Insights

Expanding Your Betting Offering with Virtual Sports

4.7
21.02.24

9 minutes to read

Yaroslav Ulianov
Yaroslav Ulianov

Content manager, iGaming market researcher

Virtual sports became a blast when there weren't offline sports during the COVID-19 pandemic. Offering an exciting and innovative addition to traditional sports betting platforms, integrating virtual sports betting provides numerous advantages for operators looking to expand their betting offerings. However, it is crucial to understand the ins and outs of virtual sports to ensure a successful integration and operation. Let's explore the different aspects of virtual sports betting and how it can benefit your business.

How Virtual Sports Work

Virtual sports, also known as simulated sports betting, are computer-generated sporting events that mimic real sports. These events are created using advanced algorithms that simulate gameplay, considering various factors such as player form, team performance, and historical data. The realistic graphics and animations in virtual sports make them visually captivating and engaging for players.

The best virtual sports cover a wide range of popular sports like football, basketball, horse racing, and tennis. Each event consists of multiple matches or races, offering bettors a continuous stream of simulated action. The outcomes of these events are based on statistical models and algorithms, providing a fair and unbiased virtual betting experience.

Behind the scenes, virtual sports providers analyze vast amounts of data to create accurate simulations. They consider player statistics, team dynamics, and even weather conditions to ensure that virtual events are similar to their real-life counterparts. This attention to detail ensures players can immerse themselves in the virtual sporting experience and make informed betting decisions.

🎮 Euro Cup by Betradar—market-leading virtual football solution

Virtual sports use random number generation (RNG), making them more like slot machines than real sports. At GR8 Tech, we offer virtual sports as part of our casino product and to our sportsbook betting audience, providing entertainment options that are available 24/7. Our virtual sports include horse racing, greyhound racing, football, basketball, and tennis, with realistic graphics and sound effects for an immersive experience.

Iryna Navrotska, Casino Product Team Lead
Iryna Navrotska, Casino Product Team Lead

How Virtual Sports Boost Your Betting Business

Firstly, virtual sports offer constant content, allowing users to place bets and enjoy sporting action even during off-season periods. This helps to drive the engagement of users who want to bet on virtual sports and retain customers throughout the year, boosting your platform's revenue.

For instance, cricket is immensely popular in India. During times of no real-life matches, we engage a segment of cricket enthusiasts through virtual cricket.

Iryna NavrotskaIryna Navrotska, Casino Product Team Lead
Iryna NavrotskaIryna Navrotska, Casino Product Team Lead

Secondly, virtual sports provide a fast-paced and convenient betting experience. Unlike real sports events spanning hours or days, virtual sports matches and races are completed within minutes. This shortened duration enables them to receive results quickly, enhancing their overall betting experience.

Our in-depth user research has shown that virtual sports also help retain bettors who don't convert into casino players—especially those bettors who came during popular sporting events like championship finals or significant boxing fights.

Vladyslav Andrusenko, Sportsbook Head of Product
Vladyslav Andrusenko, Sportsbook Head of Product

Furthermore, virtual sports businesses offer an opportunity to explore new virtual sports betting markets and betting types. Since the events are simulated, operators can create various bet types, such as first-goal scorer, total goals, and half-time results. This variety of betting options caters to different player preferences and increases the chances of attracting new customers to your platform.

Challenges Related to Virtual Sports Betting

One of the main challenges is ensuring the integrity and fairness of the virtual events. Bettors must trust that the outcomes are determined by unbiased algorithms and not influenced by external factors.

To overcome this challenge, working with reputable virtual sports providers with a proven track record in the industry is essential. These providers adhere to strict regulations and employ sophisticated technology to ensure the integrity of their virtual events. By partnering with trusted providers, you can establish an environment of transparency and fairness, building trust with your customers.

Another challenge that operators face is keeping the virtual sports experience fresh and exciting. To address this, virtual sports providers continuously innovate and introduce new features to enhance the betting experience. They may introduce new sports, update player statistics, or even incorporate interactive elements that allow punters to influence the outcome of virtual events. By staying ahead of the curve and offering unique experiences, operators can keep punters engaged and returning for more.

💻 Golden Race, one of the top game providers, promoting its popular virtual tournament.

