Horse racing isn’t the first sport you think of when it comes to technology, but that’s what most people get wrong. Just because it is a simple sport that hasn’t changed (on the surface) for hundreds of years, it doesn’t mean that technology is totally absent.
Have you ever thought about what makes horse racing so popular? And how did remain relevant all those years? Well, it all comes down to the experience that fans get watching such events, and over the years, this has changed drastically. Yes, people still go to the racetrack, but they also have many hybrid and live event technologies that opened the borders of horse racing.
From Passive Watching to Active Participation
Back in the day (not so long ago), if you weren’t at the track, you either watched TV coverage of races or completely missed the action. Well, that has changed thanks to new technologies. We now have live streaming tech that made horse racing borderless.
The idea here is simple. Races are streamed online, and viewers from all around the world can watch the race with internet access. This has solved one of the main problems of the sport, which is global coverage.
Back in the days, only a few TV networks broadcast races, and most of them were not available all over the world. This meant that there was no way for fans to watch a horse race from certain locations.
On top of that, live streaming tech is not the same as a few years ago. Nowadays, some races allow interactive live streaming, which means that fans can choose camera angles, replay key moments, and engage with the community watching the race in the chat. All of this wasn’t possible a decade ago.
One of the biggest shifts is in how fans engage with in-play betting. Back in the day, people were waiting until race day to place bets, and on top of that, they had to be on the racetrack to be able to bet on races.
Nowadays, that’s changed. People are browsing the best horse to bet on today online, they go to a betting website, and place a bet before the race starts, and some even offer live betting during a race.
This made horse racing even more popular.
“Second Screen” Experiences
Another way tech improved the horse racing viewing experience is by introducing companion apps that add value to the actual live events. We are talking about betting apps, real-time speed statistics, jockey profiles, predictive analysis, and even the ability to be the director of the race and view it as you like.
Some of these apps also allow commenting on events with fellow horse racing enthusiasts, which makes the experience a lot better.
On top of that, such apps also offer interactive elements such as polls and social feeds, and this makes people more connected to the actual race.
Watching the race alone at home on your TV is not the same as watching the race with a live online audience on a live stream. The experience feels more active.
AR, VR, and Data Visualization
AR and VR technologies aren’t something new. They’ve been around us for quite some time. However, the technology was still in the early phase of development, and there weren’t many use cases for it.
But nowadays, some horse racing events offer VR seats, which means that you can practically watch the race with a VR headset from your home, and the experience feels like you are on the actual racetrack. They even have a VR jockey simulation rig, where fans get to experience what it is like to become a jockey.
Then we have AR, which significantly improves viewing experiences. What are they? Well, some racetracks have technologies where you can point your phone’s camera at the racetrack and get information about the horse’s speed, pace, position, and more.
Some add more conventional overlay elements on the screen directly, and this data is very important for both fans and people involved in the industry. They are using state-of-the-art wearables that collect all kinds of data in real time.
This gives fans emotional and sensory connections to the sport that go beyond watching a normal broadcast.
Plus, it makes betting more predictable, right?
AI and Personalization
Like it or not, we have to mention artificial intelligence (AI) just because it is literally everywhere, even in horse racing. But what’s AI’s role in horse racing?
Well, some racetracks and horse racing clubs are working on AI-powered customer experience apps, helping fans make predictions, give insights on upcoming races, and tailor the content to individual preferences.
Since horse racing is all about data, I think that AI can play a huge role in the sport, and we are still exploring new possibilities.
Social Media and Digital Communities
Lastly, we have social media, which is in charge of bringing the sport to the newer generations. Social media has become a massive engagement engine for horse racing, and this is quite important. Fans get to create, share, and engage with the audience, which makes horse racing more relevant and popular, especially with younger generations.
Final Thoughts
In the future, we expect to see even more improvements in the way people experience horse racing. Yes, some people still love the smell of the track and actually being there, but as the remote experience gets better, this trend will shift.
In the future, we can see a place where tradition and technology coexist, and a sport that is much more fun to watch (if that’s even possible).
