In recent years, we’ve seen a whole range of innovations sweep across the online betting industry. Mobile apps, bet builders, in-play and cash out are just a few of the trends which have not only appeared, but stuck around for the long haul. Virtual sports are also right at the top of this list, with virtual horse racing, specifically, being the most popular variant of all.
In this article, you’ll learn everything you need to know about virtual horse racing in Ireland. We’ll tell you the best sites on which you can wager, explain how virtual sports work, and plenty more besides.
- #1 Virtual Horse Racing Site
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- Silks Horses linked to real-world thoroughbreds
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NO CODE REQUIREDVisit SilksLearn More61Our Top 10 Virtual Horse Racing Betting Sites
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- Five different virtual horse racing courses
- Regular racing and trotting covered
- Outstanding track record
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NO CODE REQUIREDJoin NowLearn More11Sign up, deposit €5* or more to your account and we’ll match your qualifying deposit in Bet Credits (up to €100*) when you place qualifying bets to the same value and they are settled. New customers only, T&Cs apply.
Bet €10, Get €30
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- Normal and Dash virtual horse racing provided
- Virtual Weekly Rewards deal
- Good range of other virtual sports
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NO CODE REQUIREDJoin NowLearn More1001New UK & NI customers only. Deposit and place sports bets worth at least £10 at odds of 1/2 or greater. Receive £30 worth of free bets within 10 hours of qualifying bets being settled, which will expire after 7 days. E-wallets and prepaid card payments will not qualify, while opening bets must be settled within 60 days. Full t&cs applyNew UK & NI customers only. Deposit and place sports bets worth at least £10 at odds of 1/2 or greater. Receive £30 worth of free bets within 10 hours of qualifying bets being settled, which will expire after 7 days. E-wallets and prepaid card payments will not qualify, while opening bets must be settled within 60 days. Full t&cs apply
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- Three varieties of virtual horse racing
- New races every two minutes
- Fantastic ‘Paddy’s Rewards’ loyalty scheme
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- Regular virtual horse racing and trotting
- User-friendly website
- Excellent mobile app
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- Good variety of virtual horse racing bet types
- New events get started every three minutes
- Wide range of other virtual sports
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- Excellent selection of virtual horse racing markets
- Strong mobile features
- Highly intuitive interface
9.5
NO CODE REQUIREDJoin NowLearn More0101New customers only. 18+, BeGambleAware.org. Min deposit £10. Money back as bonus. Wagering requirements: Sportsbook 3x at min. odds of 1.40 (2/5), Casino 25x. Only one bonus can be used at a time, Sportsbook bonus must be wagered before using the Casino, unless the bonus has been forfeited. Bonus will expire after 7 days of opt-in.New customers only. 18+, BeGambleAware.org. Min deposit £10. Money back as bonus. Wagering requirements: Sportsbook 3x at min. odds of 1.40 (2/5), Casino 25x. Only one bonus can be used at a time, Sportsbook bonus must be wagered before using the Casino, unless the bonus has been forfeited. Bonus will expire after 7 days of opt-in.
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- Flat and Jumps virtual horse racing
- Lengthy track record
- Solid ongoing promotions
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- Regular and Instant virtual horse racing options
- Up and coming bookmaker
- Good rewards program
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- Flats, Jumps, and Sprint races for virtual horse racing
- Strong range of other virtual sports
- Plenty of horse racing special offers
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- Plenty of Instant virtual horse racing options
- Very good mobile app
- Excellent selection of real-world sports
9.1
NO CODE REQUIREDJoin NowLearn More0101New customers only. Minimum deposit and bet of £10, at odds of 1/5 per multi selection. Free bets paid out in the form of 4x £5 tokens, which are valid for 7 days. Stakes not returned and no cash outs are available.The Best Virtual Horse Racing Betting Sites Reviewed
In the table above, you can immediately see the top 10 virtual horse racing sites in Ireland at the time of writing. These really are the best of the best, and each will provide you with a top-notch betting experience.
