Best Virtual Sports Betting Sites UK in 2024
As the percentage of virtual bettors continues to grow in the UK, we thought it time to put together a detailed guide on the topic. We’ll explain what virtual betting is, with reviews of the ten best virtual sports betting sites in the UK for you to compare. Once you’ve found one you like, keep reading for information on virtual sports betting markets, the pros and cons of this betting format, and tips and strategies. If you’d like to get started right away, check out our toplist of the ten best virtual betting sites around.
Place a min £10 bet on Sportsbook on odds of min EVS (2.0), get £50 in Free Bet Builders, Accumulators or multiples to use on any sport. Rewards valid for 30 days. Only deposits via cards or Apple Pay will qualify. T&Cs apply. Please Gamble Responsibly.
#AD 18+ New Customer offer – Use promo code YSKAST. Place a min £5 bet on the sportsbook at odds of min EVS (2.0) and get £30 in free bets. Free bet rewards valid for 30 days. Only deposits via Debit Cards & Apple Pay will qualify for this offer. T&Cs apply. Please Gamble Responsibly
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- Best Odds
- Bet Builder
- Cash Out
- Casino
- Double Result
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- In-Play Betting
- Live Streaming
- Mobile App
- Price Boosts
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Neteller
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New Customers only. Bet £10* & Get £50* in Free Bets. Sign up, deposit between £5* and £10* to your account and bet365 will give you five times that value in Free Bets when you place qualifying bets to the same value and they are settled. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits. Min odds/bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. T&Cs, time limits & exclusions apply. Gambleaware.org
New customers only. Register with BETFRED50. Deposit £10+ via Debit Card and place first bet £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days to get 3 x £10 in Sports Free Bets & 2 x £10 in Acca Free Bets within 10 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility & payment exclusions apply. T&Cs apply.”
New UK/IE customers only. Sign up and place your first sports bet at odds of Evens (2.0) or greater and if it loses, get a free bet equivalent to 50% of your first bet stake (min £10), to a maximum value of £25, plus 25 free spins on Gold Horsey Winner. Full T&Cs apply. 18+
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- Acca Insurance
- Best Odds
- Bet Builder
- Cash Out
- Casino
- Free Bet Club
- In-Play Betting
- Live Streaming
- Mobile App
- Price Boosts
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Bank Transfer
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Cheque
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Visa Electron
18+. New UK customers (Excluding NI) only. £40 in FREE Bets (FB) as £30 in sports bets & a £10 casino bonus (CB). Min Deposit £10. Min stake £10. Min odds Evs. FB applied on 1st settlement of any qualifying bet. FB 7-day expiry. 1 FB offer per customer, household & IP address only. Account & Payment restrictions. 14 days to accept £10 CB, then active for 3 days. CB 5x wagering & max redeemable £100. Game restrictions apply. Cashed out/Free Bets won’t apply. 30 days to qualify. T&Cs Apply
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Android
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- Best Odds
- Cash Out
- Casino
- In-Play Betting
- Live Streaming
- Mobile App
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Apple Pay
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Envoy
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Mastercard
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Neteller
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PayPal
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Skrill
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Offer valid for new Betgoodwin customers aged 18 years and over only. 50% of first day losses refunded as a free bet. Max free bet per customer £25. To activate your 50% back offer, simply deposit and have a minimum of 3 bets of £10 or more on separate events at odds of evens (2.0) or bigger on first day. First day losses equals all settled stakes less all returns. Free bets must be used in their entirety and stakes are deducted from returns. Free bets non withdrawable Free bets to be credited within 24 hours. This offer can not be used in conjunction with any other Betgoodwin promotion. Cashed out bets do not count towards this offer. This offer is limited to a free bet award per person/household/IP address. T&Cs apply. gambleaware.org
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Android
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- Best Odds
- Bet Builder
- Cash Out
- Casino
- In-Play Betting
- Live Streaming
- Mobile App
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Mastercard
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Mastercard Maestro
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Visa
18+ New customers only. Bet £10+ on pre-match accas with 4+ legs, min odds 3/1 (4.0) within 14 days of sign-up. Get 4x £5 Horse Racing Free Bets and 50 Free Spins, valid for 7 days on selected bets and games only. Restrictions and T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org
18+ New Customers Only. Opt in and bet £10 (odds 2.00+) within 3 days of sign up. No cash-out. Get 3x£10 Free Bets for set markets (odds 2.0+) which expire in 5 days. Click for T&Cs. GambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly
New customers online only. Eligibility restrictions apply. Only valid with code B10G40 on registration. £10 min qualifying bet at 1/1 (2.0) odds or greater across sports or racing (if EW then min £10 Win + £10 Place). Receive £20 Tote Credit, £10 Free Sports Bet and 50 Free Spins on Big Bass Bonanza within 48 hours of qualifying bet settlement. 7-day expiry on free bets & Tote Credit. Your first bet will be your qualifying bet. One per customer. UK & ROI customers only. 18+. Full T&Cs apply. Gambleaware.org.Full T&Cs apply.
