Sports betting or casino games, which do you prefer for a flutter? It’s a popular question in gambling circles, but some say that in 2022 it is also an obsolete one. Why not enjoy both, or better still a combination of the two?
Blurring the boundaries
In years gone by, sports betting and casino gaming were as distinct as visiting a casino and popping into a back street betting shop. The online age has changed things dramatically and blurred the boundaries.
For example, despite its strong sporting heritage, the Unibet site is now as much about casino gaming as it is sports betting. Similarly, most of the big name casino sites whose brands originally achieved their fame on the Las Vegas strip now offer sports betting in addition to the slots and card games.
Virtual sports betting
The virtual sports betting phenomenon takes things a step further. Played out in a virtual world with the results decided by a random number generator, you watch a football match, a horse race or even a round of golf unfold before your eyes on screen and try to back a winner.
Virtual sports betting at online casinos enjoyed a spike in popularity in early 2020 for obvious reasons. It was practically the only show in town and the fact that the Virtual Grand National was shown “live” on ITV speaks volumes. That one race brought virtual sports betting to mainstream attention and its popularity remains strong despite real sport now being back to some approximation of normality.
The (virtual) world is your oyster
Virtual horse racing is the most long-established form of virtual sports betting, and virtual football is also extremely popular. As far as the latter is concerned, there are several different games such as Virtual World Cup, Virtual Premier League and so on. As the names imply, these take you through a simulated tournament or season.
Just as in the real world, fixtures are scheduled for set times and you can place the same kinds of bets as you can on an actual match or season. When the match gets under way, you are shown highlights of the action. Then the result is confirmed, winnings paid out and the clock counts down to the next fixture.
There are numerous other virtual sports betting games out there too. These vary between betting sites but include greyhound racing, tennis, golf, basketball and cycle racing. As virtual sports betting continues to grow in popularity, more choices will undoubtedly appear.
You need some luck with virtual sports
We mentioned earlier that you can place the same types of bets on a virtual sporting event as you can on a real one. It all adds to the realism, but looks can be deceptive and it pays to remember that the result is all decided by a random number generator. Beneath the surface, it’s no different to a slot machine so your in-depth knowledge of your favourite sport won’t help you here. As the old saying goes, sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good!
