Virtual Sports Betting Guide: How It Works and What to Expect

Virtual sports have become one of the more interesting corners of online betting. Rather than waiting for a real match to kick off, punters can bet on computer-generated football, horse racing, and more, with a result landing in a couple of minutes.

This virtual sports betting guide walks through how the format actually works, what’s available, and how to place a bet, so you’re not left guessing when you first come across it. You can browse the full range of virtual sports at 7bet to find exactly what you’re looking for.

Virtual Sports Betting Guide: The Basics

Virtual sports betting involves placing a bet on a computer-generated match or race rather than a real-world sporting event.

Virtual sports work differently from betting on real-world events in a handful of ways:

• Outcomes are algorithmic. A random number generator (RNG) determines the result within a defined set of probabilities, so no single outcome is predictable or fixed in advance.
• Events run continuously. Virtual markets are available around the clock, since there’s no need to wait for a real fixture to be scheduled.
• External factors don’t apply. Weather, injuries, and other real-world disruptions simply don’t come into play, since nothing is actually being played physically.
• Rounds are short. A full virtual match or race typically wraps up in two minutes or less, complete with visuals, commentary, and stats.

Explore a broader look at the other tools and features available in our platform.

How Does Virtual Sports Betting Actually Work?

Behind every virtual match sits a piece of software generating the environment: players, stadiums or tracks, and the flow of the event itself. Pre-programmed algorithms simulate what happens next. That simulation gets turned into visuals, commentary, and a final score or result.

To make the experience feel closer to a real broadcast, most virtual sports include animations, crowd noise, and replay functions. It all looks and sounds like live coverage, but every result underneath is generated by the software, not filmed from an actual event.

The Role of Random Number Generators

The random number generator is the actual engine behind every virtual outcome. It produces results within set probabilities, which is what stops any single result from being predictable or influenced from the outside. In virtual football, the RNG factors in team strength, league-style statistics, and probability models before landing on a final score.

How Odds Get Set

Odds for each outcome are generated by the software before the event even starts. They’re built from statistical models, historical-style performance data, and the RNG’s own outputs, then adjusted to reflect how likely each result is.

Why Events Run So Frequently

Because there’s no need to schedule a physical fixture, virtual sports run back-to-back, often with a new event starting every few minutes. That pace is one of the clearest differences from traditional sports betting, where you might wait days between fixtures on a specific market.

Understanding RTP in Virtual Sports Betting

RTP, or Return to Player, is worth understanding before you start betting on virtual sports. It’s a percentage that reflects the theoretical payout of a virtual event over a large number of rounds.

This figure won’t tell you what’s going to happen on your next bet, since every round is independent. What it does give you is a sense of the long-term mathematical structure behind the format you’re betting on, which is useful context alongside the actual odds on display.

Types of Virtual Sports You Can Bet On

Virtual sports cover a fairly wide spread of formats, each built to mimic its real-world counterpart.

• Virtual football: matches play out with first-half and second-half action and a realistic final score. Markets include match winner, total goals, and correct score.
• Virtual tennis: contested over a best-of-three format, with quick serves and rallies. Markets cover both match and set outcomes.
• Virtual horse racing: includes flat racing and jumps, complete with commentary and form-style visuals. Betting markets closely resemble those used in real horse racing.
• Virtual greyhounds: short, fast-paced races designed for quick, frequent bets.
• Virtual motorsport: simulated races on recognisable circuits, with markets built around podium finishes and outright winners.

Betting Markets Available in Virtual Sports

Virtual sports markets are built to feel familiar if you’ve bet on real sports before, just adapted for computer-generated events.

• Match Winner: backing which team or competitor wins the event.
• Correct Score: predicting the exact scoreline, most common in virtual football and tennis.
• Over/Under: betting on whether the total goals or points land above or below a set line.
• Top 3 or Podium Finish: used in virtual racing formats, predicting who finishes near the front.
• Each-Way and Place Bets: mostly seen in virtual horse racing and greyhounds.
• Prop Bets: event-specific wagers, like which side scores first.
• Accumulators: combining multiple virtual selections into a single bet, where every selection needs to land for the bet to pay out.

A Worked Example: Reading Virtual Football Odds

Here’s what virtual football odds actually look like once a match is underway, using a live V-Spain single match between MAL and ATM as an example.

Alongside the main Full Time Result market, a typical virtual football fixture also carries markets like: 

• Double Chance
• Totals
• Exact Goals
• Odd/Even
• Both Teams to Score
• Halftime/Fulltime
• Correct Score, 

All markets are generated and priced by the same underlying software. Taking the Full Time Result market as an example:

These are shown in fractional format, which is standard across most UK betting markets. Taking the draw at 219/100: a £10 stake would return £31.90 in total if the match ends level. This makes up a £21.90 profit plus the original £10 stake back.

The same logic applies across every other virtual football market, whether it’s Correct Score, Both Teams to Score, or Halftime/Fulltime. Each outcome carries its own odds, calculated by the same RNG-driven process described earlier in this guide, and the payout works the same way regardless of which market you’re looking at.

Steps for Placing a Virtual Sports Bet

Starting a virtual sports bet follows the same basic process as any other sport on the platform.

1. Register an account, or log in if you already have one.
2. Head to the relevant sport section, such as Football or Horse Racing, from the sports menu.
3. Select the tournament, event, and outcome you want to back.
4. Click the number next to the main odds to see additional markets for that event.
5. Add your selection to the bet slip, enter your stake, and confirm.
6. Check your bet under “My Bets” once it’s been placed.

You can keep adding or removing selections before confirming, and the total stake updates automatically as you go.

Bet Responsibly: Setting Loss Limits Before You Start

Since virtual events run continuously, you can decide on a loss limit before you begin instead of partway through a session. 

