The National Basketball Association is planning to release a virtual sports betting game which will simulate the last 90 seconds of a game matching NBA teams. The game will feature NBA highlights and video and is titled “NBA Last 90.” Players will have several betting options on the outcome.
NBA partner Highlight Games Limited will use highlights from recent seasons to create the simulated game. Players will be able to wager on several outcomes, including which team will win, who will score on the first possession and the total points scored by both teams. A random number generator, similar to what’s used in slot machines, will determine the outcomes, the league said in a press release.
Virtual sports betting is popular in Europe and a type of virtual sports—mostly involving forms of racing—is available on several New Jersey, Nevada and Pennsylvania online casino sites.
The interest in virtual betting in Europe interested the NBA, said Scott Kaufman-Ross, the NBA’s head of fantasy and gaming while talking to ESPN.
“We’ve been looking at this the past couple years and were really surprised to see how popular this was,” Kaufman-Ross told ESPN. “In Europe, we’re especially excited about using virtual as another way to engage with our fans with alternative content, especially given the time-zone challenges we have in the region.”
