In this virtual betting betting guide, we'll be looking at what virtual cricket is, how it works, and the best ways to bet on it. We'll also be providing you with the best virtual cricket tips, as well as recommending the best cricket betting sites on offer, which will help ensure you make all the right moves when betting on virtual cricket!
Best Virtual Cricket Betting Sites Reviewed
Virtual cricket betting has a very impressive range of options that will keep bettors entertained for hours. This type of betting doesn't hinge on whether the weather will curtail events, and has also taken advantage of technological advances in recent years.
While virtual cricket may not be as popular as the world's top cricket tournaments or sports betting in India, it's gaining a reputation as a reliable way to bet on the sport, which has been hampered by weather and global circumstance this year. Let's take a more in-depth look at the best sites to bet on virtual cricket.
bet365
bet365 are the premier sportsbook choice for many people around the world, and they have now added a very impressive virtual section to their repertoire. Clicking on the “Virtuals” section will display their range of options, including football, horse racing, and tennis, with cricket having pride of place.
Clicking on “Cricket” will give you a choice between Clayton Oval (international matches) and Greenway Field (club matches). With matches starting every four minutes, you won't be waiting long to start betting. The markets are also extensive, including favourites like Match Winner, Total Match 4s, Total Match 6s, Total Runs, 1st Method of Dismissal, Runs Off First Delivery, and more.
With a small screen at the top of the page allowing you to watch the action once you've signed in, bet365 have really pushed the boat out when it comes to offering virtual cricket coverage.
888sport
If you want to bet on virtual cricket with 888sport, look no further than the “Rush Cricket Go“ section. Here, you'll find options to bet on the virtual sport with all of your favourite markets available. The likes of England and Australia feature in the matches, where you can bet on markets like Match Winner, Both Teams to Score 10+, Both Teams to Score 20 Match Runs, and more.
On the right of the screen, you'll also see tabs saying “Match Bets“, “Next Ball“, and “Bigger Bets“. These are designed to give you different ways to bet to keep things interesting. While the virtual cricket section from 888sport may not be as extensive as bet365's, they've created a fairly good range of markets that will keep fans of virtual cricket busy.
Virtual Cricket Odds
Virtual cricket is unlike a normal sportsbook betting option, with matches played every four minutes in some cases. At the time of writing, bet365 offered odds for Clayton Oval International matches, along with Greenway Field Premier League games.
While there are currently no major competitions to bet on, we have included some of the odds for the popular England vs West Indies virtual cricket markets below:
Match
England vs West Indies
Winner Betting Odds
Total Match 4s
Total Match 6s
Total Match Boundaries
Total Match Runs – Odd/Even
This is just a small example of the different betting options available on bet365 at the time of writing. Of course, these odds will change with each new match, while bookmakers outside of bet365 will likely offer different betting options too, so be sure to check out what they have on offer!
Virtual Cricket Betting Tips & Predictions
Before betting on virtual cricket, or any virtual sports for that matter, be sure to consider betting tips and match predictions:
- Unlike many other real-life sports, virtual sports betting is a difficult one to build a comprehensive winning strategy for. The unpredictable nature of it means that it's not as straightforward as backing a team that's in form or is the bigger name. We would definitely recommend betting in smaller amounts when it comes to virtual betting. While this will reduce the size of your wins, it does mean that you won't suffer particularly heavy losses.
- Of course, like any other type of gambling, whether on real-life or virtual sports, we recommend that you don't wager even bigger to try to cover your losses.
- It's also good to know that while a favourite doesn't always mean the side will win (just like in real sports), there is some weight behind backing them. This means that while it may not always come off as a winner, you could make a profit betting on them over time.
- That being said, it's not always advisable to solely bet on the favourite. This is because it's not uncommon to see a team that would dominate a league in real life relegated in the virtual world.
- We also recommend actively looking for and utilising virtual sports promotions. Just like when you bet on real-life sports, virtual sports promotions enhance your playing pot or can improve the odds on different events and markets.
- As previously mentioned, it's tough to give consistent and accurate advice when it comes to any type of virtual betting. This, however, adds to the excitement and means that there's every chance you could nail a bet on an underdog when that side would never win in real life. However, keep in mind that, because of the way virtual sports works with a random number generator (RNG), just because you're betting on the real-life favourite doesn't mean you'll definitely win.
Popular Bets in Virtual Cricket
Just like any other sport on a sportsbook, virtual cricket betting provides you with all of the betting options you could possibly ever want, making for quite the betting experience. Whether you're looking for the best cricket betting sites or are betting with a newcomer to the game, below are the markets you should look out for when you come to virtual cricket betting.
Virtual Cricket Betting: Match Winner
Like regular cricket, this option is the simplest way to get involved with virtual cricket betting. Here, you're simply wagering on which team you think is going to win the match. You can utilise international markets, wagering on the likes of England, Australia, or India, or club markets, such as the Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians.
However, you need to utilise this market wisely, as the favourite won't always offer much value as they will usually be odds-on, while the underdogs tend to be at longer odds. This is why using this market for betting on a very even contest is usually your best option.
Of course, if you think that a major upset is on the cards, then you can back the underdog and you're likely to see a good return if they win, although this isn't a strategy that always comes off.
Virtual Cricket Betting: Total Match Fours
As the name of the market suggests, you'll bet on how many match fours will be scored by both teams. A ‘four' is when a batsman is able to get the ball to cross the boundary rope with one bounce or more. The options will either be above or below a .5 value, such as ‘above or below 3.5’.
You'll find some pretty good value, as one option is usually odds-on. If you're able to beat the bookmaker and choose the option that's less likely to happen, and it comes in, you'll generally get a good payout.
