In the difficult context of sports events being cancelled across the world in early March 2020, Virtual Sports are ready to take the iGaming world by storm. At the intersection of sports and casino, Virtual Sports are here to bring more excitement, and entertainment options to sports fans left with limited betting options during the coronavirus crisis.
They open the door to an increasingly profitable partnership between online gaming operators and their players. Among the components contributing to the success of this rising star are the stunning yet realistically designed graphics, an enormous amount of sports choices, and instant gratification, obtained by eliminating the waiting times associated with real-life sports.
Operators can now rely on virtual sports as they are starting to become a solid revenue stream, while they evolve from a complimentary option to a reliable choice in their own right.
Technological changes go hand in hand with the generational ones. Currently, millennials make up a significant share of the target audience, and this requires a response from operators and providers in the industry. To address their demands, the betting experience is continuously enhanced through mobile-friendly technologies and the facilitation of richer digital social interactions.
Virtual sports are derived from fantasy sports and they are inspired by real sporting events, even though we can find a number of similarities with casino games. They are electronic games, or simulations of sporting events generated by a software programmed to comply with a set of rules. As a betting category, virtual sports can be placed in-between sports and casino games.
Drawing their roots from the fascination towards fantasy sports and video games, such as Football Manager or FIFA, they allow punters to choose from a multitude of games.
Though these types of sports are actually software programs customized to suit a number of requirements, bettors can easily make correlations with real sports to understand the way they function and what factors they should consider when placing a bet on such an event.
For instance, simulations of real football matches take into account the basic rules from real football – such as league, world cup or domestic cup matches – and apply them accordingly in the virtual environment. Behind the scenes, a series of random computer-generated events determine the outcomes, based on algorithms that guarantee fair results.
The main advantage in virtual sports, compared to real-life sports betting, is the possibility to access a broader array of sports at any moment of the day and complete bets in a shorter amount of time. Due to their nature, they attract both the video-game generations and the casino audience, these two categories being among the early adopters alongside the traditional, real-life sports betters, which are now seeing the full potential.
Virtual sports distinguish themselves as a separate category of gaming content, with their own complex environment, and they can be better understood through a comparison to real-life sporting events and real-life sports betting.
Let’s discover together the main differences between placing a wager on a virtual sport versus betting on a real sporting event:
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 of events to bet on.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Online operators can easily tap into this complementary source of iGaming 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Most virtual sports offered by operators to punters focus on popular events, such as football, horse racing, greyhound races, tennis, baseball, basket, cycling, etc.
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.
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 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.
For sports betting operators searching to add or enrich their sports offering, EveryMatrix provides fast access to a massive content selection, which can be delivered via CasinoEngine with a single quick integration.
CasinoEngine’s Virtual Sports collection offers unlimited wagering options, across the most exciting instant virtual sports and markets, while being available anytime, with no interruptions. Our selection of Virtual Sports content from top virtual sports providers such as Global Bet, Kiron, NSoft, Golden Race, Leap Gaming, 1×2 Gaming, Betradar is immediately available via one integration, to allow you to keep up with the market demand.
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