With that said, our rankings have been ordered this way for a reason. Here’s what makes the top five truly stand out.
1. Bet365
Bet365 has a strong argument to being the best all-round sportsbook in Ireland. The entire package here is simply brilliant, from the huge range of betting markets, to the quality of the mobile app, to the consistent range of ongoing promotions.
Unsurprisingly, Bet365 also excels when it comes to virtual sports. There are 12 different sports to choose between here, including football, cricket, tennis, and cycling. Virtual horse racing is a clear focus though, with a hefty five different courses being operated at once. New races get started on these courses literally every minute, and there’s invariably a good spread of odds. The inclusion of trotting, as an alternative to traditional racing, is simply the cherry on the cake.
What We Like
- Five different virtual horse racing courses
- Regular racing and trotting covered
- Outstanding track record
What We Don’t Like
- Customer support could be more responsive
2. Betfred
Betfred actually has the most impressive track record of any brand on this list, having operated since all the way back in 1967. It has done a fantastic job of keeping up with the times though, as evidenced by the sky-high quality of both its desktop and mobile platforms.
We’re pleased to say that virtual sports are just one of the many modern trends on which Betfred has capitalised. The likes of motor racing, greyhound racing, speedway, and even golf are covered here. As with Bet365, however, virtual horse racing is obviously the priority. New races kick off every single minute, and both the graphics and animations are top-notch. If you prefer quicker, shorter races, Betfred also offers a ‘Dash’ horse racing variant, and there’s even a ‘Virtual Weekly Rewards’ special offer.
What We Like
- Normal and Dash virtual horse racing provided
- Virtual Weekly Rewards deal
- Good range of other virtual sports
What We Don’t Like
- Not the fastest withdrawals in the world
3. Paddy Power
While it’s not the oldest Irish bookie, with that honour probably going to BoyleSports, Paddy Power is undoubtedly the most famous. To this day, it continues not only to embrace those Irish routes, but also to provide an incredibly well-rounded and user-friendly sportsbook to its huge customer base.
The Paddy Power virtual sports section isn’t as packed-out as some of the others here, with only four sports being covered. Most importantly for our needs, though, the virtual horse racing on offer is simply brilliant. Three different varieties are provided – Flat, Jumps, and Sprint – with new races for all three kicking off every two minutes.
What We Like
- Three varieties of virtual horse racing
- New races every two minutes
- Fantastic ‘Paddy’s Rewards’ loyalty scheme
What We Don’t Like
- Limited range of other virtual sports
4. 888sport
888sport is another brand with an impressive track record. 888sport launched in 2008, and the company itself had been in business long before that, providing a range of other gambling opportunities for punters.
Nowadays, 888 provides an extremely well-rounded sportsbook for players, with virtual sports being one of the many special features. Virtual horse racing fans will be pleased to find both regular racing and trotting included, and the likes of speedway and football are also covered.
What We Like
- Regular virtual horse racing and trotting
- User-friendly website
- Excellent mobile app
What We Don’t Like
- Must create an account before checking out the virtual sports features
5. Powbet
Powbet is definitely the least-known brand of our top five recommended virtual horse racing sites, but don’t let this put you off. Considering it was only launched in August 2021, Powbet has already put together an extremely impressive and professional offering.
The well-rounded sportsbook here includes an outstanding range of virtual sports, with football, basketball, tennis, baseball, and more being covered. Naturally, virtual horse racing is also available, with fresh races getting going every three minutes. You can bet on runners to win or place here, and even stick forecast and tricast wagers down.
What We Like
- Good variety of virtual horse racing bet types
- New events get started every three minutes
- Wide range of other virtual sports
What We Don’t Like
- Relatively short track record
How We Rank The Best Virtual Horse Racing Betting Sites
Not all virtual horse racing sites are created equal. We’ve spent a great deal of time testing and researching all of your top options in Ireland, with our top 10 rankings being the result. These were five of the most important factors we looked at while doing so.