Most licensed platforms, including 7bet, offer responsible gaming tools to set these limits directly on your account. This is one way to keep a session within the boundaries you actually intended.

Virtual Sports Betting Guide: Combining Selections With Accumulators and Bet Builders

Virtual sports selections can be combined into a single bet in more than one way.

An accumulator brings together multiple virtual events into one bet, where every selection has to win for the bet to pay out. 

7bet’s Bet Builder feature works slightly differently: instead of combining separate events, it lets you combine multiple markets from a single event. For example, select a match winner alongside a total goals prediction in one combined wager. 

In both cases, the potential payout grows with each added selection, but so does the risk, since a single incorrect leg voids the entire bet.

Boost-style features are also common on accumulators with three or more selections at minimum qualifying odds, where a small additional percentage gets added to the total payout depending on how many selections are combined. Terms and qualifying odds vary by platform, so it’s worth checking the specific rules before relying on a boost.

Why Virtual Sports Betting Has Grown in Popularity

Virtual sports still make up a relatively small share of UK gambling revenue overall, but the format has picked up steady momentum. A few factors explain why.

• Constant availability: There’s no waiting for a scheduled kick-off, so betting opportunities exist at any hour.
• Quick results: A two-minute round suits punters who want a fast outcome rather than a multi-hour match.
• No external disruption: Rain delays, injuries, and other real-world unpredictability simply don’t factor in.
• Consistent structure: The same markets and formats repeat across events, which makes the betting experience predictable to navigate even if the outcome itself isn’t.

Virtual Sports Betting Guide: Common Mistakes to Avoid

A few habits tend to trip up newer virtual sports bettors in particular.

• Chasing losses: Because virtual events run so quickly, it’s easy to place another bet straight after a loss without pausing. Sticking to a set budget helps avoid this.
• Skipping bankroll management: The fast pace of virtual sports means funds can disappear quickly without a clear plan for how much to stake per event.
• Relying on patterns or superstition: Since every outcome is generated independently by an RNG, previous results have no bearing on what happens next.
• Overlooking available promotions: Some platforms offer free bets or cashback specifically for virtual sports, which are easy to miss if you’re not checking regularly.

A Few Practical Strategies Instead

• Start with smaller stakes while you get a feel for how quickly virtual events move.
• Take time to understand the odds format and market types before betting larger amounts.
• Keep a simple record of bets placed and outcomes, so you’re aware of how much is spent. 
• Stick to licensed, RNG-certified platforms to make sure outcomes are independently verified as fair.

Live Betting on Virtual Sports

Some virtual sports markets stay open briefly after an event has started, letting you place a bet as the simulation plays out rather than only before it begins. This works a little differently from live betting on real sports, since the “in-play” window is much shorter given how quickly virtual events resolve.

Where available, live virtual markets update in real time with the visuals and commentary, so odds shift as the simulated action develops. You can find these alongside 7bet’s wider in-play betting section, which covers live markets across virtual and traditional sports alike.

Virtual Sports vs eSports vs Live Casino Games

These three formats get grouped together fairly often, but they’re built quite differently underneath.

eSports betting covers real competitive gaming events, titles like Counter-Strike and League of Legends, with markets including actual human players and tournament schedules. 

Live casino games sit somewhere in between: an actual dealer runs the game in real time, but the game itself still relies on random outcomes. Virtual sports are the only one of the three with no human involvement at all in the outcome, since the entire event is generated by software from start to finish.

Ready to Try This Virtual Sports Betting Guide in Action?

Head over to 7bet’s online UK casino to explore the full range of virtual sports markets covered in this guide, alongside everything else available on the platform.

Frequently Asked Questions About Virtual Sports Betting

What is virtual sports betting?

Virtual sports betting involves placing wagers on computer-generated matches or races rather than real sporting events. Outcomes are decided by a random number generator, and results typically land within two minutes.

How is a virtual sports outcome decided?

Outcomes are determined by an RNG operating within defined probability models. In virtual football, for example, the software factors in team strength and league-style statistics before generating a final score, meaning no result is fixed or predictable in advance.

What sports are available to bet on virtually?

Common virtual sports include football, tennis, horse racing, greyhound racing, and motorsport. Each is built to resemble the structure and markets of its real-world equivalent, just compressed into a much shorter timeframe.

Can I combine multiple virtual sports selections into one bet?

Yes. Virtual selections can be combined into an accumulator, where every leg needs to win for the bet to pay out, or into a Bet Builder that combines multiple markets from a single event. Some platforms also offer a boost on accumulators with enough qualifying selections.

How long do virtual sports events run?

Virtual sports events are built for speed compared to real-world fixtures. A few specifics worth knowing:

• A full virtual match or race typically wraps up in under two minutes.
• New events start back-to-back, often just minutes apart, without any scheduling gaps.
• This pace lets bettors place several wagers in the time it would take to watch one real match.

What is RTP in virtual sports betting?

RTP, or Return to Player, is a key figure to understand before betting on virtual sports. A few points explain what it means:

• It’s a theoretical payout percentage calculated over a very large number of rounds, not any single bet.
• It doesn’t predict what will happen on your next wager, since every round is independent.
• It gives useful context on the long-term mathematical structure behind a format, alongside the actual odds on display.

How is virtual sports betting different from eSports betting?

Virtual sports outcomes are entirely computer-generated, with no human involvement in the result. In contrast, eSports betting features real competitive gaming tournaments contested by professional human players, following actual match schedules.

Can I set limits on my virtual sports betting?

Yes. Licensed platforms typically offer tools such as deposit limits, time-outs, and self-exclusion. These apply across virtual sports betting the same way they do for other betting markets on the account.

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