope and much more granular in application.

Effectively, virtual sports are computer-controlled contests that use real-world parameters to simulate sports outcomes. However, due to various trademarking and branding issues, real teams, players, and logos are not used.

Instead, virtual sports are simply modeled after the above, using historical data to electronically simulate how matchups will play out. Virtual sports team names are fanciful, but they are usually referential to the real-world clubs they mimic.

Types Of Virtual Sports To Bet On

Right now, there are only a comparative few vSports markets to bet on. However, as the popularity of the pastime grows, software for other sports will be developed and deployed. Soon, bettors can look forward to virtual sports options for every market that exists in the real world – and maybe even some that don’t! Right now, at most books, you’ll find the following “leagues” running 24/7:

• American Football
• Basketball
• Baseball
• Hockey
• Soccer
• Auto Racing
• Horse Racing
• Greyhound Racing

What Is Virtual Sports Betting?

Now that you know what virtual sports are, you can probably guess what virtual sports betting is. And yep, you’re right on the money: Virtual sports betting is wagering real money on the outcomes of AI-based virtual sports matchups.

This might sound like a random coin flip, and there’s definitely a degree of random chance built in. But as with real-world sports gambling, you can also track teams’ seasonal performances, divining out trends here and there that will help you win wagers more frequently.

Virtual sports betting is by no means a lottery system – it takes a keen eye and attention to detail to stay on top of things, but you can definitely stay on top if you dedicate the time and effort into doing so.

Is Virtual Sports Betting Legal In 2024?

Virtual sports betting is legal for most US players, as long as you sign up at a reputable offshore sportsbook like those listed here. States with legal sports betting so far do not allow gambling on virtual sporting events, as this is considered to be a “casino” game by most domestic gambling regulators. (eSports and sports sims are related markets that are similarly disallowed domestically but freely available online at these very same sites.)

Unfortunately, the best overseas betting operators currently do not accept NJ residents, but this is a policy decision, and signing up is simply against sites’ terms of service, not against the law. Additionally, CT and WA residents are barred by local mandate from all forms of online gambling, though these laws are historically unenforced and all major sites accept players from both states (though you must proceed only at your own discretion if you decide to sign up).

Federally, there are no laws that prevent individual gamblers from wagering on virtual sporting contests online, as the Wire Act (1961) and UIGEA (2006) do not apply to bettors at any level.

How To Bet On Virtual Sports

Betting on virtual sports is as easy as wagering on their real sports counterparts. However, there is one big difference: volume. Virtual sports is set at 11, while you’re probably used to about a 4. So, to wager successfully, you’ll need to crank it up a bit more than usual.

The types of wagers you’ll come across when betting on virtual sports games are the same as those you’d see for real-life matchups. Most commonly, you’ll find point spreads, straight bets, and totals, though player props and team props may occasionally be offered.

Additionally, some offshore sportsbooks will post halftime odds, quarter odds, and even league futures. Mostly, though, only the basic betting lines are available, but thanks to the sheer volume of action, these are more than enough. After all, each game only lasts about 3-5 minutes before the next one starts.

Mobile Virtual Sports Betting Apps

Virtually all virtual sports betting (ha!) is carried out via mobile. The speed of the game, the pace of wagering, and the convenience of offshore betting sites all combine to make mobile devices the platforms of choice for the vast majority of players.

That said, you won’t find a virtual sports betting app anywhere. The reason for this is simply because the App Store and Google Play don’t allow iPhone betting apps or Android betting apps for virtual sports.

Of course, that’s irrelevant, because virtual sports lives on the Internet, and you can wager – and watch simulated highlight reels – right through your web browser. As long as you’ve got a cellular connection or Wi-Fi and a modern browser like Firefox, Chrome, Safari, or Edge, you have every edge you need to enjoy a great web-app wagering experience.

Live Betting On Virtual Sports

With normal sports wagering, live betting is a popular market, giving bettors the chance to put money on odds and lines as they shift to reflect the action of the games at hand. Virtual sports betting is live in the sense that you have a timed window to place your bets, but once the sports simulation kicks off, you can no longer wager.

Still, this is something of a non-issue, given the fact that virtual sports games are over in a matter of minutes. Virtual sports betting is just as fast-paced as live betting, and for many gamblers, it’s even more exciting because the next game is always in the on-deck circle.

Bitcoin: Virtual Currency For Virtual Sports Betting

Most offshore sportsbooks support a number of deposit options, like credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express), debit cards, money orders, bank wires, cashier’s checks, and more.

However, these all have negatives, like extended transfer times, high fees, low limits, and so on. But if you use the world’s leading virtual currency to bet on virtual sports, you’ll see that there’s more to it than simple serendipity.

Indeed, Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptos (i.e. Litecoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Bitcoin Cash, etc.) represent the best option for both depositing and withdrawing at online gambling sites. Cryptocurrencies come with near-instant processing times, have no added fees, have high betting limits, and are the only way to get same day payouts on all your virtual sports bets. If you want to keep it real, virtual money is as real as it gets!

Virtual Reality Sports + VR Sports Betting

Virtual betting is a precursor of sorts to a very experimental market called virtual reality sports betting. VR sports themselves are not yet popular outside of the video game marketplace, though FOX Sports VR lets you watch select NFL games inside a virtual booth or skybox, which is pretty neat, and Sky Sports VR offers similar services.

Still, the technology is coming to the point where live VR sports will be a reasonable endeavor, allowing you watch games in real-time from the perspectives of athletes or officials. Naturally, when that happens, VR sports betting will be there to take full advantage.

But even before that, VR sports betting is on the horizon at offshore books, as it’s a small step to take their usual virtual sports presentations and make them VR-ready. You’ll be able to watch these simulated games as if you were right there on the field, court, rink, pitch, or diamond, and you’ll be able to place your wagers as you run around with the virtual players themselves.

Exactly how and when this tech will roll out is dependent on how quickly the prices of VR headsets come down, but we expect this market to be going full speed ahead in just a couple of years.