- Player Safety
This is the first thing we check on any sportsbook, and it’s no different with virtual horse racing in Ireland. In short, when people’s money and data are on the line, it is crucial to know that both are being protected.
We look at two main areas to ensure this. Firstly, we check that the brand has at least one license, with a regulatory body like the UK Gambling Commission or Malta Gaming Authority. This alone guarantees a high amount of legitimacy. After that, we look at the specific security measures the site has in place to protect its users. At a minimum, these should include the likes of SSL, firewalls, anti-fraud checks, and a separation between company and user funds.
- Virtual Horse Racing Quality
Naturally, this is the next area we prioritise. If you’re looking for a virtual horse racing site, you obviously want the features for that digital sport being as good as possible.
We look at quite a few areas as part of our analysis here. The software providers that have been used are key, but the good old-fashioned ‘eye test’ also has a role to play, when it comes to graphics, the quality of animations, and so on. We also ensure that events kick off regularly, there’s a decent variety in the bet types you can place, and so on.
- Further Virtual Sports
If you start betting on virtual horse racing and find that you enjoy it, there’s every chance you’ll want to try out other forms too. That’s why we don’t limit our research solely to the horse racing section, but also check out the other available virtual sports. These should feature a couple more options to keep you entertained, preferably including football, with new events kicking off around-the-clock.
- Other Betting Markets
If you like virtual sports, the chances are that you like real-world sports too. That’s why we’ve also checked out the options that are available in the main sportsbook section for our recommended brands.
The more markets which are available here, the better. Obviously big-hitters like football will always be included, but we also like to see the likes of the NFL and NBA, cricket, tennis, golf, and so on being represented, plus – naturally – Gaelic football and other traditional Irish sports.
- Mobile Features
On-the-go betting has become the preferred format for many punters nowadays. It’s no different with virtual sports fans, so we’ve also been sure to check out the mobile features which are on offer.
These will preferably include a mobile app, but – if not – a high quality mobile site is usually sufficient. Either way, we evaluate a whole range of factors, including the platform’s usability, reliability, and feature set (which, obviously, should include virtual sports).
What is Virtual Horse Racing?
A fundamental problem with betting on regular, real-life sports is that you’re always at the mercy of the clock. You must always base your wagers around when a specific event is taking place, whether you’re placing regular pre-match bets, or live in-play ones.
Virtual sports help you avoid this issue entirely. They are always on, 24/7, with new races, matches, and so on taking place constantly. Once an event has finished, there will be a short interlude, then the next one will begin.
To break things down completely, virtual sports are basically video games that you can bet on. They are created by software developers, and are completely animated. The results are semi-random, in that they’re calculated using a provably-fair algorithm, but handicaps will typically be given to one runner or team to make the encounter more realistic.
All of this is true for virtual horse racing too. Before a race, you will be presented with a list of fictional, digital horses that will compete. The runners will have differing odds, just as in real-life horse racing, and most sites will give you a form table to help you gauge the handicap that’s been given. After the off, you’ll see the horses racing, the result will be calculated by the computer, and you’ll win or lose your wager as normal.
The Different Types of Virtual Horse Racing Betting Games
At a basic level, all virtual horse racing will follow the formula that we’ve outlined above. Pleasingly though, there is actually a decent amount of variety between different virtual horse races. This goes a long way towards keeping you entertained, as a bettor. Below, you can get a quick overview of the most popular types of virtual horse racing.
Flat Racing
As in the real-world variety, flat racing is the most common form of virtual horse racing. As the name suggests, this simply involves the runners competing along completely flat ground, with no obstacles to contend with.
Jumps
In this form of virtual horse racing, the runners must jump over regular obstacles, such as barriers or hedges. This is the second-most popular form of real-life horse racing betting, but it trails a long way behind flat racing when it comes to virtual sports. Some of the bigger bookies, like Paddy Power, will indeed let you wager on jumps races, but it’s still relatively rare.
