When it comes to the Virtual Sport that I think most people would be the most surprised to 
see in the list of events available, I think Virtual Trotting is likely to be the top of the list by a considerable margin. Partly due to the fact that Trotting as a sport hasn’t really taken off in the UK, though it is enjoyed in other parts of the world and does generate plenty of betting income in those regions.
For the uninitiated, trotting sees a horse and jockey working in tandem to win a race, only in trotting the horse pulls the jockey on a two-wheeled cart called a ‘sulky’ in which the driver or jockey will sit. The other key component here is that a horse cannot sprint, but must trot as quickly as possible with the jockey in tow to win the race.
The sports is also known by the name ‘harness racing’ and it is a popular form of betting in North America, Australia and New Zealand as well as across several European countries including France, Italy and Sweden.
What’s the difference between trotting, well when trotting a horse moves its legs forward in diagonal pairs, left front and right hand at the same time, right front and left hind at the same time.
So how does Virtual Trotting stand up to scrutiny as part of Betway’s offering of Virtual Sports? Let’s take a closer look and find out.
Virtual Trotting
- Time Between Events – 3 Minutes
- Number of Runners – 8 in each race
- Tracks: 1 – Scania Racetrack
- Race Length: 1 laps (800m)
- Time Split– 1 min 10 seconds for betting – 1 min 50 seconds for the race & results
Bets Available
- Race Winner
- Each Way Bet (1/5 odds on first 3 places)
- Top 2 Finish
- Top 3 Finish
- Forecast
- Tricast
- Reverse Forecast
- Combination Forecast
- Combination Tricast
Multiple selection bets can be made across a number of races using selections from the races. Betway offers details on the next 14 races in Virtual Trotting allowing punters to scroll through and select bets from these races as well as the one that is next up to start.
Highlights
There’s a relatively short period when you can place your bets on Virtual Trotting with about 70 seconds in total to make your bet on the current race. Each race has eight competitors and prior to the race you get a preview of the eight competitors which shows the horses name and number, the silks of the driver as well as the theoretical form of the horse.
The graphics here are nicely done and the sound is similar to that you would hear on other Virtual races in terms of the commentary, although the sound effects for the sulky’s racing on a dirt track and the horses are subtly different.
The full list of runners are displayed underneath the main console screen and here you can click on the odds to place your chosen bet on the race.
After the 70 seconds or so preview, the race starts and the no more bets sign will appear on screen. A short time after this the race starts with the horses having a rolling start behind a vehicle, which then accelerates away from the horses allowing the race to start. Each race is contested over one lap of an 800-metre oval track.
As the race unfolds, you can see the horses moving position and an indicator at the bottom of the screen displays where each of the eight runners is in relation to each other in the race. There is also a racecourse indicator in the bottom right corner of the screen which shows you where the horses are on the track and this fills yellow as the horses race around the oval.
At the end of the race, you are shown a quick replay of the finish and then a summary of the top three finishers over the photo finish on the line. The odds of each winner is shown as well as the result of the forecast and tricast bets that were available on the race. After a short time, the results will then disappear and the next race will then start.
Although not an aficionado of trotting myself, the graphics during the race and the commentary make it as enjoyable to bet on as any of the other virtual sports race-based games you can play and it shares many similarities with these games. This means if you enjoy any of the other Virtual Sports racing games, then you’ll be equally enamoured with Virtual Trotting.
Who will Virtual Trotting betting appeal to?
With a total of eight runners in every race, Virtual Trotting is a great option for punters that like a relatively sizeable spread in odds of competitors, but not so many that picking a winner becomes something of a lottery. If you feel that four or six runners doesn’t give you much scope to back longer odds selections successfully, while races of 10 or more competitors are a bit more of a gamble due to the high number of competitors, then Virtual Trotting is a perfect choice.
There is a generally good spread of odds available on each of the runners in a race ranging from short priced favourites, to big outside bets and of course, with Virtual Sports having a strong random element, this does give you a chance of landing a better value win, especially if you enjoy each way betting with the top three runners paid out at 1/5 the odds.
You can also bet on horses finishing in the top three, which is great as almost half the field will be in those places and if you are an each way punter, rather than a backer to win, then Virtual Trotting may well be of particular interest to you.
What are my chances of winning on Virtual Trotting compared to other Virtual Sports?
I feel that 8 runners is always about the nicest amount when it comes to betting on a race. It gives each way punters a very good chance of landing a return, while winner punters also stand a decent chance with just 8 in the field. As such, I think your chances of winning on Virtual Trotting are very good for each way punters and decent for winner backers.
