It’s depressing to read about some of the shady tactics sportsbooks utilize in order to make a buck. Whether it’s dealing 20 or 30 cent MLB lines or kicking winning players to the curb, a number of sportsbooks have brazenly bypassed the “we’re a business” mantra and entered “let’s come up with more ways to win as much money as possible off of these idiots.”. There’s no better example of this than virtual sports betting. It’s hard enough to beat sports betting when you in theory have a sense of what is going to occur. Now try beating it when the outcome is computer generated. ESPN recently reported that the NBA will launch a virtual betting game that features old footage of games but will produce completely random results. Call it slots for sports bettors. You are probably saying to yourself, why would anyone want to bet on something that is fake when you could just bet on the real thing? Good question. The data however indicates there is a market for it.

In the United Kingdom, £771.4 million was bet on virtual sports from April 2017 to May 2018, according to the U.K. Gambling Commission. That’s three times as much as was wagered on golf during that time period in the U.K.

Again, pretty depressing shit. Hopefully the U.S. market will recognize the ridiculousness of the exercise and not partake. Of course, this is the same market that assists in making slots far and away the biggest casino money maker.