For many people Virtual Horses are a way to enjoy a spot of betting in an escapist way, but 
for true sports punters, nothing will replace the real thing of betting on real world races featuring real jockeys and horse and all the assorted knowledge, pomp and circumstance that goes with it.
That is absolutely fine and as a confirmed horse racing fan myself, I know that there are few more enjoyable days out than a day at the races and if that isn’t available, then having a bet at a top-quality sports betting site like Betway or 10Bet certainly helps the day pass.
However, having looked at Virtual Sports and in particular Virtual Horse Racing for a considerable amount of time now, I have also recognised that although it may not be the same as betting on real life racing, Virtual Horse Racing does have some advantages over the sport itself.
What I have done is list five ways in which Virtual Horse Racing is better for punters than horse racing in the real world, comparing it with going to a real-life horse racing meeting, or betting on the horses online with a reputable bookmaker.
Let’s begin now by looking at one of the most obvious advantages Virtual Horse Racing has over its real-life counterpart.
- Timescale is much shorter in Virtual Horse Racing
The most obvious advantage that Virtual Sports (and by definition, Virtual Horse Racing) has over their real-life variants is that in the Virtual World, events are concluded much more speedily and the time between each event is also considerably less.
Let’s take Horse Racing as an example. A typical Horse Racing meeting will have between 6 to 8 races and there is around half an hour between each of the races. That means in a 3-4 hour period, a punter will have between 6 to 8 races to bet on.
In Virtual Sports, each race only takes three minutes to conclude from start to finish Which means in a single hour, you can get through 20 races. Multiply that over a 3-hour or 4-hour period and you have around 60 to 80 races you can bet on over the same time period. That gives the Virtual Punter a great deal more choice on where to bet and who to back.
This is a particular benefit to punters that do not have the ability to spend hours of the day watching horse racing or cannot get to meetings during the week due to work constraints for example. To go through six races in Virtual Horse Racing will only take you around 18 minutes and that is a far more accessible amount of time for punters to find during a typical day to enjoy a bet.
- No need to have prior knowledge to improve your chances of a win
One of the most exciting aspects of betting on the horses in real life is that you can use a number of different factors to help influence your decision on who to back. That can simply be picking a jockey or yard that is in form, or you can look at more detailed data, such as the form of the horse, its breeding, whether or not the draw the horse has received is a benefit or hindrance at the course.
While this information can be useful in deciding whether to back a horse, it can take a considerable amount of time to develop the detailed knowledge and research skills you need in order to do this to the best of your ability. As such, novice punters are generally at a slight disadvantage as a result of this compared to more experienced punters.
However, in Virtual Horse Racing, all the data on a horse is generated randomly and is only there to provide a little added context and for realism. It is not a guide to how the horse has actually performed in the past. This means that you do not need to get involved too deep in researching your chosen horses. You can simply pick a horse you like and back it and have the same chance as any other punter.
- Bet 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 Days a year
Horse Racing is one of the most popular sports in the UK and Ireland and on most days of the year, there is one or more horse racing meeting taking place somewhere in the country. These now include evening meetings as well as afternoon meetings. So there is a wide choice of races to back on most days.
However, this isn’t as flexible as being able to offer betting on horse races 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year as you can do on Virtual Horse Racing. This is particularly useful for people that work unusual hours (such as shift workers) who may find that their most optimum time to bet on the horses is the morning.
While you can do that with Ante Post betting, if you want quick results to your bets then Virtual Horse Racing is a better option here.
- No Stewards enquiries, disqualifications, fallers etc
Sometimes during a race, your chosen horse can have their chances of a victory ruined by outside influences. This can include a Stewards Enquiry ruling your horse infringed another and is therefore stripped of its position. In National Hunt racing, horses can fall, pull up or even be brought down by another horse, or impeded by a horse without a rider. Jockeys can become unseated, lose their whip or even just give the horse a poor ride all of which can leave a punter out of pocket.
In the Virtual world however, none of these things can occur, which means that you will always get a true race and the winner is the first horse past the post every time.
- Races can be viewed completely free of charge
If you go to a horse racing meeting in the UK, you have to pay an entry charge and then bet on the races (often with minimum bets set by on course bookmakers at £5 or £10 depending on the bookmaker.
Online, you can bet smaller amounts if you prefer and there is no charge to bet on the horses. However, if you actually want to watch a race, then some bookmakers offer you the chance to, provided you make a qualifying bet on that race of a set amount (usually, this amounts to around £1 but does differ from bookmaker to bookmaker).
However, you can only watch the race you have bet on and you can only view the live stream for a few minutes before and during the race, after which it will be shut down.
With Virtual Sports however, you can watch every race free whether you bet on it or not. So if you wanted to see how the races are run and organised, you can do so as many times as you like before you place a bet and it will not cost you a penny.
Virtual Horse Racing is a great way to enjoy some fast-paced horseracing betting at any time of the day, regardless of the size of your bankroll.
