Major Virtual Updates

Major Updates To SIS Virtual Racing - Portman Park, Steepledowns and Sprint Valley


Note: *The following article is purely for fun. It is based on individual opinions and does not constitute advice. The results of virtual sports are entirely random. Please always gamble responsibly. #Ad. Find out more on our How Our Site Works page.


Our favourite virtual horse racing courses are getting a major update to the graphics they use. Below, we take a look at what this means for you:

The previous viewing experience was clunky at best - you’re watching the races on a screen in a betting shop (as you can’t currently watch online), the screens are often small and you’re typically sat quite far away from them. Then, to make matters worse, the graphics are blurry and pixelated and the movement of the horses looks quite jolty and unnatural.

If you’re one of the 4.8 million viewers that tuned into watch the Virtual Grand National in 2020 (it runs every year but viewing figures peaked in 2020) then you’ll know that virtual horse racing doesn’t have to be clunky and pixelated. The Virtual Grand National is really very realistic - you can still tell it’s virtual racing, however, it’s very close to the real thing. See for yourself here. The graphics are crisp, the horse movement is very realistic and the environment looks fantastic.

Inspired Entertainment Graphics for SIS

SIS operated racecourses (Portman Park, Steepledowns & Sprint Valley) are getting a major overhaul of their horse racing graphics by Inspired Entertainment. Inspired are the company responsible for the Virtual Grand National - so we can be sure they know what they’re doing. Think Virtual Grand National level of graphics for Portman Park, etc.

What we’ve seen so far from the promotional video from SIS the graphics are looking fantastic:

It really should enhance the viewing experience and enjoyment for anyone watching virtual racing.

It’s important to note that Inspired have only updated the graphics. All of the key features are staying the same, such as:

Race course names Runner names Available betting markets Frequency of races Underlying technology (e.g. the random number generator used to select winners)

It’s still the same virtual racing we all love, it’s just been given a fresh lick of paint!

Watch & Bet Online

Betting on Portman Park, Steepledowns and Sprint Valley has always traditionally been something that you can only do in betting shops. However, recently it became possible to bet on these racecourses online at Boyle Sports, Coral, Ladbrokes and William Hill. Next, we’re hopeful that SIS/Inspired will expand to showing the races online too. Perhaps this latest update will help SIS move the races online - we think our users would love to see it.

Virtual Racing Offers

Did you know that when you bet on Portman Park, Steepledowns and Sprint Valley online you might be able to get a welcome offer?

These offers are only available to new online customers:

Bet On Portman Park Online
Available at Boyle Sports

Offer Available:

Bet On Portman Park Claim Offer

See full terms & conditions.

Bet On Portman Park Online
Available at Ladbrokes

Offer Available:

Bet On Portman Park Claim Offer

See full terms & conditions.

Bet On Portman Park Online
Available at Coral

Offer Available:

Bet On Portman Park Claim Offer

See full terms & conditions.

For the complete list of virtual racing offers, see our free bets page.

Betting Safely

The most important message we can ever give to our users is to please enjoy virtual betting safely. This simply means keeping it fun - and only ever betting what you can comfortably afford to lose.

If you ever feel you might be having issues with your gambling, here are helpful resources you can access.

Also why not try our bet budget calculator to help work out your right level of spend - and then set limits with the operators you use.