William Hill Bets On Virtual Reality Racing
William Hill bets on virtual reality racing
1 October 2015
Anyone who has actually been to a racecourse will understand the excitement when the horses pound towards the goal.
But this excitement of the ride is something that numerous customers who bet in shops or online do not experience.
Bookmaker William Hill is keen to recreate it with virtual reality technology.
The UK's Gambling Commission stated that it would be keeping an eye on developments such as virtual reality to make sure that they did not motivate extreme gaming.
Using virtual truth headsets, integrated with GPS racetrack information, it is offering customers the possibility to see the race from the jockey's perspective.
"Currently you position a bet and not much happens in between that and the result," stated Crispin Nieboer, William Hill's director of innovation.
"We want to bring clients closer to the sporting action, to experience the thrill of the trip."
To test the possibilities, the team at William Hill laboratories developed a 3D mock-up of Kempton Park racecourse and collected live data, by means of GPS trackers fitted on horses, throughout a training race at the course.
Combining the data created a virtual race users can see via 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 firm's technology laboratory in Shoreditch.
Users first pick the horse they wish to race on. Accompanied by live commentary, users can turn and look at other horses in addition to activating an information display about the horse's heart rate, stride and race position.
William Hill plans to include more courses and live races next year.
William Hill bets on virtual reality racing
1 October 2015
Anyone who has actually been to a racecourse will understand the excitement when the horses pound towards the goal.
But this excitement of the ride is something that numerous customers who bet in shops or online do not experience.
Bookmaker William Hill is keen to recreate it with virtual reality technology.
The UK's Gambling Commission stated that it would be keeping an eye on developments such as virtual reality to make sure that they did not motivate extreme gaming.
Using virtual truth headsets, integrated with GPS racetrack information, it is offering customers the possibility to see the race from the jockey's perspective.
"Currently you position a bet and not much happens in between that and the result," stated Crispin Nieboer, William Hill's director of innovation.
"We want to bring clients closer to the sporting action, to experience the thrill of the trip."
To test the possibilities, the team at William Hill laboratories developed a 3D mock-up of Kempton Park racecourse and collected live data, by means of GPS trackers fitted on horses, throughout a training race at the course.
Combining the data created a virtual race users can see via 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 firm's technology laboratory in Shoreditch.
Users first pick the horse they wish to race on. Accompanied by live commentary, users can turn and look at other horses in addition to activating an information display about the horse's heart rate, stride and race position.
William Hill plans to include more courses and live races next year.