William Hill bets on virtual truth racing

1 October 2015

Anyone who has actually been to a racecourse will know the enjoyment when the horses pound towards the goal.

But this promotion code adventure of the trip is something that lots of customers who bet in shops or online do not experience.

Bookmaker William Hill is keen to recreate it with virtual truth innovation.

The UK's Gambling Commission said that it would be keeping an eye on innovations such as virtual reality to make sure that they did not motivate excessive gaming.

Using virtual truth headsets, integrated with GPS racetrack information, it is providing consumers the possibility to view the race from the jockey's point of view.

"Currently you put a bet and not much happens in between that and the result," said Crispin Nieboer, William Hill's director of development.

"We wish to bring clients closer to the yohaig code sporting action, to experience the adventure of the trip."

To evaluate the possibilities, the team at William Hill labs developed a 3D mock-up of Kempton Park racecourse and collected live data, via GPS trackers fitted on horses, during a training race at the course.

Combining the information developed a virtual race users can view through either Google Cardboard or an Oculus Rift.

The innovation is not yet offered to the general public but was on program at an open day at the firm's innovation laboratory in Shoreditch.

Users initially pick the horse they wish to race on. Accompanied by live commentary, users can turn and look at other horses as well as triggering a data display screen about the horse's heart rate, stride and race position.

William Hill prepares to include more courses and live races next year.

"Currently there are some spaces in the data so the horses suddenly accelerate in a live race, but we want to have a proof-of-concept system ready by Christmas," stated Mr Nieboer.

The strategy is to introduce the service as part of the William Hill app.

"Users can pick the choice to enjoy the race as a basic video or they can be the jockey," Mr Nieboer said.

It could also be available in some wagering shops, said Mr Nieboer, while Google Cardboard headsets were most likely to be provided complimentary at racecourses.

It is approximated that in the UK about 350,000 individuals have a gaming dependency, with over ₤ 7bn invested each year.

The expansion of online wagering has been blamed for making it simpler to bet and some feel services such as virtual truth might add to the problem.

The marketplace is regulated by the UK Gambling Commission, which stated that it "monitors innovation in the gambling market in order to guarantee operators continue to adhere to the conditions of their licences".

"Operators are required to ensure that they bet9ja's welcome offer gambling in a responsible manner, which will consist of offering tools to permit consumers to manage their betting activity as well as having policies and procedures in place to identify possibly problematic behaviour and connect with customers who exhibit that behaviour," a spokesperson included.

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