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Android
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- Best Odds
- Betting Assitant
- Casino
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- Ten To Follow
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Mastercard
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18+ New customers only. Opt in and bet £5 on football (odds 2.00+) within 7 days of registration. No cash out. Get 2x£10 Free Bets for set EPL markets and a £10 Slot Bonus for Big Bass Splash, 20x wagering to redeem £250. Bonuses expire in 14 days. Full T&Cs Apply. GambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly
If your first bet is a Lucky 15 on Any Sport AK Bets will boost the profit gained on that initial bet by 25% in the form of a Free Bet up to a value of £100.
Applies to new customers who sign up to AK BETS with the promo code AKLUCKY100.
T&C Apply
Terms & Conditions: “18+ GambleAware.org. New UK customers only
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Android
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iOS
- Best Odds
- Bet Builder
- Cash Out
- Casino
- Free Bet Club
- In-Play Betting
- Live Streaming
- Mobile App
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Bank Transfer
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Mastercard
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Mastercard Maestro
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Visa
Virtual Betting Explained
Just like regular sports betting sites, virtual betting takes place across a number of sports: football, tennis, horse racing, greyhounds, basketball and motor racing are the most popular on offer. The difference — and it’s a big one — is that with virtual betting, these sporting events don’t actually take place. Instead, algorithms simulate these virtual events, displaying computer-generated images of the ‘action’ taking place. As a result, virtual betting markets are open 24/7.
Virtual betting platforms aim to replicate the experience of betting on actual sports events. To this end, the virtual players, horses, dogs and teams they create often come with stats and recent form guides, so that bettors have some information to work with. These ingredients enable the creation of virtual betting odds, which are calculated by algorithms and statistical models.
This might sound like an enterprise with no betting worth, but virtual betting sites deploy random number generators (RNGs) in order to replicate the essential element of chance. Placing a virtual bet is therefore thought of as being similar to spinning the reels on slot games; in both cases, RNGs determine the outcome. Virtual bettors have slightly more insight than slot players, however, due to the fact they can rely on stats and form, even if this data is entirely imagined.
Our Top 10 Virtual Betting Sites Reviewed and Compared
Virtual betting is now a common option at most UK sportsbooks. Our expert team has curated a list of the top ten virtual betting sites — browse the list, read our reviews, and find one that’s right for you.
1. Betfair: Best Mobile App for Virtual Betting
When you log into the Betfair mobile app, the virtual sports category is one of the headline acts. Scroll across the top banner of the app’s most popular sports and click on the Virtuals market. Inside you’ll find three horse racing categories — flat, jumps and sprint — as well as World Cup, Club Football, greyhounds and motor racing. Each event has a 2–3-minute interval, so you’ll never be waiting long for the next one. New customers can claim £50 in free bets when they wager their first £10. Free bet tokens come in the form of bet builders, accumulators and multiples; the latter two can be used on virtual bets.