Trotting
It might be the least popular of this trio among real-life racing fans, but trotting actually enjoys surprisingly good coverage among virtual horse racing sites in Ireland, with Bet365 and 888sport being just two top bookies which cover it. In trotting, rather than the jockey sitting on top of the horse, he or she is pulled in a small carriage behind. As such, this is a slower but still-intriguing alternative.
Virtual Horse Racing Tips – Available Betting Markets
Horse racing might be an enormous sport for betting in Ireland, but it trails far beyond the likes of football when it comes to the variety of available markets. The same is true in virtual horse racing, in which you’re usually limited to a mere handful of bet types here. Below, you can learn about the three most popular forms.
Race Winner
This is the most straightforward virtual horse racing bet type, by far. In short, you’re simply wagering on which of the fictional runners will win a given race. If it does indeed triumph, then you’ll collect your winnings. If any other horse at all wins, you’ll lose your wager.
As such, while this might seem like a straightforward and beginner-friendly proposition, it’s actually a high-risk, high-reward wager. It will certainly get you good odds, but the chances of you actually winning aren’t great.
Each Way/Place
As in the real-world variant, the each way is arguably a more appealing bet type for virtual horse racing newcomers than a straight-up race winner wager.
Each ways are placed on a single runner, and actually contain two separate wagers. The first is a race winner bet, as detailed above. The second is a ‘place’ bet. This means that – if your runner finishes within a certain range – you’ll still get a return on your wager. This return won’t be great, with the odds typically being around 1/5, but it’s better than losing your stake entirely.
Some virtual horse racing sites in Ireland let you stick down ‘place’ wagers on their own. These win if your horse finishes within a certain range of positions, but – ironically – lose if your runner actually wins the race.
Forecast/Tricast
These are extremely high-risk, high-reward bets. We’d recommend steering clear of them while you’re just getting started in virtual horse racing, but you may want to mix them in as you gain more experience.
With a forecast bet, you must correctly pick not just the race winner, but the second-placed finisher too. With a tricast, you need to correctly predict all of the top three finishers, in the correct order. Obviously, this is extremely hard to do, which is why forecasts and tricasts come with extremely high odds.
Why Should You Bet on Virtual Horse Racing Cards?
To the more traditional bettor, virtual horse racing might sound like a pretty strange proposition. Why would you want to wager on virtual sports, after all, when you could simply bet on real sports instead?
Well, there are actually quite a few reasons why you might want to switch things up, beyond a simple desire to try something new. Here are three of the best examples.
Always-On
This is arguably the biggest appeal for virtual horse racing. With the real-world version, you’re obviously limited by the times at which the races are taking place. If you’re betting in Ireland, and are determined to focus on British and Irish courses – for example – you won’t be able to place any wagers at all earlier in the morning or later at night.
No such restrictions apply with virtual horse racing. The action really is 24/7, meaning you really can get a wager down – and enjoy similar enjoyment and excitement to what you normally would – whenever you please.
Quick and Easy
Some people might criticise the lack of depth in virtual horse racing. After all, only basic handicapping is used, and you’ll rarely get more than a basic form guide. For the casual punter, however, this is perfect. Rather than needing to trawl through detailed form guides, or endless betting tip articles, you can get all the information you need at a glance, and stick your wager down nice and quickly.
The races themselves are extremely speedy too – even more so than real-life horse racing. As such, you can get a few virtual horse racing wagers down within a few minutes, then carry on with your day, rather than needing to commit a big chunk of your day.
Provably Fair
It would be perfectly natural to worry that virtual horse racing was fixed somehow, since the results are calculated behind the scenes. Fortunately, this doesn’t need to be a worry.
All software providers who provide the technology are licensed and regulated, as we’ll discuss in the next section. The finishing order in the races they run must be determined by a Random Number Generator (RNG), which – as the name suggests – creates completely random results. In short, if you go with a legit virtual horse racing site in Ireland, you don’t need to worry about the events being rigged.
