Virtual Football Betting
Virtual Football is a next generation betting game which gets around the inconvenient fact that real football (soccer) matches are not available 24/7 to bet on. With this game you are not just betting on a single computer-generated match: you can follow and bet your way through an entire season. The best-known version, the Virtual Football League, was developed by Betradar, part of the sports data company Sportradar, and it is offered by many bookmakers around the world. Some crypto betting sites offer it for Bitcoin too, which is where this guide urges caution.
This guide takes you through what you need to know about Virtual Football betting. First of all, you’ll find an overview of the game, including the bets involved and how it works. After that, we explain how to tell a licensed operator from an unlicensed one, and why that matters more than whether a site takes crypto. Finally, if you are new to Bitcoin, you’ll find pointers on getting started safely.
Virtual Football: How it Works
This betting game gives you a season’s worth of football (soccer) to bet on around the clock. The games are virtual, and you can watch highlights of each match as it happens on the screen with realistic graphics. You can bet on the league itself, individual matches, correct scores and half time / full time results.
Each match is over in a few minutes, and you can then bet on the next round of matches. What makes this game different is that team statistics are available and develop as the season progresses. You can study the in-form teams, but remember that every result is still decided by software, so form only tells you how the odds have been set, not how the next match will go.
The stronger teams tend to climb the league as each round of matches finishes. These are not real team names (presumably for copyright reasons): in the Virtual Football League, the teams are named after European cities. Odds are usually shown in decimal format.
If you are worried about the integrity of this setup, the key is regulation. In Great Britain, any operator licensed for betting on virtual events must use random number generation that meets the Gambling Commission’s RTS 7 standard, and must submit games and RNG test results from an approved test house. Independent testing labs such as eCOGRA carry out this kind of work. A site that is not licensed anywhere you can check offers no such assurance.
Virtual Football Betting Operators: What to Check
Earlier versions of this guide described BetVip, a Bitcoin sportsbook that opened in June 2014, said it was licensed out of the Netherlands Antilles (Curaçao) and offered Virtual Football for Bitcoin. We no longer feature it. A Curaçao licence is not a licence in the UK, the US or most other countries, and we do not recommend crypto sportsbooks that hold no licence where their customers live. Forum threads and the absence of complaints are no substitute for a regulator.
Instead, check three things before you bet on Virtual Football anywhere:
- The licence. Look the operator up on your own country’s register. In Britain that is the Gambling Commission public register, which lists the websites each licensee runs. In Malta, the MGA licensee register. In the US, online betting is lawful only with operators licensed by your state, and offshore sites are not.
- The game supplier. In Great Britain, companies that make gambling software need their own Gambling Commission licence, and their virtual sports games have to be tested before launch.
- Payments and verification. A licensed operator will check your identity and age and take payments in your local currency. A site that asks for nothing but an e-mail address and a crypto deposit is a warning sign, not a convenience.
Virtual football is now a common sight at mainstream bookmakers, and the markets look much the same wherever you play. What differs is the protection: at a licensed operator there is a regulator, a complaints process and self-exclusion behind your account; at an unlicensed crypto site there is none.
Regulators also treat crypto with care. The UK Gambling Commission considers crypto-assets high risk for money laundering and expects licensees to scrutinise funds that come from them, which is one reason most licensed bookmakers do not take Bitcoin.
How to get started with Bitcoin Virtual Football Betting
If you are new to Bitcoin and want to bet on Virtual Football, there are three steps, and none of them should involve an unlicensed site.
First, understand what you hold. You don’t need to own a whole Bitcoin; it divides into small units such as the mBTC, a thousandth of a bitcoin. Bitcoin is bought, sold and stored through exchanges and wallets, and in the UK crypto businesses have to be registered with the Financial Conduct Authority. Check that any exchange you use is registered in your country.
Second, choose a licensed bookmaker that offers Virtual Football and register with your real details. Expect identity and age checks; they are part of the protection a licence gives you.
Third, fund your account in your local currency. If your money is in Bitcoin, sell the amount you plan to bet on a regulated exchange, then deposit by debit card, bank transfer or e-wallet. Set a deposit limit at the same time: with a new match every few minutes, Virtual Football can eat through a budget quickly.
Virtual Football Betting: Age and Support
You must be 18 or over to bet in the UK and most countries that license betting, and 21 in most US states with legal sports betting. If betting is no longer fun, Gambling Therapy offers free, confidential support online wherever you live. In Great Britain, GAMSTOP blocks you from all licensed gambling websites with one registration, and in the US the National Problem Gambling Helpline answers on 1-800-MY-RESET (NCPG).
References
- UK Gambling Commission, RTS 7: Generation of random outcomes
- UK Gambling Commission, games test reports for virtual events
- UK Gambling Commission, public register
- UK Gambling Commission, emerging money laundering and terrorist financing risks
- Malta Gaming Authority, licensee register
- Financial Conduct Authority, Financial Services Register
- Gambling Therapy
- NCPG, National Problem Gambling Helpline
Questions & Answers