1/ST CONTENT
Sky Bet, TPD and 1/ST Content Officially Launch In-Running Betting on North American Racing at the Belmont Stakes
Leading operator teams up with premier stateside suppliers for ground-breaking in-running product on a weekend of Belmont firsts
1/ST Content, the leading provider of premium content for North American racing, has launched a United States racing-first, in-running betting product in partnership with Total Performance Data (TPD), the definitive source of live data for horse racing. This rollout has already seen the partnership successfully deliver a new in-play service for Tier-1 operator Sky Bet, part of Flutter Entertainment.
The United Kingdom-based operator initially soft-launched this standout innovation across a range of races last autumn. That trial run produced immediate spikes in player engagement and turnover for Sky Bet, who has now released In-running racing across an array of 1/ST Content and TPD-participating racecourses stateside.
Last weekend’s Belmont Stakes in New York, the final jewel in this year’s ‘Triple Crown’ for champion three-year-old thoroughbreds, provided a marquee venue at which to officially showcase the boosts in new revenue from this watershed innovation. And the feature race did not disappoint with markedly improved turnover for Sky Bet, defined by a daring in-running move up the inside on the home-turn from Arcangelo, whose trainer Jena Antonucci became the first woman to train a United States ‘Triple Crown’ winner.
This revolutionary feed couples 1/ST Content’s starting price with the best of automated trading via TPD’s astonishing array of consequential in-running analytics including stride length, stride frequency, overall race-pace and sectional timings enabled by saddle-cloth GPS tracking. These variables are accordingly harvested in-play by TPD’s machine-learning trading tools whose algorithms train themselves on race pace for precise pricing that delivers a distinct step-change in live fixed-odds wagering.
The complex variables of horse racing have meant this sport, for so long the retention backbone of many operators, hadn’t previously been able to seize the opportunities that other sports have secured through in-play. After all, nowadays, betting products must smoothly transition from pre-play to in-play, which is why operators must employ the latest trading tools and reactive in-play odds to attract modern-day audiences.
To this end, 1/ST Content’s operator partners can now benefit from the following advantages to put North American racing’s rapid-cycling, quick-fire betting opportunities back near the top of the totem pole for improved commercial turnover and engagement:
* In-running prices available
* Win-only in-play betting from 1/ST Content racecourses
* Over 1,500 race days per year and rising
* Improved in-running engagement, featuring:
o Extended betting windows
o Cash-out functionality in-play (fair-margin, lowest latency)
o Visual-tracking animations to enhance the user experience
o Live tradeable prices up until the final furlong, even the wire
o Fail-safes: manual trader correction (trader wrap) plus in-play oversight of every race
It’s just the latest innovation from 1/ST Content whose wider modus operandi is to ensure the most comprehensive and responsive pricing service for North American horse racing, featuring odds that track every stage of the betting life-cycle – from early quotes to starting prices and now, of course, the most sophisticated in-running pricing feed. These fully-automated pricing solutions offer true differentiation to drive betting revenues and help attract new audiences.
The announcement adds yet more muscle to 1/ST Content’s leading end-to-end solution, which grants its clients access to many of the planet’s most prestigious races including highlights from January’s Pegasus World Cup through every race of the storied ‘Triple Crown’ and on to the season finale at the Breeders’ Cup World Championships in Santa Anita (November 3 to 4).
“The jury has long been in, when it comes to the significance of in-play turnover for sports betting,” the International Senior Vice-President for 1/ST Content, Simon Fraser, said. “So, it was high time racing narrowed the gap with a legitimate and robust product of its own. Working with a respected brand of Sky Bet’s scale alongside TPD’s team of analytical experts have allowed top-notch traders from our respective teams to finally position the missing piece in a new product for North American racing.
“Thanks to Sky Bet’s responsive flexibility and determination to get this innovation over the line, we’ve now delivered an ‘in-running’ industry-first for North American horse racing across the ‘Triple Crown’. This product solves for the riddles of live betting on racing by supplying reliable pricing on a popular sport, which has traditionally struggled to maintain pace with a broader sportsbook marketplace where over 70% of turnover is generated in-play. Now, however, Sky Bet, TPD and 1/ST Content have combined to produce a dependable in-play offering that crystalizes accurate odds for the most solid in-play, fixed-odds pricing available.
“This isn’t about incremental gains. It’s an automated product revolution that gives the operators and customers the live service that they’ve been demanding. TPD has seamlessly incorporated its API with our own, ensuring total peace of mind and speed of integration for any operator looking to add this breakthrough feed.”
“This is our first North American in-play racing deal with an operator,” the Chief Executive Officer for TPD, Will Duff Gordon, said. “We are thrilled to partner with 1/ST Content to bring this innovative product to market and excited about the prospect of teaming up with Sky Bet.
