There are many ways to enjoy horse racing. It’s a great sport to both watch and place bets on. Times are changing though, and the future could see racing fans having to get use to a virtual reality (VR) version of the sport.
Entain are a top name on the UK gambling scene and own companies such as Coral and Ladbroke. They recognise the fact that VR is going to play a key role in the future of their industry. Entain have enjoyed the success that has been achieved by the arrival of the internet and mobile phone technology. Now the metaverse is going to take gambling into new worlds and there are profits to be made.
It’ll require a lot of investment to achieve success but that’s already being undertaken by Entain They recently announced that $133million is being spent on research to produce new products. Games that feature VR horse racing are going to be part of that.
Watching the real thing is still going to be a vital part of our gambling experience. Nothing really beats watching the Cheltenham Festival or the Derby. Even a Monday afternoon watching low-class races is enjoyable, especially if you get some winners. If you do want to be gambling on horse racing, do some research first. Reading an online horse racing guide can be of great help.
Virtual horse racing is nothing new of course. For many years, bookmakers have provided races to their customers. One problem that land-based bookies had was what do they do when poor weather in the UK (sadly something that happens a lot) causes horse racing meetings to be abandoned. Often the solution was to show some overseas racing and even other forms of horse racing such as trotting.
When the technology arrived to show virtual horse races, it was a godsend. This allowed a constant stream of horse racing to be shown. They continued to be used in the mornings and early afternoon before the day’s racing commenced. It was important to keep the customers in the shops so they could keep gambling.
The arrival of the internet saw the inclusion of virtual horse racing on a 24/7 schedule. Gamblers were always just a few minutes away from a race and didn’t have to spend hours with their head stuck in a form book.
This virtual racing became even more important during the pandemic when many real race meetings didn’t take place. The graphics have improved considerably but just wait until VR horse racing on your headsets arrives.
Coral have joined up with JockeyCam to show their customers just what it’s like to ride in a horse race They can see the gaps ahead of them opening up or being shut down in a race. Then there’s the fence or hurdle that is getting closer and closer and then needs to be jumped. If you have a bet on the race it’s going to be even more exciting.
The technology isn’t quite ready to allow gamblers to enjoy this in real-time. You can bet that it won’t be too long before it is though. Just been able to see the current HD footage is a big step forward.
At present the immersive experience that can be joined features seven jockeys. They took place in a stage race held at Chepstow, home of the Welsh Grand National. Imagine seeing through a jockeycam.
Coral says that this is “a 360-degree jockey’s eye-view” of what happened in that race. You might feel foolish wearing a VR headset, but gamblers are going to forget that when experiencing the excitement of a two-mile race with 11 fences to get over. It’s not quite like being on a rollercoaster but it’s best not to eat too much before you watch the action.
Sam Fleet is the Managing Director of JockeyCam. His view is that this allows people to “feel really engaged with the sport.” The 360-degrees element makes for “a really incredible experience,” he added.
Once they have experienced it then they will realise just how challenging the job of a jockey is. Perhaps they might not be shouting too loud at the screens the next time their horse racing bet goes down. They will know just how great it is when the jockey wins a race.
Thankfully, the cost of VR headsets is coming down. Less than $300 being spent can gamblers enjoying the VR experience. Online gambling is going to change in the coming years, so why not invest and be part of the revolution?
Free to use immersed Agent software is going to help those interested. This can be downloaded onto your desktop and VR headset. Linking these up means the screen of your desktop is ‘projected’ into the amazing VR experience that awaits you.
(Image Source: EyeLive Media)
Sandra Larson is a writer with the personal blog at ElizabethanAuthor and an academic coach for students. Her main sphere of professional interest is the connection between AI and modern study techniques. Sandra believes that digital tools are a way to a better future in the education system.