A Look into Pragmatic Play’s Virtual Sports Portfolio

Pragmatic Play is a name that needs no introduction. The studio has produced some of the most popular slots and live casino games. However, that doesn’t stop the team from exploring other game types. The developer has tried their hands with crash games, bingo, scratch cards, and more.

Today, we’ll be tackling Pragmatic Play’s virtual sports games. We will go over some of the more popular titles and see how they perform.

Darts

Darts is a scheduled, fixed odds game that tasks you with predicting who will win a match of darts. Each match has two players who throw three darts per round. Darts can either hit the board or miss the scoring area. As they play, they’re trying to bring their score down from 501 to 0. All matches end with one of the simulated players hitting a double.

Each round takes around two minutes. During this time, the players take turns playing. Everything is beautifully animated, adding to the feel of watching an actual darts match.

The way you bet in this game is similar to sportsbook betting. Each player has a star rating compared to their opponent. The odds will be different based on how likely they are to win.

You can bet on who will win the round to keep things simple. However, you also have a myriad of other possible wagers. First 3 Darts, Winning Double, and Wincast are just some of the options you can wager on. The betslip displays all your planned wagers, how much you’ve bet and potential returns.

Force 1

What’s more exciting than watching high-octane cars race around the track? Betting on it, of course! Pragmatic Play simulates the thrill of Formula 1 races in Force 1. Racing fans will no doubt get a kick out of this game, as the studio’s team, car, and driver names are parodies of popular real-world people, vehicles, and teams.

Like with Darts, a new race happens every two minutes. The race consists of 20 drivers and 10 teams, meaning each team has two drivers. You cannot wager on an ongoing race, but you can bet on the outcomes of future rounds. The most obvious bet is on who will take first place. However, there are a bunch more wagers available.

• Driver on Podium wins if your driver is in the top 3
• Points Finish wins if your driver is in the top 10
• Podium in order wins if the three drivers you pick are on the podium in first, second, and third place
• Podium in any order is the same as the previous bet, but you don’t have to get the order right
• Podium Car Numbers wins if the race numbers of the podium drivers add up to less or more than the shown number
• Double Podium Finish wins if both drivers from the same team finish on the podium
• Double Points Finish wins if both drivers from the same team finish in the top 10
• Driver Beats Teammate wins if your driver scores more points than his teammate
• Lap 1 Leader wins if your driver is leading at the end of lap one
• Fastest Lap wins if your driver has the fastest lap in the race
• Winning Margin wins if you correctly guess the time difference between first and second place.

Horse Racing

If fast cars aren’t your thing, you may prefer watching horses race down the track. Horse Racing simulates a flat horse run over a 1,000-meter course. A race is held every two to three minutes, with 12 horses competing each round.

There are a total of 100 horses the game can pick from for each match, each with slightly varying abilities. They use an algorithm rather than following a set path, allowing them to change lanes and take advantage of drafting. These additions ensure that the horse that has an early lead isn’t necessarily the one that will win the round.

You can bet on which horse will win the race. With Forecast and Tricast, you can also guess which horse will take second and third positions. You can bet on the exact order or choose any. The latter won’t pay as much but is more likely to win.

Two more bets are available. The Sum of Placed Horse Numbers wins if the numbers of the top three horses exceed the displayed number. Winning Number Odd/Even pays if the number of the winning horse is odd or even.