Virtual Cricket Betting: 1st Dismissal Method
Bettors here are required to wager on how the first wicket will be taken. Cricket provides a number of ways to get out, including clean-bowled, caught, run-out, stumped, or leg before wicket (LBW). The fact that there are so many ways to get out makes this type of betting very exciting, as it isn't as simple as either being only bowled or caught out for example. With this in mind, you can wager on one of the options with longer odds, and you'll have a genuine chance of your bet coming in.
Of course, you should take a look at the bowlers and batsmen they're coming up against. If there's a bowler that targets the stumps, you'll generally want to back either clean-bowled or LBW, while if the bowler is throwing up juicy deliveries that are right in the slot, a catch is more likely if the batsmen are looking to score runs quickly.
Virtual Cricket Betting: Runs Off First Delivery
Doing your research is important when it comes to this particular market, although having luck on your side certainly won't hurt either. Here, you'll have options like under or over 0.5, 1.5, 2.5, or 3.5 runs. This type of bet is very unpredictable, as a batsman could choose to block the ball or swing and miss, resulting in no runs scored, while he could connect with the perfect cover drive or knick the ball through the slips for a four.
Virtual Cricket Betting: To Lose a Wicket
For this type of bet, you'll need to wager on whether a wicket will be lost in the match. This is one of the simpler options, with bettors wagering on ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ options.
Alternatives to Virtual Cricket Betting
If you're looking for virtual cricket betting alternatives, there are a number of different sports that have entered the virtual world. Here are some of the most popular.
Virtual Football
This has proven to be a very popular sport to bet on. With football fans likely already accustomed with many of the markets on offer, as they're also offered in real-life football, the experience between virtual and real-life betting isn’t that different. With match commentary also offered, virtual football is a viable option if real-life football isn't available.
Virtual Tennis
These matches are played out in either singles or doubles format. To add to the authenticity, matches can be played on different types of court, while virtual tennis markets mirror those in real-life tennis, with set betting available alongside Winner of the Match and Total Points.
Virtual Horse Racing
Virtual horse racing has become a very popular avenue for betting. With standard betting markets like Race Winner and tricast betting available, among others, those that regularly bet on horse racing will feel right at home if they decide to make the switch to the virtual world.
Virtual Cricket Betting FAQs
Which is the best betting site for virtual cricket betting?
At the time of writing, not many bookies were offering virtual cricket betting. However, the two that do are fantastic choices, these being bet365 and 888sport. They offer great options when it comes to betting on virtual sports, and virtual cricket specifically, with their competitive odds and range of markets keeping things very interesting.
Of course, together with their virtual offering comes their classic sportsbooks, too. Their unbeatable odds, depth of markets, generous promotions, and intuitive sites, coupled with some great features, ultimately makes them excellent choices for both virtual sports betting and real-life events.
How are virtual sports results decided?
Virtual sports software calculates all of the outcomes from a match, and one of these is then selected by a random number generator (RNG). The fact that the outcome is entirely random means you can bet in confidence that there's a chance of your underdog bet coming through.
Is virtual cricket betting popular?
Like many other virtual sports, virtual cricket is gaining popularity very quickly. In 2020, a lot of sports were cancelled, which saw betting attention move from more traditional sports, like football and tennis, to virtual ones. In a world that was left with few sports to bet on for some months, esports in general unsurprisingly became exceptionally popular.
What are the most popular virtual cricket betting markets?
As previously mentioned, there are a number of ways to get involved with virtual cricket betting. The extensive range of markets incorporates the likes of betting on Total Wickets Lost, 1st Method of Dismissal, Both Teams to Hit a Six, and more. The most popular, however, are Match Winner, Total Match Boundaries, and Total Match Fours.
Keep in mind that just because these markets are the most popular doesn't mean you have to wager on them! Indeed, if you think you can beat the bookie using a different market, then you should follow your gut. Other markets can also offer more value than the most popular ones.
Do all bookmakers offer virtual cricket betting?
No, not all bookmakers offer bettors the ability of betting on virtual sports. If you're looking to make the most out of virtual cricket, you should ensure that the bookie you are about to sign up with provides markets for virtual sports. As mentioned above, bet365 and 888sport are two top sportsbooks that offer virtual betting.
How do I watch virtual cricket?
You'll first need to ensure that your chosen bookie provides markets for virtual sports. If they don't, they'll need to at least offer the ability of watching them. If the bookie provides options for virtual cricket, you should sign into your account on the site, scroll down and find the “Virtual Sports” tab (usually on the left of the screen), and click on it.
If you're on bet365, you'll be directed to a list of virtual sports, where you should select the one you want to watch. You'll then automatically be met by a live stream of the sport, with all of the available betting options listed on the same page, allowing you to watch and bet at the same time. While this isn't quite the same as watching a whole real-life Test match, coupled with the best in-play betting sites, it's close enough.
Can I combine virtual & real sports in my bet slip?
No. At the time of writing, this isn't something you're able to do. Instead, you'll have to keep your real-life bets in sports, such as football, rugby union, tennis, and cricket, separate from those in virtual sports.
CricketBettingAdvice Final Say
Virtual cricket betting is a simulated sport that's gaining popularity very quickly. With 2020 having proven to be a difficult year for real sports, virtual ones have been given a major platform to shine. Major bookmakers like bet365 have beefed up their offering of virtual sports, so you can bet on the likes of cricket, horse racing, and football, among others, meaning bettors always have something to bet on.
Interested in learning more about cricket betting? Check out our complete guide to IPL betting online!
The Cricket Betting Advice team of writers are all defined by one goal: to provide you with the best online betting content on the web.