Online UK Casinos and Virtual Sports: Alternatives to Traditional Sports Betting

Sports betting is big business, from betting on individual matches, games, and races to season-long bets. But the arrival of the pandemic has necessarily put paid to practically every major sport, leaving bookies and punters alike unable to partake in the cut and thrust of sports betting. But with challenge comes opportunity, and some surprising avenues have opened up recently, such as virtual sports. And there are always top casinos in the UK where you can play any time of the day with free spins no deposit casinos being amongst the most popular.

Niche Market Alternatives to Sports Betting

Casinos and bookmakers across the Western World have either shut entirely and continued online operations, or seen heightened alerts and awareness lead to reduced footfall for fear of catching the coronavirus. But betting finds a way, and sportsbooks are keen to explore new alternatives to entertain players and make a profit for themselves.

This can vary from shifting sports coverage and markets from familiar staples such as the NFL and English Premier League to leagues as yet unaffected (or less affected) by the pandemic, such as Russian ice hockey, Taiwanese basketball, or soccer in Turkey and Mexico. This approach has the benefit of players being able to use their preferred online betting site, including taking advantage of bonuses and promotions.

But it’s worth remembering that ‘sports’ betting has always ventured beyond sports alone. It’s entirely possible, and has been for years, to bet on politics, TV events, and even whether there’ll be snow at Christmas. On that last note, some online bookies have been looking at taking bets on maximum temperatures at various cities.

So-called buzzword bingo markets on political speeches (will word/phrase X be said?) have been around for a while and may grow in popularity, with other contemporary additions such as who mentions the pandemic first or the most times. The combination of large numbers of people stuck at home and the sudden absence of hotly anticipated sporting events is driving interest in unorthodox alternatives, whether that’s new players discovering different markets, or online gambling sites creating new betting opportunities to attend to public interest in gambling.

Online UK Casino Games when You’re Waiting for Wagers to Roll In

One of the major advantages of online betting sites is that they don’t rely on brick-and-mortar establishments or close contact. Whilst real world buildings close their doors, the top online UK casinos such as multi-software website ComeOn Casino have 100s of games for Londoners to distract themselves during the lockdown (and when it finally passes) including titles from top developers such as Microgaming, Playtech, and NetEnt. The games on choice at top casinos include the usual favourites like free slots no download and table games (i.e. roulette, blackjack, poker, and craps etc.) of which there are many variants and new releases every week. This also includes live dealer games which can help you feel less isolated.

If, like the sudden change in online betting habits, you’re after something different there are countless other specialty games to consider as well – such as:

• Bingo
• Keno
• Sic Bo
• Sudoku
• Virtual Horse & Dog Racing
• Scratch Cards
• and countless more…

London has been one of the hardest hit areas in the United Kingdom when it comes to the coronavirus, likely due to the high population density, large total population, and excellent transport links (in this case a bad thing as it allows swifter transmissions from other countries). It may well be that the lockdown lifting will occur gradually and may be re-imposed if there’s a second wave, but top casino sites provide a consistent option for leisure and relaxation in such circumstances.

Online UK casinos are easily accessible via desktops and most nowadays are designed to be mobile compatible (many have their own apps for various operating systems). Online slots and scratch cards can be an ideal way of killing a little time, and can even provide respite from the tedium of ad breaks when you’re curled up on the sofa watching TV.

Table games can offer the lowest house edges you’ll find, making it likelier (with skill) that you’ll finish ahead. Blackjack in particular has a very low house edge, and may make it the preferred option when it comes to online betting. Because many top UK casinos are keen to mix up their games with various styles and themes, you’ll be able to easily find slots and table games that come with sporting backgrounds.

Online UK casinos are engaged in fierce competition, which also means players can often benefit from welcome bonuses and promotions for existing players. No deposit bonuses, free spins, and cash, plus loyalty programs are all ways that top casinos can offer something a little extra to new players, and some allow you to keep what you win when you join.

eSports

Betting on eSports had been rising anyway, and its increasing professionalization has gone almost unnoticed by mainstream media. The first Fortnite World Cup had prizes for the winners eclipsing the payouts received by Wimbledon champions, and the greater resilience of eSports compared to traditional sports has seen interest in it surge.

Betting on virtual events is nothing new. After all, top casinos frequently offer an array of virtual sports (most commonly horse racing, but often including soccer, NFL, basketball, and more). However, eSports blend the virtual and real sporting worlds, and for some that makes a more compelling proposition.

League of Legends is one of the big beasts of the eSports world. The game sees teams of five compete against one other, with the objective being to destroy the opposing team’s Nexus, located within their base. Each player can choose one of 150 characters (champions, to use the technical term) to play as, each with unique abilities. The complexity means that no two games are alike.

CS:GO (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive) is another of the biggest eSports games. The teams are similar to League of Legends in that there’s five on each side, but things are otherwise quite different. One team takes the offensive, trying to plant a bomb, and the other is defensive, trying to diffuse it.

Top players can earn millions, and the absence of traditional sports has funnelled viewers to these, and other, eSports. In betting terms, the online sportsbooks tend to have straight win markets, as well as map winners, best of 3, and sometimes handicap or weapon-specific markets. Whilst eSports betting does offer a resilient alternative to real sports betting, they remain less flexible than online UK casinos, which can be reached at any time of the day or night.

Turning Real Sport Virtual

As time goes by, and given that online betting is already widespread on eSports and virtual sporting events, it would be surprising if betting did not become commonly available for real sports that have taken a step into the virtual world. Especially when even charity virtual football matches are already getting around a million spectators.

Whilst top casinos remain in play online, there have been plenty of sporting casualties. One of the most high profile cancellations due to the global pandemic is the Formula 1 season, whose season opening race in Australia was called off right before the race weekend was due to commence. However, one of the things the sport prides itself on is rapid innovation, and in late March there was the first of a brand new series of Virtual Grands Prix. Featuring an eclectic lineup of present and former drivers, in addition to top notch eSports players and some celebrities, the race was entertaining and more are scheduled to take place up until May (with the possibility of an extension based on how the global situation stands). And in America there’s the inaugural eNascar iRacing Pro Invitational Series.

In the United Kingdom, the Grand National is something of an institution. Even those who aren’t fans of horse-racing might have their only bet of the year on the Aintree extravaganza. But this year it was called off. Instead, there was a virtual race on 4 April, with 40 runners and full use made of CGI and algorithms to simulate the competition. Most major bookmakers offered betting for the virtual race as for a normal Grand National, with Potters Corner (an 18/1 shot) taking the win. And there are still markets up for horse racing from the US, Japan, Australia, and Sweden (at the time of writing). However, due to changes in Sweden’s gambling laws, patrons may want to do a little research into the changes that have been made in regards to Swedens gambling tax laws, especially if they are looking into setting up their own horse racing betting site.

Another surprise hit has been boxing, with virtual fights by the World Boxing Super Series (WBSS) being more popular than even organizers expected. Initial bouts of the computer versus computer contests (run on 2011 Electronic Arts game Fight Night Champion) got almost half a million spectators.

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