Virtual football is simulated football, staged for the purposes of betting. It is one of the most common and popular forms of virtual sport in the world.
Virtual football betting markets are one of the most popular lines of virtual sports offered at an online bookmaker and there are many valid reasons for its success. This page aims to explain what exactly virtual football betting is, as well as listing your options on what and, just as importantly, where to bet.
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- What is Virtual Football Betting?
- Best Betting Sites We Recommend for Virtual Football Betting in 2023
- Virtual Football Betting Sites Ranked And Reviewed
- Virtual Football Betting Types
- Virtual Football Betting – Tips And Strategies
- Virtual Football Betting Advantages
- Virtual Football Betting Disadvantages
- Virtual Football Betting FAQs
- ThePuntersPage Final Say
What is Virtual Football Betting?
Virtual football works by allowing bettors to make most of the same type of bets that they enjoy on football by wagering on betting markets that have been specially developed around virtual football matches and competitions. No real teams and/or players are included in virtual football, which also includes no real-life data. Instead, the teams are fictional and each game lasts three minutes, after which another will immediately kick off.
Games are capped at four goals per match. Essentially, these three-minute matches break down by allowing 90 seconds at the start for betting, before presenting a minute or more of a highlights package complete with commentary before the results of the match are published. Some online bookmakers offer more bets on virtual football than others, while others have more action going on.
Is Virtual Football Betting Fair?
If you are at all in any way concerned about the fairness of virtual football, let us assure you that you need not be. The game process is built on a random number generator, similar to the kind used in slots. So long as you are playing with a fully vetted and certified online bookmaker, and we don’t work with any that aren’t, you don’t have anything to worry about.
We only recommend betting platforms that have been thoroughly regulated by an official international gaming authority. In fact, without poor decisions from officials and VAR, in some ways, it can be considered fairer than the real thing.
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#1
 bet365
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T&Cs APPLY, 18+ ONLY
18+ - Offer for new customers at bet365. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and Full T&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org #ad |
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#2
 Betfred
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T&Cs APPLY, 18+ ONLY
New 18+ UK customers only. Register using the promo code WELCOME40, deposit and place first bet of £10+ on Sports (cumulative Evens+) within 7 days of registration. First bet must be on Sports. £30 in Free Bets and £10 in Free Spins (50x20p) credited within 10 hours of bet settlement. Free Bet stakes are not included in any returns. Bonuses have a 7-day expiry. Payment restrictions apply. SMS verification and/or Proof of I.D and address may be required Full T&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org #ad |
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#3
 Ladbrokes
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T&Cs APPLY, 18+ ONLY
18+ New UK+IRE Customers only. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Min first 5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 = 4x 5 free bets. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. No cashout, restrictions + Full T&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org #ad |
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#4
 Coral
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T&Cs APPLY, 18+ ONLY
18+ New UK+ ROI Customers only. Deposit & Bet min £5 as first bet at minimum odds 1/2 to qualify for 1x £20 Free Bet. Certain deposit methods and bet types excluded. Free bet valid for 7 days, stake not returned. Restrictions apply. Full T&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org #ad |
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#5
 William Hill
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T&Cs APPLY, 18+ ONLY
New customers using Promo code H30 only, Min £10/€10 stake, min odds 1/2, free bets paid as 2 x £15/€15, free bets credited after settlement of first qualifying bet, free bets will expire 30 days after the qualifying bet is placed, payment method/player/country restrictions apply. See full terms below. Full T&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org #ad |
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#6
Paddy Power
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T&Cs APPLY, 18+ ONLY
New Customer Offer. Place your FIRST bet on any Sportsbook market and if it loses we will refund your stake in CASH. Max refund for this offer is £10. Only deposits made using cards will qualify for this promotion. T&Cs apply. Full T&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org #ad |
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#7
BetVictor
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T&Cs APPLY, 18+ ONLY
18+ New customers only. Opt in, bet £5 at odds 2.00+ within 7 days of registering, no cashout. Get 3x £10 Free Bets, set events at odds 2.00+. 7 day bonus expiry. Card payments only. T&Cs apply, see below. begambleaware.org | Please gamble responsibly |
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#8
 BoyleSports
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T&Cs APPLY, 18+ ONLY
*New UK customers (Excluding NI) only. Mobile only. £20 in FREE Bets (FB) as £10 in sports bets & a £10 casino bonus (CB). 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. 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. 18+. Full T&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org #ad |
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#9
 Betfair
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T&Cs APPLY, 18+ ONLY
New customer offer. Place a min £10 bet on the Sportsbook on odds of min 1/2 (1.5), get £30 in Free Bets. Rewards valid for 30 days. SMS verification required. Only deposits via cards or Apple Pay will qualify. T&Cs apply. Please Gamble Responsibly.Full T&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org #ad |
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Virtual Football Betting Sites Ranked And Reviewed
#1 Virtual Football at bet365
At bet365, bettors are able to wager on entire football seasons that are completed within an hour. That’s one hour to bet on 38 weeks and 48 different leagues. Players can bet on individual match results, outright competition winners and even multiple bets. Every hour of the day sees the start of another new season, so there are 24 seasons a day to bet on.
#2 Virtual Football at Betfred
Betfred offer an outstanding virtual football offering with new matches kicking off every three minutes, all day and all night, so there is always something going on. Customers are able to bet on the outcomes of matches and competitions, such as results, correct scores, winning margins, and scorecasts, while matches are live-streamed with good graphics and realistic commentary to boot.
#3 Virtual Football at Ladbrokes
Ladbrokes offer round-the-clock virtual football betting opportunities with matches played out to a planned schedule. All matches come with commentary to further boost the realism in all virtual football matches. Markets include match betting, correct score, total number of goals, double chance and under/over 2.5.
