Welcome to our guide to virtual betting for esports. Many gamers have enjoyed taking standard bets on esports matches and tournaments, but we are here to show you why virtual esports betting could offer you a brand new alternative.
Virtual betting has proven to be big hit in the traditional sports betting world as it offers punters a flexible and fun way to wager on sports like football, basketball, tennis, cycling and even horse racing.
As esports betting is one of the fastest growing areas in the online betting domain, it is little surprise to find that some of the best esports betting sites have now started to introduce virtual esports betting odds.
So we are going to show you exactly what virtual esports betting is, and reveal which games currently feature in the odds for this exciting wagering phenomenon. Virtual betting might be a little different from standard wagering, but we will help you see how you can bet on lots of different markets for a better way to win big.
We couldn’t have a guide to virtual esports betting without taking a look at those esports betting sites that have this exciting new wagering option. Plus we will also see what other innovations there have recently been in the esports betting world. So keep reading to see why virtual esports betting could be your new favourite way to wager on competitive gaming.
What is virtual betting for esports?
Many sports fans have enjoyed betting on virtual sports. These provide you with a way to bet on realistic simulations of sporting events such as football and motorbike racing. Just as you would bet on a standard sporting event, you can enjoy betting on virtual sports in the knowledge that each result is derived from a random number generator.
This means that you will always get a fair and unbiased result when trying some virtual sports betting. Virtual casino games operate in the same manner as they use random number generators to ensure that both the operator and the customer have a fair chance of getting a winning result.
Betting on virtual esports works in exactly the same way. This means that you are presented with a simulation of a real esports match, and you get to bet on the match winner or try wagering on some alternative betting markets.
Just like when you try betting on virtual sports, if you bet on virtual esports, then the use of a random number generator means that each competitive gaming simulation will have an unpredictable outcome.
As a result, betting on virtual esports is very similar to betting on the real thing. Nobody will know the result of the virtual esports event, and each match will be approved by the relevant online regulator to make sure that the betting site aren’t tilting the odds too much in their own favour.
What are the advantages of betting on virtual esports?
Many people have enjoyed betting on virtual sports as it offers a few simple advantages to its real-life counterpart. Here are a handful of reasons why you might want to take your next esports bet on a virtual game.
Always an esports match to bet on
As virtual esports is based on simulations of real-life gamers, it means that you’ll always have something to wager on. It’s fairly common for virtual esports betting sites to have a 24/7 program of these gaming simulations on.
So the next time that you are waiting for a big esports tournament to come around, be sure to get some practice in at a virtual esports betting site. After you have tried a few low stakes bets on a virtual esports title, then you will definitely be better prepared to make an assured wager on the real thing.
No time delay between esports games
By visiting a virtual esports betting site, there is a good chance that they will be serving up a brand new virtual esports betting option every minute. Each match will be based on variables that are conjured up by the random number generator to ensure that nobody will truly know what’s going to happen next.
Although all esports tournaments have plenty of breaks between each round, with virtual esports betting, then you’ll know that you’ll never be short of great competitive gaming options.
Less chance of a freak occurrence ruining your esports bet
As all virtual esports matches are based on a random number generator, then they will create simulations that cover a wide variety of outcomes. However, even the most accurate random number generator could offer you a safer bet than some real-life esports matches.
For example, a random number generator is unlikely to factor in a 45-minute blackout as was witnessed in a recent Overwatch League match in Texas. Plus virtual esports is also unlikely to see one of the gamers get banned from playing as a result of a toxic outburst. So for a much smoother esports betting experience, wagering on virtual competitive games could be a better option.
Reasons why virtual esports betting might not be for you
So if betting on virtual esports is so good, why don’t more virtual betting sites include options for competitive gaming? Here are some of the main disadvantages of virtual esports betting.
Not as much drama as real-life esports
Anybody who has wagered on a classic esports tournament like The International or ESL will know that these contests always deliver a thrilling viewing experience. Unfortunately, if you are betting on virtual esports, then you are going to be unlikely to experience the same level of adrenaline.
Although most decent virtual betting sites will have live action of the gameplay, you won’t get to see the gamers as they toil to beat their opponents. As a result, the lack of human experience has the potential to make virtual esports feel a little flat compared to the real-life alternative.