“At TPD, we have always been committed to pushing the boundaries of horse racing data. Our live-odds model revolutionizes the industry by leveraging GPS-tracking devices integrated into the horses’ saddle cloths. In a matter of milliseconds, we can generate real-time in-play odds. Additionally, our tracking data enables captivating live-race visualizations and comprehensive statistics, thereby enhancing the overall live content experience for racing, allowing it to compete on equal footing with other sports.
“With TPD’s tracking system now installed at top racecourses in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Chile, Saudi Arabia and India, we’re confident that the racing’s data revolution is only just getting started.”
“We’re thrilled to partner with 1/ST Content and TPD in the United States to provide the only fully automated in-play solution on the market,” a Sky Bet spokesperson added. “As with any live sport, you must have a service that keeps up in-play, harnessing the most accurate and lowest-latency data feeds to secure genuine market innovation. Our prices process the key variables in real-time and leverage neural networks to create the best possible in-play price.
“1/ST Content’s unparalleled racetrack coverage in North America coupled with its strong heritage in managing content rights, data and odds meant that it was the logical partners in a shared vision that challenges an outmoded mindset around horse racing trading. Deeper audience engagement is our collective goal.
“We’re confident this in-play solution will bring a welcome new dimension to any of our growing cohort of customers following the top-class racing stateside. As we’ve seen with the dazzling displays from the likes of Flightline and a host of European talent at the Breeders’ Cup, North American racing is returning to its zenith in terms of record turnover and setting the tone for global horse racing.”
1/ST CONTENT, the leading provider of premium content for North American horse racing, has reached exclusive new deal terms for its ongoing three-year contract option with Breeders’ Cup Limited, strengthening both parties’ progressive partnership around content rights, data, fixed-odds, and signals for the ultimate festival of global Thoroughbred racing.
This milestone agreement encompasses worldwide broadcast and video-streaming distribution relating to fixed-odds wagering on the Breeders’ Cup World Championships for 1/ST CONTENT’s array of international sportsbook partners outside of North America.
The forthcoming edition of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, consisting of 14 Championship races worth $33 million in purses and awards, will be staged later this year (November 1-2) at beautiful Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Southern California, providing a flagship finale to the flat and dirt racing calendar, including the season-defining $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1).
These championship contests combine to bolster 1/ST CONTENT’s market-leading position for distribution, mapping over 80% of all North American racing and opening the door to many of the world’s most prestigious races – from the Triple Crown to the Pegasus World Cup (G1) at Gulfstream Park on January 25 and the inaugural California Crown (G1) at Santa Anita on September 28, now a natural stepping stone to the Breeders’ Cup itself.
Once again, all races will be available for broadcast via 1/ST CONTENT’s partner at Sky Sports Racing in the UK and Ireland, as well as across a host of other international media partners’ digital channels. This timetable of engaging United States action, whose chronology naturally complements international racing coverage across varied time zones from Europe to Australia, provides 1/ST CONTENT’s global partners with another high-quality source of fast-settling betting content at both primetime and off-peak viewing slots.
The Breeders’ Cup World Championships will feature best-in-class safety, integrity and equine welfare protocols implemented in collaboration with the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA), its Horse Racing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU) and the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB). Further, through its ground-breaking alliance with Total Performance Data (TPD) – the definitive source of live GPS-tracking data for racing – 1/ST CONTENT is also deepening in-play fan engagement at Del Mar this year, delivering in-running betting for all races.
“The Breeders’ Cup is happy to renew and grow our close collaboration with 1/ST CONTENT in order to widen the reach of our global championship event,” said Justin McDonald, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Breeders’ Cup Limited.
“As a result, sports fans and bettors around the world can look forward to more in-depth coverage of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships from the most revered racetracks in the United States over the coming years, including the next two renewals at Del Mar. We look forward to seeing our elite portfolio of races showcased to more and more fans across both mature and emerging markets.”
Simon Fraser, Senior Vice President of International at 1/ST CONTENT, added: “It’s an honour to continue working in stride with the Breeders’ Cup team and some of our nation’s finest racetracks to promote a world-class festival that continues to operate at the zenith of its powers for prize funds and international participation. And our growing global audience of fixed-odds bettors outside of the States bear fitting tribute to that fact.
“Our continued commitment is to support the Breeders’ Cup’s efforts to deliver its horse racing content and wagering to a worldwide stage. We know our natural synergies will reliably benefit horse racing’s consumer economy, both at home and abroad. And speaking more broadly, this deal represents another significant step in ensuring that North American racing’s stakeholders secure their warranted status as the primary beneficiaries of revenues generated through international wagering.”
