William Hill Bets On Virtual Reality Racing
William Hill bets on virtual truth racing
1 October 2015
Anyone who has actually been to a racecourse will understand the enjoyment when the horses pound towards the goal.
But this adventure of the ride is something that lots of consumers who bet in stores or online do not experience.
Bookmaker William Hill is eager 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 truth to ensure that they did not motivate excessive betting.
Using virtual truth headsets, integrated with GPS racetrack data, it is giving clients the chance to see the race from the jockey's viewpoint.
"Currently you place a bet and not much occurs in between that and the result," said Crispin Nieboer, William Hill's director of innovation.
"We want to bring customers closer to the sporting action, to experience the thrill of the trip."
To test the possibilities, the team at William Hill labs developed a 3D mock-up of Kempton Park racecourse and collected live data, through GPS trackers fitted on horses, during a training race at the course.
Combining the information created a virtual race users can see via either Google Cardboard or an Oculus Rift.
The technology is not yet readily available to the public but was on program at an open day at the company's technology lab in Shoreditch.
Users first select the horse they want to race on. Accompanied by live commentary, users can turn and take a look at other horses in addition to activating an information display screen about the horse's heart rate, stride and race position.
William Hill prepares to add more courses and live races next year.
William Hill bets on virtual truth racing
1 October 2015
Anyone who has actually been to a racecourse will understand the enjoyment when the horses pound towards the goal.
But this adventure of the ride is something that lots of consumers who bet in stores or online do not experience.
Bookmaker William Hill is eager 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 truth to ensure that they did not motivate excessive betting.
Using virtual truth headsets, integrated with GPS racetrack data, it is giving clients the chance to see the race from the jockey's viewpoint.
"Currently you place a bet and not much occurs in between that and the result," said Crispin Nieboer, William Hill's director of innovation.
"We want to bring customers closer to the sporting action, to experience the thrill of the trip."
To test the possibilities, the team at William Hill labs developed a 3D mock-up of Kempton Park racecourse and collected live data, through GPS trackers fitted on horses, during a training race at the course.
Combining the information created a virtual race users can see via either Google Cardboard or an Oculus Rift.
The technology is not yet readily available to the public but was on program at an open day at the company's technology lab in Shoreditch.
Users first select the horse they want to race on. Accompanied by live commentary, users can turn and take a look at other horses in addition to activating an information display screen about the horse's heart rate, stride and race position.
William Hill prepares to add more courses and live races next year.