In addition to this, many gamers like to share tips for some of the biggest esports tournaments, and it is highly unlikely that gaming fans would flock together to share betting advice for a virtual competitive gaming match.
Lack of betting sites featuring virtual esports
Most decent betting sites will have virtual sports betting, virtual casino games and much more. But the sad fact is that the majority of these sites don’t have anything in the way of virtual betting games for esports just yet.
Although everybody from classic sportsbooks like Betway Esports to dedicated esports betting sites such as Buff.bet have a good range of virtual sports like football and horse racing, when it comes to competitive gaming, then you’ll be lucky to find anything suitable. Hopefully things will pick up in the future so that we can enjoy virtual esports alongside simulations of sports betting, virtual casino games and many other betting innovations.
Limited selection of virtual esports on offer
As virtual esports is still a relatively new phenomenon, then the chances are that you might not find your favourite game on offer. At the moment, there are just a handful of esports that have made the transition to the virtual domain.
Hopefully, things will improve in the future as virtual esports betting becomes more popular. But if you are looking to wager on virtual battle arena games or battle royale titles, then you might be disappointed.
What kinds of esports can you try virtual betting on?
At the moment you should be able to take bets on a wide variety of esports that includes League of Legends, Dota 2, StarCraft 2, Overwatch, Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds, Rainbow Six and much more.
However, if you were in the mood to bet on virtual esports, it looks like you will currently only be able to wager on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Street Fighter V. It might not surprise many gamers to know that CSGO was one of the first esports to get the virtual treatment, as this is easily one of the biggest esports in the world.
But the fact that Street Fighter V was one of the first virtual esports is great news. This awesome Capcom game rarely gets the coverage it deserves in the world of esports. So the next time that you are waiting for the Evo Championship Series to come around, be sure to get some practice bets in by wagering on virtual Street Fighter V.
What bets can you take when virtual betting on esports?
Esports virtual betting frequently offers you just as much flexibility as you would find when wagering on real-life competitive gaming. As well as betting on the basic match winner, you should also expect to find plenty more betting markets that could offer even more value.
For example, a virtual Street Fighter V match might include over a dozen different betting markets. These could give you chance to wager on things like who makes the first attack, whether there will be a ‘perfect’, or even try an over/under bet on the time remaining.
In addition to this, you could also wager on the max combo for each fighter, or bet on the correct round, or even the wins display for the left or right side. All of which shows that virtual esports betting should provide you with no shortage of options to find the best value odds.
Which virtual betting sites offer virtual betting for esports?
At the moment there’s only one esports betting site that offers virtual betting games for esports. This is the always-innovative Unikrn betting site who never fail to think up new ways to enjoy wagering on competitive gaming.
By signing up to Unikrn, you could be able to enjoy an endless range of virtual odds for top esports like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Street Fighter V. For the virtual Street Fighter V games you will find that you are able to bet on simulations of legendary gamers like Justin ‘JWong’ Wong as he competes in over 1,000 brand new rounds.
In order to help you out, Unikrn even provide you with a wealth of statistics so that you can get a good idea of how things could pan out. Plus there’s a fresh virtual Street Fighter V clash happening every minute with an awesome live stream of the simulated gaming event.
The Unikrn virtual betting service for Counter Strike is equally impressive. This uses archive footage of previous legendary CSGO matches to bet on simulations of famous esports teams like DreamEaters.
Unikrn stress that all of their virtual esports will feature a large number of self-generated betting markets and that the footage and outcome of the games are randomly decided by the betting site’s software. All of which shows that Unikrn are definitely ahead of the curve when it comes to providing an exciting new way to wager on competitive gaming.
Other great alternative ways to bet on esports
It’s not just virtual esports that Unikrn have been pioneering, as the brand have also unveiled an awesome Umode esports betting experience. Rather than betting on pro gamers, this allows you to wager on your own gaming activity.
At the moment Unikrn Umode is only available for legendary esports such as League of Legends, Dota 2 and Fortnite. But as the service grows to become more popular, then there is real hope that Unikrn might roll out Umode to some of the other popular competitive gaming titles.
So although the advent of in-play betting once seemed like an exciting new way to wager on esports, the arrival of virtual esports and being able to bet on yourself means that there looks to be no end in the way that we can enjoy wagering on competitive gaming in the future.
