“Hastings Horse Race” by You As A Machine is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
The horses are at the post and are being loaded into the starting gate for the first race at Brandywine Raceway. Chronic Flirt, the 3/1 co-favorite, has drawn the three hole. Elvis Ely is up in the blue silks.
Smithereens, an 11-1 longshot on the board, has the rail. Offering intrigue, Hay Nay Nay (9/2) scores from post position No. 6, with jockey Barry Boulder decked out in ominous black silks.
Beep Beep will come from the outside post 12. Also sent off at 3/1, jockey Daniel Douglas is easily recognizable due to his lime green silks.
And they’re off. Beep Beep breaks strongly and goes to the front, closely followed by 13/1 longshot Spinning Green. Saving ground along the rail, Spinning Green goes to the front and stays there.
With jockey Terry Tonopah up in his brightly-hued orange silks, Spinning Green holds off a challenge from Hay Nay Nay to win by a nose. Spinning Green pays $28 on a $2 win ticket. The 7-6 exacta is worth $140.
Sounds really exciting, right? In actuality, it was virtual reality.
Stately sportsbook William Hill has offered parimutuel wagering on virtual horse racing at the company’s Las Vegas sportsbooks since 2012. It’s just one of many virtual sports that are being offered for wagering purposes at online sports betting sites around the world.
Virtual sports are in fact a close cousin of Esports. Just as people are willing to bet on Esports, where human beings play video games, the same people are equally likely to put some money down on a virtual sporting event.
How It Works
“A day at the (virtual) races” by DocChewbacca is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
The William Hill virtual horse racing competition sounds and offers a real feel to it. In fact, the voice calling the races is the legendary Tom Durkin, long-time announcer of the Breeders Cup and Triple Crown races on national television and track announcer for the New York Racing Association and other major race meets.
William Hill virtual racing is an event with graphics that simulate an actual horse race. The results of each race event are determined by a random number generator.
The types of bets offered on these virtual races are the same as you’d gain access to if you were wagering on an actual race.
- Win: Bet that your horse will finish first
- Place: Bet that your horse will finish either first or second.
- Show: Bet that your horse will finish either first, second, or third.
- Exacta: Bet on two horses to finish first and second in an exact order (an exacta bet on horses 3 and 5 wagers that #3 will finish first and #5 will finish second)
- Trifecta: Bet on three horses to finish first, second, and third in an exact order (a trifecta bet on horses 3, 5, and 7 wagers that #3 will finish first, #5 will finish second, and #7 will finish third
Wagering options also parallel real racing. The minimum bet for win/place/show is $2. The minimum bet for exacta and trifecta is $1.
A Virtual Sensation
Virtual sports are popular at most of the top online sports betting sites. Bet365 offers wagering on virtual thoroughbred and standardbred racing, greyhound racing, soccer, football, cricket, basketball, motor racing, darts, cycling, basketball, tennis and speedway.
Bodog carries wagering on many of the same sports as well as its own unique virtual sport – camel racing. BetOnline provides betting lines on Madden NFL sports sims.
These online sportsbooks offer wagering on all of these virtual sporting events and they do so for exactly the same reasons why they provide betting lines on actual sports. It makes them money and offers additional action to bettors.
When it comes to real sports, the games and events are contested via a regimented schedule. Virtual sports are like a trustworthy, reliable friend. They’re always there when you need them.
Virtual sporting events begin when you want them to get going. Simply place a bet and then within moments, you’ll be watching the game or the race unfold in front of you. And bettors will be afforded the same amount of wagering options that they’d get from a real-world sporting event.
