The Virginia Lottery has broken new ground by introducing the United States’ first-ever virtual sports games in the iLottery space. This pioneering move, made possible through a collaboration between Aristocrat Interactive, NeoPollard Interactive (NPI), and Inspired Entertainment, delivers an innovative game format that allows sports enthusiasts to enjoy simulated football, basketball, and horse racing events on a recurring schedule.
Dubbed “VSports,” the virtual games are now exclusively available through the Virginia Lottery’s online platform. These digital experiences replicate the energy and pacing of live sporting events but operate using a certified random number generator (RNG) to determine outcomes, ensuring fair and impartial results that are entirely disconnected from real-world events.
New Gaming Category Debuts in the U.S. Market
This initiative is made possible through Aristocrat Interactive’s aggregation engine, Fusion, which supports seamless content delivery. NeoPollard Interactive, a joint venture between Aristocrat and Pollard Banknote, facilitated the rollout via its long-standing partnership with the Virginia Lottery.
Each game runs on a fixed schedule, offering new events every two to three minutes. Players can place bets and enjoy the thrill of sports-inspired gaming at any time, without depending on actual live matches.
Chris Shaban, Managing Director of Aristocrat Interactive iLottery, emphasized the importance of third-party collaboration in bringing this content to life: “Our commitment to providing best-in-class lottery content is strengthened by robust third-party integration capabilities with content providers like Inspired Entertainment.”
He added, “The introduction of these first-of-its-kind draw games for the Virginia Lottery exemplifies how customers can benefit from strategic integrations that drive new innovations and improvements in available content for players.”
Boosting Engagement and Educational Funding
Scott Kenyon, Deputy Executive Director of Marketing at the Virginia Lottery, highlighted the broader benefits of the initiative: “This relationship allows us to provide a wide range of new, distinctive games that we are confident will be exciting and appealing to our players, while also supporting the Lottery’s overall mission of raising revenue for K-12 public education in the Commonwealth.”
With this virtual sports launch, the Virginia Lottery not only enhances its existing iLottery content catalog but also sets a precedent for other U.S. states seeking to diversify digital lottery offerings.
Industry Leaders See Broader Potential
The project represents a significant advancement in digital lottery content, and Inspired Entertainment, the developer behind the VSports titles, has already hinted at further expansion. “We are honored to work with Aristocrat Interactive through its contract with NeoPollard Interactive to bring this unprecedented gaming experience to the Virginia Lottery,” said Brooks Pierce, President and CEO of Inspired Entertainment. “This collaboration showcases players’ growing appetite for engaging online lottery experiences and will provide additional funds for a good cause.”
Additional virtual sports games are anticipated in the near future, further expanding the Virginia Lottery’s digital presence.
Source:
“Aristocrat and Inspired launch first-ever virtual sports iLottery games in US”, gamesbras.com, Jun 27, 2025
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