#4 Virtual Football at Coral
As one of seven virtual sports offered by Coral, virtual football is given the respect it deserves in this bookmaker's sportsbook. Games go off every three minutes, so there is always plenty of action to sink your teeth into – all of the usual markets are available too.
#5 Virtual Football at William Hill
William Hill’s virtual football is available 24/7, with matches starting according to a pre-determined schedule. All matches, which start every 3 minutes, are shown in the highest definition possible together with live commentary. All the usual markets, such as Match Betting, Correct Score, Total Match Goals, Four Or More, Total Goals Under/Over 2.5, Total Goals, Under/Over 1.5 and Both Teams to Score can be enjoyed here.
#6 Virtual Football at Paddy Power
Paddy Power are a great bookmaker to go to for virtual football betting. Their offering is limited to virtual internationals, and as such it comes up a little short in comparison to bet365. But this should not put anyone off, as Paddy Power virtual matches still virtually kick off every three minutes throughout the day and night, and all come with animated highlights and fully immersive commentary.
#7 Virtual Football at Betvictor
Betvictor is great for fictional football betting, and has new matches getting underway every three minutes, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Said matches feature both imaginary domestic and international teams and come with animated virtual streams that show the best highlights of each match, enhanced with realistic sounding commentary for bettors to enjoy. As well as all of the usual markets, Betvictor even offers Asian handicaps and team scorecast betting.
#8 Virtual Football at Unibet
Virtual football is included in Unibet’s weekly competition – The Unibet Virtual Sports Championship. Along with tennis, basketball, horse racing and greyhounds, players can compete for a slice of a £10,000 prize pool between Saturday and Friday each week, just by betting on virtual sports and climbing the leaderboard. As for their virtual football offering specifically, matches run right throughout the day and all of the usual betting markets are available with streaming and commentary too.
#9 Virtual Football at BoyleSports
Virtual football matches take place three minutes apart at BoyleSports, and all of them come complete with commentary and virtual footage to round out the experience. With no shortage of betting markets to tickle your taste buds, you are sure to enjoy your virtual football betting experience. Check our BoyleSports Review for more information about the bookie.
#10 Virtual Football at Betfair
Betfair are another of the UK’s leading online bookmakers to recognise the growing need for virtual gaming, and at the forefront of that, alongside virtual horse racing, is virtual football. They don’t stint on this offering either. They offer all of the usual betting options on leagues and tournaments, as well as matches that kick off every three minutes.
Virtual Football Betting Types
Now that you know what virtual football is, we can take a look at what types of bets you can place on it. Virtual football is a replica of the real thing and as such, betting works in much the same way. And, while there aren’t as many betting opportunities as there are in real life football, the bets that remain work in exactly the same way as games played in real life.
Match Result
In virtual football, matches only last three minutes, but all the bets that are offered work in the same way. This means that a bet on the final score works just as it does with its 90 minutes real life equivalent. So, if you fancy a fictional team to win 3-0, for example, you place a bet on that outcome and stake it just as you would in real life.
Number of Goals in The Game
As we outlined above, there can be no more than four goals scored in a virtual football match due to time constraints so you cannot bet on, say five goals scored. Instead, your betting options for this market are zero through four goals being scored in any given match.
Winning Margin
Again, as explained above, we know that a team cannot romp away with a 6-0 win over another team, but they can win by anything up to a four-goal margin. Other than that, winning margin bets work exactly as they do in the real world.
Over/Under Goals
With games capped at a maximum of four per game, your only available betting option in the under/over market is over 1.5 or 2.5 goals.
Virtual Football Betting – Tips And Strategies
As with any simulated betting event (or any betting event, for that matter), tips are going to be critical to any success you enjoy. However, there is also more of a random factor involved in virtual betting. Because of this, there is a degree of virtual betting that is more akin to a game of chance. This means that there are not a lot of overall tips that can be provided which will guarantee success. However, there is some important advice to betting on virtual football betting games that we can share with you.
We would advise that:
- You bet small, at least at first. Virtual Sports are designed to give you a taste of a real-life event, but there is that degree of randomness that makes it difficult to predict who will win a simulated football match.
- You back the favourite team. As random as these games are, favourites are weighted and should win most, not all, but most of the time.
- You bet on the 1.5 goals option, where bettors can win the bet amount if a team scores over two goals. While it offers no guarantees of success, games are capped to four goals a match, and so your risk is reduced from making such a bet in actual football.
Virtual Football Betting Advantages
One of the best things about virtual football betting is that it is available every three minutes, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days of the year.
Another positive about virtual football betting is that there is no need to study up on form, meaning a beginner can take it up right away without the need to do a lot of research beforehand because these games are completely random. Plus, without the VARs and dodgy referring we see week in and week out in real football, results can sometimes be fairer too.
Virtual Football Betting Disadvantages
The biggest disadvantage of virtual football betting is that there is a significantly reduced number of betting markets for this kind of game. There are no special bets such as top goal scorer, first or last goal scorer, while not all sites include full season betting either.
Virtual Football Betting FAQs
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Because the games go by in a flash.
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There are a few things you can do to weigh things in your favour, but results, while built on statistics and algorithms, are still pretty random.
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You could say that – it’s kind of a marriage of sports and casino chance games.
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Yes, RNGs are employed in order to generate a fair result.
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No, all the teams and players are completely fictional.
ThePuntersPage Final Say
Virtual Football, despite its minimal limitations, is a great option for round-the-clock bettors. With a stronger element of fun than with real football, it is easy to see why it is a betting product that is currently thriving. You should now know what to expect and what to do, as well as having an understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of virtual football betting. You should also possess some strategies that might be useful when you give virtual football betting a try – which you definitely should before long!
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