PlaySugarHouse Launches Virtual Sports Betting in New Jersey

While New Jersey prepares for its big day in court to determine the fate of its efforts to legalize sports betting, online casinos licensed in the state are already moving to offer real money sports betting of a different type: virtual sports betting.

In a press release, New Jersey-licensed casino site PlaySugarHouse.com announced the launch of new virtual sports betting games. These games allow players to bet on the outcomes of simulated sporting events in a format that closely mirrors actual sports betting.

PlaySugarHouse.com has launched five games to date and says it has plans to launch more in the near future. The five games that are available right now offer betting on virtual horses, soccer, greyhounds, motorcycles and auto racing.

The virtual sports games that have launched at PlaySugarHouse will likely remain the closest thing to sports betting we’ll get here in the United States unless New Jersey prevails in its Supreme Court case or Congress passes legislation to legalize real money sports betting.

The experience from the bettor’s point of view is strikingly similar to betting on real sports. You can bet on games ahead of time in a variety of ways such as picking the winner, guessing the point total and much more. Once your bets have been placed, you can watch the live stream on your computer or mobile device.

It’s all legal because real sports are not involved in any way; the system generates truly random results (with weighted outcome frequencies to create underdogs and favorites). Thus, there is no need to apply handicapping strategies. This is pure gambling just as much as roulette or slots are gambling.

Although these games are sure to fall short for those who love to study sports and apply handicapping knowledge, they are great for action junkies. With virtual sports betting, you are always in the game as these bets are open 24/7, 365. Unlike real sports betting, virtual athletes take no days off and play year-round.

See the Virtual Sports Betting Games in Action

The new virtual sports betting games are powered by UK-based outfit Inspired Entertainment, Inc. and feature HD graphics with color commentary to create as realistic an experience as possible for gamblers. Unlike real sports, these virtual games only last a few minutes and run 24 hours a day, 7 days to week to keep the action going around the clock.

You can see some of Inspired’s work below.

Virtual Horse Racing

Virtual Soccer

Virtual Greyhounds

Virtual Motorcycle Racing

Virtual Auto Racing

More Virtual Betting to Come

The press release stated that more virtual sports games are to “follow soon,” but did not expand on which games are coming next. However, the Inspired Entertainment YouTube page does offer a look at several other projects they have been working on lately, including virtual football and boxing betting.

Virtual Football

Inspired Gaming will be joining forces with the Golden Nugget (which is the licensed operator behind PlaySugarHouse).

The expected Q1 2017 launch date ended up being delayed.