William Hill bets on virtual reality racing

1 October 2015
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Anyone who has actually been to a racecourse will understand the enjoyment when the yohaig code horses pound towards the surface line.

But this promotion code excitement of the ride is something that many who bet in stores or online do not experience.
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Bookmaker William Hill is eager to recreate it with virtual reality innovation.

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

Using virtual truth headsets, integrated with GPS racetrack data, it is giving clients the yohaig code possibility to view the race from the jockey's viewpoint.

"Currently you place a bet and very little occurs in between that and the result," said Crispin Nieboer, William Hill's director of development.

"We wish to bring clients closer to the sporting action, to experience the excitement of the ride."

To evaluate the possibilities, the group at William Hill laboratories built a 3D mock-up of Kempton Park racecourse and gathered live data, through 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 technology is not yet offered to the general public but was on program at an open day at the company's technology lab in Shoreditch.
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Users initially pick the horse they wish to race on. Accompanied by live commentary, users can turn and take a look at other horses in addition to triggering an information display screen about the horse's heart rate, stride and race position.
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William Hill plans to include more courses and live races next year.

"Currently there are some spaces in the information so the horses all of a sudden speed up in a live race, however we want to have a proof-of-concept system prepared by Christmas," said Mr Nieboer.

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

"Users can pick the option to watch the race as a basic video or they can be the jockey," Mr Nieboer stated.

It could likewise be available in some betting stores, stated Mr Nieboer, while Google Cardboard headsets were most likely to be offered out complimentary at racecourses.

It is estimated that in the UK about 350,000 people have a gaming addiction, with over ₤ 7bn spent every year.
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The expansion of online betting has actually been blamed for making it simpler to bet and some feel services such as virtual truth could add to the issue.
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The marketplace is controlled by the UK Gambling Commission, which said that it "monitors innovation in the gambling market in order to guarantee operators continue to adhere to the conditions of their licences".

"Operators are needed to ensure that they use betting in an accountable way, which will include offering tools to allow customers to handle their gambling activity as well as having policies and treatments in place to recognize potentially bothersome behaviour and communicate with clients who show that behaviour," a spokesman included.

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