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William Hill bets on virtual reality 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 promotion code adventure of the ride is something that numerous customers who bet in stores or online do not experience.

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

The UK's Gambling Commission said that it would be keeping track of developments such as virtual truth to make sure that they did not encourage extreme betting.
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Using virtual truth headsets, integrated with GPS racetrack information, it is giving consumers the chance to see the race from the jockey's perspective.
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"Currently you position a bet and not much happens in between that and the outcome," stated Crispin Nieboer, William Hill's director of development.

"We desire to bring consumers closer to the sporting action, to experience the thrill of the ride."
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To test the possibilities, the team at William Hill labs developed a 3D mock-up of Kempton Park racecourse and gathered live data, via GPS trackers fitted on horses, throughout a training race at the course.

Combining the information developed a virtual race users can see through either Google Cardboard or an Oculus Rift.

The innovation is not yet offered to the public however was on show at an open day at the company's innovation lab in Shoreditch.

Users first choose the horse they wish to race on. Accompanied by live commentary, wearers can turn and look at other horses as well as activating a data display about the horse's heart rate, stride and race position.
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William Hill prepares to include more courses and live races next year.
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"Currently there are some gaps in the data so the horses suddenly speed up in a live race, however we wish to have a proof-of-concept system ready by Christmas," said Mr Nieboer.

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

"Users can select the option to see the yohaig code race as a basic video or they can be the jockey," Mr Nieboer said.

It might also be offered in some wagering shops, stated Mr Nieboer, while Google Cardboard headsets were likely to be provided complimentary at racecourses.
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It is approximated that in the UK about 350,000 people have a gambling addiction, with over ₤ 7bn invested every year.

The proliferation of online betting has been blamed for making it simpler to gamble and some feel services such as virtual reality might contribute to the issue.

The marketplace is managed by the Commission, which said that it "displays development in the gambling market in order to guarantee operators continue to comply with the conditions of their licences".

"Operators are needed to make sure that they provide betting in an accountable manner, which will include offering tools to permit consumers to handle their gambling activity in addition to having policies and procedures in location to identify potentially problematic behaviour and engage with clients who show that behaviour," a representative added.
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