Operators must understand the significance of providing users with their favorite games. Users' preferred games are often the reason they choose a particular platform over competitors. If a player cannot locate their favorite virtual sports games, they will move to a platform that offers them. Hence, the speed of integrating new game providers into the platform becomes a critical factor.

Iryna Navrotska, Casino Product Team Lead
Iryna Navrotska, Casino Product Team Lead

How to Monetize Your Virtual Sports Betting Offering

Incorporating virtual sports into your platform presents monetization opportunities beyond traditional sports betting. Apart from offering pre-match and in-play betting options, you can introduce virtual sports tournaments and leagues, attracting even more customers and increasing revenue streams.

Moreover, betting sites with virtual sports open up new possibilities for partnerships and sponsorships. By leveraging the growing popularity of virtual sports, you can collaborate with brands and advertisers looking to reach a wider audience. This can generate additional revenue through sponsorship deals, product placements, and creative marketing campaigns.

Additionally, operators can explore the potential of virtual sports as a social betting experience. By incorporating social features into their platforms, such as leaderboards, chat functions, and virtual communities, operators can foster a sense of community among punters. This social aspect enhances the overall betting on virtual sports experience and creates opportunities for peer-to-peer betting and user-generated content, further increasing engagement and revenue potential.

How to Promote Your Virtual Sports Betting Offering

One of the key challenges for virtual sports betting operators is attracting and retaining customers. To achieve this, CPM managers need to develop and implement strategies that engage and retain players. One way to accomplish this is by providing diverse entertainment options on the platform. By doing so, customers are more likely to develop a stronger attachment to the operator, leading to increased engagement and loyalty.

Example of the comprehensive game portfolio.
Example of the comprehensive game portfolio.

To keep users engaged, operators can offer entertainment options natively through home widgets and other integrated offers. The home page should also be updated regularly with fresh and relevant content that caters to users' preferences. This ensures that customers remain engaged and interested in the platform.

Vladyslav Andrusenko, Sportsbook Head of Product
Vladyslav Andrusenko, Sportsbook Head of Product
The virtual sports widget is integrated into the main page.
The virtual sports widget is integrated into the main page.

Marketing campaigns, such as online ads, email marketing, social media promotions, and partnerships with influencers or sports personalities, are also effective ways to attract and retain customers. These campaigns should emphasize the unique benefits of virtual sports betting, such as its 24/7 availability, rapid results, and vast range of sports options.

Attractive bonuses and promotions are another effective way to incentivize customers to try out virtual sports betting. Welcome bonuses, free bets, and cashback offers specific to virtual sports are great examples. Operators can also create a unique virtual sports tournament exclusively for their customers, featuring exciting prizes such as VIP experiences to real sports events or a chance to meet their favorite athletes. By offering such exclusive and enticing rewards, operators can create a sense of exclusivity and foster a loyal customer base.

To further enhance the betting experience, operators can integrate high-quality graphics and live-streaming of virtual sports events. This makes the platform more attractive and exciting for players. Additionally, operators can cross-sell virtual sports betting to customers already engaged in other modes of betting or online gaming. This can be done by offering targeted promotions or showcasing virtual sports betting alongside popular betting markets.

Finally, operators should focus on creating a seamless and user-friendly betting experience to tap into the younger market. This can be achieved through modern website design, mobile adaptation, and gamification elements like leaderboards, achievements, and rewards. By doing this, operators can increase the virtual sports odds and attract younger bettors who seek gaming experiences and build lasting relationships.

To Wrap It All Up

So, can the integration of virtual sports betting actually boost your iGaming platform’s productivity and player engagement?  Absolutely. By partnering with reputable providers, ensuring fairness and integrity, and continuously innovating the betting experience, you can overcome challenges and capitalize on the opportunities that virtual sports betting presents. 

Effective promotion strategies, including targeted marketing campaigns, bonus offers, and leveraging the power of social features, are essential to attract and retain a diverse customer base. Incorporating high-quality graphics, live-streaming capabilities, and a user-friendly interface will further enrich the player experience, making your platform a go-to destination for both seasoned bettors and newcomers.

Let’s Make Your Betting Business Great

Ready to elevate your iGaming platform with virtual sports betting? Dive into a future where engagement and revenue soar. Contact us to discover some tricks on how to use virtual sports properly.

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