2. Paddy Power: Best for Virtual Sports Bonuses
There’s little between Betfair and PaddyPower in terms of virtual sports markets. Both sites offer the same horse racing, greyhound racing, football and motor sports events; the difference is that PP opts for a Super League format as opposed to Betfair’s Club Football. There’s £30 of free bets available to new customers who wager £5 first, and these free bets can be used on virtual markets. PaddyPower is renowned for its frequent and high-quality promotions, so expect to see plenty of offers coming your way, including on virtual sports.
3. bet365: Best Variety of Virtual Sports
bet365 really attends to the burgeoning virtual sports market by offering an incredible 14 different sports to bet on: football, horse racing, greyhounds, cricket, American football, speedway, motor racing, darts, basketball, tennis, baseball, cycling, golf and trotting. Some of these sports, like trotting(?!) won’t be found anywhere else, and bet365 is adding new sports to its virtuals list all the time. For example, American football and baseball are brand-new additions to the line-up. Market depth is impressive within these categories too. In the tennis section, punters can bet on the precise score, winning margin and total points of a tie break. Sign up and claim £50 in free bets and use these tokens on bet365’s vast range of virtual sports.
4. Betfred: Best for Horse and Greyhound Virtual Betting Markets
For those who like to head to the virtual races, Betfred offers four different racing categories: standard horse and greyhounds, as well as Dash Horses and Dash Greyhounds. There’s not much between them, except a change of track and some faster times, but it gives punters more options. I’m impressed with Betfred’s virtual horse racing betting options, which includes forecasts, tricasts and accas as well as standard singles and each-way bets. Football, speedway, motor racing, darts, cycling and tennis make up the rest of Betfred’s virtual sports markets. New Betfred customers will be rewarded with £50 in free bets when they sign up and wager £10 of their own, which can be used on virtuals.
5. Sky Bet: Best for Virtual Football Betting Markets
Sky Bet offers six virtual sports: football, greyhounds, horse racing flats, horse racing jumps, motor racing and speedway. It’s not the widest selection, but I’m impressed by Sky Bet’s virtual football markets — as well as standard pre-match selections, punters can also wager on the correct score, total goals, double chance, and over/under 2.5 goals. For all other virtual sports at Sky Bet, punters can bet on winners, forecasts and tricasts. This virtual betting site currently offers one of the best welcome bonuses of all time: £30 in free bets when customers sign up and wager just 5p. You’ll need to deposit a minimum of £5 to qualify, but it’s still an outstanding deal.
6. Star Sports: Best Range of Football Virtuals
Star Sports outperforms all other virtual football betting sites in this list by offering 11 different categories. These games take bettors around the world with a range of international club competitions, as well as English and Brazilian virtual leagues. Star Sports has had some fun with its virtual football category, offering innovations like Football Penalty Duel and Football Streak Legends; in the latter, famous names from yesteryear turn back the clock on the virtual turf. Virtual bets can also be placed on horse racing, greyhounds, NASCAR, and two different basketball leagues, offering a varied and unique selection for virtual bettors.
7. BoyleSports: Best for Greyhound Virtuals
BoyleSports offers two virtual greyhound markets: Greyhounds and Greyhound Derby. Each race comes with detailed commentary, with the outcomes and odds of every race available to review in the Results tab. BoyleSports customers also have access to four horse racing virtuals, three football virtuals, motor racing and speedway. This betting site is known for offering loads of promotions at a variety of sports; if virtual betting is your thing, you’ll be sure to receive consistent bonuses and offers in this category. Sign up and claim £25 of free bets off the back of your first £10 wager.
8. BetGoodwin: Best for Virtual Pay Tables
For those who like to know exactly their chances of winning when placing virtual bets, BetGoodwin publishes detailed pay tables of all of its virtual sports. You can see how return-to-player (RTP) percentages are affected by placing different bets, such as winners, forecasts and tricasts. In a similar way to playing slots at an online casino, this information helps bettors develop and maintain wagering budgets. Football, greyhounds, cycling and motor racing are the available virtual sports, alongside three different horse racing categories.
