William Hill bets on virtual truth racing

1 October 2015

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

But this promotion code thrill of the ride is something that many customers who bet in stores or online do not experience.

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

The UK's Gambling Commission stated that it would be keeping an eye on innovations such as virtual truth to make sure that they did not motivate extreme betting.
bet9ja.com
Using virtual truth headsets, combined with GPS racetrack data, it is offering consumers the yohaig code possibility to view the race from the jockey's perspective.
bet9ja.com
"Currently you position a bet and not much happens in between that and the outcome," stated Crispin Nieboer, William Hill's director of development.
bit.ly
"We wish to bring consumers closer to the sporting action, to experience the thrill of the ride."

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

Combining the data produced a virtual race users can see via either Google Cardboard or an Oculus Rift.

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

Users first choose the horse they wish to race on. Accompanied by live commentary, users can turn and take a look at other horses as well as triggering a data display 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 wish to have a proof-of-concept system all set by Christmas," said Mr Nieboer.

The plan is to introduce the service as part of the William Hill app.
bet9ja.com
"Users can pick the option to view the race as a standard video or they can be the jockey," Mr Nieboer stated.

It might also be offered in some betting shops, said Mr Nieboer, while Google Cardboard headsets were likely to be provided out free at racecourses.
bit.ly
It is estimated that in the UK about 350,000 individuals have a gambling dependency, with over ₤ 7bn invested annually.
bet9ja.com
The proliferation of online wagering has actually been blamed for making it simpler to gamble and some feel services such as virtual reality could include to the issue.

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

"Operators are required to guarantee that they provide betting in an accountable way, which will include offering tools to allow consumers to manage their gaming activity along with having policies and procedures in place to identify potentially troublesome behaviour and connect with clients who display that behaviour," a spokesperson added.

VR brings genuine ski races to your home. Video, 00:03:51 VR brings genuine ski races to your home
bet9ja.com
6 February 2015

3:51

Bringing live sports to VR. Video, 00:04:16 Bringing live sports to VR

23 July 2015

4:16