NEWS
Technology advocated as means to attract, keep customers
Posted: Wednesday, December 09, 2009 9:17 PM
by Frank Angst
Using a conditional wagering feature at TwinSpires.com essentially allowed a bettor to be in two places at one time.
During a panel on wagering platform technology Wednesday at the Symposium on Racing and Gaming presented by the University of Arizona’s Race Track Industry Program, Churchill Downs Inc. Vice President of Marketing Jeremy Clemons told a story about a customer who attended his daughter’s birthday party while not missing a bet on the Florida Derby Presented by BlackBerry (G1).
Conditional wagering allows bettors to make their selection well before a race and assign minimum odds at which to process a bet. If a horse goes off at lower odds, the bet is canceled. If the horse reaches those odds or higher, the bet is processed.
Clemons said the player who attended his daughter’s birthday correctly selected Florida Derby winner Quality Road, and the odds reached the player’s minimum. Quality Road won at odds of 6-to-5.
Clemons said the feature has proven popular with players, who now can bet at virtually any time before a race without getting stuck with an unsatisfying price in terms of odds. He said the best improvements in technology allow sites to better connect with fans.
“We’re not in a position to tell customers where or how they should interact with us,” Clemons said.
Clemons said TwinSpires.com offers a Windows mobile phone application and is working on an iPhone application.
Youbet.com Chief Marketing and Sales Officer Jeff Grosman outlined updates to Youbet.com that have allowed customers to follow Twitter updates on horse racing at a single site, www.whodoyoulike.com. He said an iPhone application for Youbet should be available in 2010.
In a panel on racing technology, TwinSpires.com President Rohit Thukral outlined video improvements at the site that allow for high-definition viewing of horse races, noting that demand for such video streaming will continue to increase.
Thukral outlined content that is produced by TwinSpires.com, as well as content the site picks up from other sites of interest to fans, including handicapping information and profiles.
Scott Daruty, president of racing channel HorseRacing Television as well as racing signal marketer TrackNet Media Group, outlined the October launch of www.HRTVlive.com. The site features live streaming of the racing channel as well as on-demand video content. Subscribers pay $89 a year for the service, which gives the channel more reach than its current position on DISH Network.
Frank Angst is senior writer for Thoroughbred Times