9. Midnite: Best for European Football Virtuals
Each virtual sports betting site has its own approach to virtual football betting. Midnite’s specialism is European virtual football, with punters able to place bets on the site’s equivalent of the Premier League, Serie A and La Liga. The teams are easily recognisable too — for example, Man United are abbreviated to MNU, as opposed to Manchester Red at other sites. It’s the same story across Spain and Italy, with backgrounds modified to reflect each league. There’s a great range of betting markets on these virtuals too, including half time correct score, BTTS, double chance and more. Horse racing and greyhounds make up the other virtual sports at Midnite.
10. Betano: Best for Basketball Virtuals
I was blown away by the quality of Betano’s virtual commentary. Whereas other sites deploy stock phrases that are out of sync with the action, Betano’s commentary genuinely feels like a real game. This is particularly true of its virtual basketball games, which are delivered in two leagues: the US League and the US League 2. Each game is split into four quarters, with the best of the action playing out on screen. Football, horse racing and greyhounds are the other virtual sports categories at Betano. New customers are entitled to £50 in free bets when they first sign up.
Which Virtual Sports and Markets Can You Bet On?
The list of virtual sports isn’t as long as real sports at UK betting sites, but there are still plenty of options for fans of this format. We’ve organised these sports into the individual sections below.
Virtual Horse Racing
Virtual horse racing is one of the most popular virtual sports to bet on and is available at every site in our top ten list. The best virtual horse racing sites run a range of different events, such as flats, jumps and sprints, just like regular horse racing betting. Races take place every few minutes, with line-ups presented to bettors before each race starts. The race then plays out virtually, with ‘live’ commentary accompanying the action. Betting markets include winners, each-way, forecasts, tricasts and accumulators.
Our top recommended virtual horse racing betting site: Betfred
Virtual Greyhound Racing
Because the format of greyhound and horse racing is very similar, virtual events in these sports are also near-identical. Winners, each-way, forecasts, tricasts and accas are also available with virtual greyhound events.
Our recommended virtual greyhounds betting site: BoyleSports
Virtual Football
Virtual football rivals virtual horse and greyhound racing in terms of popularity and availability. Matches are just as frequent, taking place every three minutes, with in-game commentary giving each event a dose of realism. Matches typically have a minimum of four highlights per half; each highlight ends with either a goal, a save or a missed chance which plays out on-screen. Some virtual betting sites have over ten different virtual football categories, but three is about par for the course. Typical betting markets include match result, correct score, half-time score and over/under goals.
Our recommended virtual football betting sites: Sky Bet and Star Sports
Virtual Tennis
Virtual tennis isn’t offered at as many sites as virtual horse and greyhound racing, but remains a popular option. Each virtual tennis match lasts the duration of one game, with punters able to place bets on the winner, the total number of points, and the exact score of the game.
Our recommended virtual tennis betting site: Betfred
Virtual Motor Racing
We’ve encompassed all virtual motor sports under the same category here, which includes motor racing, speedway and NASCAR — all of which are commonly available at virtual betting sites. There are fewer competitors in virtual motor sports compared to horse or greyhound racing, but betting options and event presentation are the same.
Our recommended virtual motor sports betting site: bet365
Virtual Basketball
Virtual basketball matches take the best highlights from each quarter, allowing punters to wager on winners, total points, point spreads, half-time/full-time and more. In our opinion, the commentary on these events is superior to all other virtual sports.
Our recommended virtual basketball betting site: Betano
Things We Like About Virtual Betting
Not convinced by virtual sports betting? Fair enough — but take a look at the reasons we like it:
- Continuous games — With virtual sports events taking place every few minutes at betting sites, there’s no need to wait around for the action to take place.
- Requires less research — Since the outcome of virtual sports events is determined by RNGs, there’s less emphasis on the need to conduct research before placing a bet.