Different Virtual Horse Racing Software Providers
Virtual sports are not created by the betting sites themselves. Instead they are provided by specialist software developers, and – naturally – this is the case with virtual horse racing too.
Any top virtual horse racing site in Ireland should make it easy for you to discover who provided its games. You can then go away and research that developer’s reputation, and ensure it is licensed and legitimate. As you do so, here are the top names to look out for.
Inspired
Despite only launching in 2014, Inspired Entertainment has made a name for itself as one of the biggest names in betting software. Its digital games are used by 170+ websites in over 35 countries, and it currently provides the virtual horse racing software for many of the top bookies around, including Paddy Power, Coral, and Ladbrokes.
Betradar
Betradar is a part of the highly-successful Sportradar AG, which – while headquartered in Switzerland – has offices in 19 different countries. It’s a huge provider of virtual sports, with over 300 different sportsbooks using its games. Its virtual horse racing events kick off every two minutes, and facilitate forecast, tricast, and multiples wagers.
Playtech
If you’ve spent any significant amount of time around online casinos, you probably know Playtech already. This is a true industry giant, which has been around since 1999, and which counts virtual sports among its many other products. For virtual horse racing, Playtech provides some of the highest-quality animations around, and gives betting brands a huge amount of customisation regarding the types of events they want to run.
What Other Virtual Sports are Available to Bet On?
Virtual horse racing is almost certainly the most popular such sport to bet on. Most Irish bookies will provide at least one or two more options though, with some giving you an entire range of alternative choices. These are the examples which you’re most likely to come across.
Football
Along with virtual horse racing, football is definitely the other most popular virtual sport for modern-day punters. That’s no surprise, considering these are the two biggest real-life betting markets too.
The appeal of virtual football is the same as with horse racing. It is always on, with a new game kicking off barely a minute or two after the last one finished. The animations and graphics, while not exactly on a level with FIFA, also tend to be surprisingly good.
Virtual football differs from horse racing in a couple of key ways, however. Firstly, rather than watching an entire matchup, you’re shown highlights packages which usually last around five minutes. This is obviously a necessary adjustment, considering the 90-minute real-world running time. Secondly, matchups aren’t always played in isolation. Instead, some providers will create entire cups or leagues, which help to give context to the games. Finally, virtual football often has more bet types than horse racing too, including multiples, goalscorers, and over/under goals.
Greyhound Racing
Among the most popular virtual sports, greyhound racing is a distant third. It works very similarly to horse racing, as you’d expect, with new races beginning constantly, and the dogs being handicapped to make things more exciting.
Others
The aforementioned trio are the most-covered virtual sports, but some betting sites in Ireland will go beyond this, and sometimes offer you several more options. Motorsports is a popular example, which obviously operates in a similar manner to horse and greyhound racing. Elsewhere, the quality of virtual tennis is actually pretty high nowadays, and you can also find virtual basketball and darts without looking too hard.
Final Thoughts
The popularity of virtual sports has grown steadily in recent years, and it’s not hard to see why. These games are easy to bet on, quick to watch, and provide a steady stream of fresh betting opportunities. Virtual horse racing is arguably the most popular such market, and – if you’ve got any interest in the real-life variety – we’d recommend giving it a try.
If you’d like to do just that, and you’re based in Ireland, you can find 10 top bookies at the top of this page. All that remains for you to do now is pick one, create and fund an account, and test out virtual horse racing for yourself.
Our #1 Recommended Virtual Horse Racing Site
€100 Welcome Bonus
03/03/22€100 Welcome Bonus
- Five different virtual horse racing courses
- Regular racing and trotting covered
- Outstanding track record
9.8
NO CODE REQUIREDJoin NowLearn More11Sign up, deposit €5* or more to your account and we’ll match your qualifying deposit in Bet Credits (up to €100*) when you place qualifying bets to the same value and they are settled. New customers only, T&Cs apply.FAQ
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Joe Halliday
Joe Halliday
