Even though the iRacing esports scene is not as popular as the likes of CSGO, Dota 2, and League of Legends, it is the only real representative of the racing simulation genre and, as such, it deserves our attention!
Despite not having that big of a betting market, iRacing betting lines still appear every now and then. We’re mainly talking about lines during the biggest events, some of which we’ll be discussing in more depth later on. Here’s a list of all the best iRacing betting sites:
Best Racing Games Betting Sites
- Long-standing service since 1998
- Great odds
- Large number of esports events
- Renowned betting brand
- Features many esports titles
- Bet credit welcome bonus
- Licensed CSGO gambling site since 2017
- Reputable and transparent
- Wide range of payment methods
- Mainstream esports site
- Live betting & Live streams available
- Expansive range of bets
- Renowned sportsbooks in the industry
- Live betting & live streaming
- Bet booster & cashout feature
- Mainly offers esports
- Fully regulated and licensed
- Relatively new on the market
- Over 10 esports titles
- Competitive odds
- Licensed by the Curacao government
- Designed for esports enthusiasts
- A crypto currency bookie
- Curaçao licence
- Reasonable markets and odds
- Uniboost odds boost
- Well-designed website
What is iRacing?
In the simplest possible terms, iRacing is the only real specimen of the sim racing experience. It’s not a game – it is a virtual simulation of the real thing!
Developed as a truly decentralized racing competition, iRacing offers a plethora of virtual tracks across the globe. Not only does it feature a sophisticated racing sim environment, but it’s also in charge of organizing, hosting, and officiating a plethora of virtual racing events.
Long story short – iRacing is the authority in the world of virtual sim racing.
Supported iRacing Esports Disciplines
iRacing esports has a plethora of available disciplines. Here’s the list, in no particular order:
- NASCAR Oval Racing
- Road Racing
- Open Wheel
- Dirt Racing
- Rallycross
- Off-Road
- Hillclimb
These are the official in-game disciplines. As for iRacing partnerships, which further improve the immersion and quality-of-life, the list is way too big to fit here. Here are the most notable names:
- NASCAR
- USAC
- McLaren
- Nurburgring
- SuperCars
- IndyCar
- Audi
- BWM
- Mazda
And many more…
iRacing History 101
The initial release date of iRacing video game is August 26th, 2008. Yep, that’s almost fourteen years ago!
No worries, the game has been getting frequent updates, with the latest one dating back to 15th March 2022.
Needless to say, the game has come a long way since its early days. Nowadays, it’s by far the deepest and most complex racing simulation in the world… so much that playing it without a wheel and pedals is considered a sin.
Here’s what the game looked like back in 2009:
iRacing esports scene hasn’t always been this popular. The craze happened just a few years ago, all thanks to the pandemic of all things. Granted, the game’s esports ecosystem had existed before COVID, but it was on a much smaller scale, really.
Nowadays, with virtual racing live broadcasts becoming increasingly more popular, the game’s esports scene is bound to follow in the same footsteps.
iRacing Highest Earners
Here are the top ten iRacing players who have won the most money from professional events:
| Joshua K Rogers | $180,355.00 |
| Keegan Leahy | $132,970.00 |
| Nick Ottinger | $122,012.00 |
| Mitchell DeJong | $116,112.31 |
| Maximilian Benecke | $105,362.03 |
| Sebastian Job | $93,118.14 |
| Ray Alfalla | $65,529.00 |
| Greger Huttu | $63,458.33 |
| Bobby Zalenski | $53,315.00 |
| Alex A Bergeron | $51,825.00 |
Types of Bets You Can Place on iRacing
As mentioned in the introduction, you won’t find that many iRacing betting markets available. They’re only available during the biggest events which, let’s be realistic, happen just a couple of times every year.
But, when they are available, you’ll have access to at least a few different betting lines. Typically, we’re referring to race winners, outright event winners, and top-five finish.
Here’s a closer look:
Race Winner
First and foremost – race winner! This is your typical match-winner bet, but since we’re talking about races here… hence the name.
The recipe is straightforward – you have to correctly guess the race winner and you’ll win your bet. Depending on the competition, or the lack thereof, the odds will range from narrow top-ten listings all the way to clear-cut favorites with low-value options.
Outright Winner Bets
If the latter is the case with one of the races you’re thinking of betting on, perhaps you should check out outright winner bets instead. Typically, they offer far greater odds, but do incorporate a lot more risk too.
You see, outrights are based on the outcome of the whole competition rather than a single race. You’re basically betting on the player/team you think will win the title, hence the odds typically being much higher.
Top Five Finish
In the case of highly competitive tournaments, bookies will go out of their way and provide their users with top-five finish bets. As their name suggests, you’re betting on a team to finish in the top five. The odds aren’t as high as those for outrights, but often have great value potential in the underdog department.
If you’re a fan of high-risk high-reward bets and you think you can sniff out a Cinderella story, top five finish iRacing bets ought to be up your alley!
How to Start Betting on iRacing?
In this section of our iRacing esports betting guide, we’ll be taking you through a simple step-by-step guide on setting everything up and placing your first wager.
- Get yourself registered on one of the esports betting websites linked above. Make sure you use your real information as you’ll have to confirm your identity later.
- Check to see if there are any esports bonuses you can get upon registration and initial deposit.
- Use your preferred payment method to deposit money into your betting account.
- Find iRacing betting lines and use the previously deposited money to place a bet or two.
Popular iRacing Tournaments You Can Bet On
Once again, iRacing is not among the most popular esports games out there. Still, it does have a couple of extraordinary competitions every year.
Here are the three most important competitions in iRacing esports ecosystem:
eNASCAR iRacing Series
eNASCAR iRacing Series offer tremendous prize pools and feature only the best virtual racers out there. The last iteration, 2021 eNASCAR iRacing Series, awarded $330,000 in prize money.
Sponsored by Coca-Cola, this competition brings out the very best in all contestants. Keegan Leahy was crowned as the 2021 champion, but he’ll have a tough time winning back-to-back titles like Ray Alfalla back in 2011 and 2012.
.@swilson3_ is a winner in the eNASCAR @CocaColaRacing @iRacing Series!
Congratulations to the @SHR_eSports driver on capturing the 🏁 last night! pic.twitter.com/gocw6mPkB1
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 16, 2022
Porsche Tag Heuer Supercup
The 2022 iteration of this competition aims to bring forth $200,000 in total prize pool as well as 35 of the world’s best professional sim racers. It’s going to be another fantastic occasion, just like the three previous iterations.
Joshua Rogers is the two-time champion and will be fancying his chances in this one. Sebastian Job, the 2020 Porsche Supercup champion, is not to be taken for granted either. However, many still see Joshua as the favorite coming into this one.
iRacing Special Events
In 2022, iRacing will feature several outstanding special events that really ought to ramp up the odds and create quite the occasions for racing sim fans. Here’s a short list with key dates and event names so you can mark them down in your calendars:
| Event Name | Dates |
|---|---|
| iRacing Sebring 12 | (March 25th to 27th) |
| Nurburgring 24 | (April 8th to 10th) |
| Indy 500 | (May 13th to 15th) |
| iRacing Spa 24 | (July 22nd to 24th) |
| Phoenix Finale | (November 1st to 6th) |
| Winter Derby | (November 26th) |
There are lots of other special events scheduled for 2022. You can check them all out on iRacing special events page. They’re not as lucrative as the two events mentioned above, so you might not find that many iRacing betting lines for them. But, they’re still worth checking out, that’s for sure.