- No threat of match fixing — Although rare, real sports betting can be affected by match and spot fixing. No such threat exists in the realm of virtual betting.
- Unimpacted by external factors — Factors such as the weather, player injuries and suspensions can also influence the success of real sports bets. These factors are removed in virtual betting contexts.
Things We Don’t Like About Virtual Betting
Virtual sports betting is a relatively new phenomenon and requires some getting used to. Some people will disagree with the concept at a fundamental level, usually because of one of the following reasons:
- No space for intuition — Many real sports fans dislike the fact that virtual sports remove one of the cornerstones of betting from the equation: the hunch. Everything is determined by RNGs, so there’s no room for intuition here.
- Limited betting options — Exciting betting functions such as cashing out, bet builders and in-play betting are made redundant by virtual sports.
- Fewer bonuses — Virtual sports betting is growing, and it’s uncertain whether it will catch on in the same way as orthodox sports betting. For this reason, sportsbooks offer fewer bonuses and promotions on virtual sports compared to real ones.
- Fewer sports and markets — In terms of sports and markets, betting sites offer a far greater range on real sports than virtual ones.
- Less time between events — We’ve also listed this as one of the pros of virtual betting, but with virtual events running all the time, it can be harder to control impulses and gamble responsibly.
Virtual Sports Betting Tips & Strategies
Virtual betting is a category entirely of its own, so it comes with some specialist tips and strategies. We’ve highlighted the most important below.
Stick Predominantly to Virtual Sports with Fewer Markets
A greater number of virtual sports betting markets gives bettors more choice. Many see this as a good thing, but virtual sports with many markets increase a punter’s chance of losing. Since every virtual betting outcome is determined by chance, the more markets there are, the more opportunities there are to lose. Remember that intuition and hunches are irrelevant here, so it’s better for the majority of virtual bets to be placed on virtual sports with fewer markets.
Use Free Bets
Virtual sports aren’t as targeted for bonuses and promotions as real ones, but there are still plenty of offers to make use of. In particular, many of the free bet offers in our top ten list are eligible to use on virtual sports. So, if you’re planning on engaging with the virtual betting phenomenon, why not do so with a free bet?
Bet in Small Amounts
Virtual sports events are entirely determined by chance. For this reason, it’s always best to wager in small amounts, because punters can never have any genuine insight into the end result. Wagering large amounts on virtual sports betting would be the same as wagering large amounts at the roulette wheel: irresponsible and dangerous.
Gamble Responsibly
The above tip is part of a wider practice of responsible gambling. Although always important at any betting site, virtual sports betting sites demand even more diligence in this area. Never chase your losses, only bet what you can afford to lose, and make use of on-site tools such as deposit and time limits. The frequency and short nature of virtual sports betting makes it much easier for punters to be sucked into the entertainment. Be mindful of this whenever you’re placing a virtual wager.
Virtual Betting FAQs
Is live streaming available for virtual sports betting?
Yes — virtual sports events run entirely via live streaming, because the action is entirely computer-generated.
Who decides the outcome of a virtual sports race or match?
The outcome of all virtual sports races or matches is determined by the spin of a random number generator (RNG), much in the same way as an online slot.
Are virtual sports races real?
No — virtual sports are simulated by computer-generated images.
How are virtual sports odds calculated?
Virtual betting sites create form and statistics in order to weight events with realistic odds. The odds are then calculated and presented to bettors, but the outcome is determined by an RNG.
Can I use free bets on virtual sports?
Yes — so long as virtual sports aren’t named as a restricted market in the bonus terms and conditions.
Do betting sites know the outcome of virtual sports?
No — virtual betting sites can never know the outcome of a virtual event before it’s taken place.
Can I win real money betting on virtual sports?
Yes, you can. Virtual sports betting works just like traditional sports betting – place your stake and win based on the odds.
Do all betting sites offer virtual sports?
No, but all the bookies listed at the top of this page – including the likes of Betfair, Paddy Power and Bet365 – include virtual sports in their offerings.