1/ST CONTENT, the leading provider of premium content for North American horse racing, has bolstered its international portfolio with the timely addition of Assiniboia Downs (ASD), the popular Canadian racetrack located in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
ASD’s season commences today (20 May), with live racing typically staged every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 7:30pm local time as part of a competitive 50-fixture schedule that stretches from May to mid-September each year.
Forthcoming highlights include the prestigious Manitoba Derby, the opening leg of the Western Canadian Derby Series, alongside other Listed stakes action. Other classic championship races comprise the Gold Cup, the Manitoba Matron and the Winnipeg Futurity, while there will also be multiple stakes contests for rising-star juveniles, beginning with the Debutante in July.
Accordingly, ASD now sits alongside other Canadian racetracks – such as Woodbine, Fort Erie and Hastings – on 1/ST CONTENT’s flexible program of top-quality action. This weekly timetable of engaging content, whose chronology naturally complements international racing coverage across varied time-zones from Europe to South Africa and Australia, provides 1/ST CONTENT’s global partners with a reliable source of fast-settling betting content at both primetime and off-peak viewing slots.
This progressive deal is emblematic of 1/ST CONTENT’s broader commitment to ensuring that North American racing’s stakeholders, whether they hail from the biggest tracks or overlooked regional diamonds, become the primary beneficiaries of revenues generated through international wagering.
As a result, 1/ST CONTENT stands alone as the proven pacesetter for live horse racing content, mapping approximately 80% of all North American racing, and providing rights, betting data, live broadcast and video streaming on behalf of its growing global portfolio of partners. Corralling low-latency feeds from thousands of annual meetings (and showcasing tens of thousands of races each year) North American racing is helping worldwide operators to engage untapped audiences by delivering 24/7 horse racing.
Darren Dunn, CEO of Assiniboia Downs, said: “The sheer distributional scope of 1/ST CONTENT’s international operator network is second to none. Therefore, it was a logical step for ASD to partner with them to distribute our upcoming calendar to a new legion of bettors outside Canada, thereby increasing returns to the core stakeholders of our domestic scene here in Winnipeg.”
Simon Fraser, Senior Vice President International at 1/ST CONTENT, added: “1/ST CONTENT is delighted to have added Assiniboia Downs to our all-encompassing North American roster, optimizing our wider Canadian content and introducing a fresh cohort of global racing fans to one of the true hidden gems in North America. ASD’s reliable off times and inimitable content, which sometimes shows events such as team-based bareback Indian Horse Relay racing, offers something different in an often homogenized marketplace.
“Observing other unsupportive models, we are more dedicated than ever to returning the value to racing’s stakeholders, who have historically missed out with grasping suppliers that return funds to non-racing organizations and simply aren’t committed to the sustainability and welfare of the sport.
“We look forward to delivering more coverage of high-class Canadian racing than ever before to fans and bettors around the world.”
1/ST CONTENT
1/ST CONTENT expands its reach to add elite Moroccan racing to burgeoning international portfolio
1/ST CONTENT, the leading provider of premium content for North American horse racing, has broadened its dominant global footprint outside of the Americas with the announcement of a new venture into Moroccan racing.
Having won the international distribution rights, courtesy of Société Royale d’Encouragement du Cheval (SOREC), for this Saturday 18th November’s prestigious Morocco International Meeting (MIM) at the famous Hippodrome de Casablanca, 1/ST CONTENT will continue to widen its influence across a raft of global racing content in 2024 with a burgeoning international portfolio of racetracks and marquee meetings.
The Morocco International Meeting is now in its ninth year, and this breakout deal begins as as a one-year agreement relating to tote betting into local pools across 8 elite international races this weekend (featuring prominent horses, jockeys and owners from the UK, France and Spain) with scope and an option to renew and evolve the partnership across other pools and fixed-odds formats in the years ahead.
Aside from 1/ST CONTENT’s unrivalled network of North American racetracks, which provide over 3,300 race-days each year, the company also manages the international distribution rights for many of the top tracks in LatAm amongst an ever-growing portfolio. Accordingly, Morocco’s Hippodrome de Casablanca now joins other world-renowned venues, such as Hipódromo de San Isidro in Buenos Aires and Hipódromo da Gávea in Rio de Janeiro. It’s the latest move in 1/ST CONTENT’s unfolding strategy of locking up more and more cornerstone tracks and big-race meetings across emerging markets as it widens its international footprint.
A spokesperson for Société Royale d’Encouragement du Cheval (SOREC), said: “We are glad to announce our partnership with 1/ST CONTENT, a collaboration that underscores our commitment to elevating Moroccan horse races on the global stage, which will enhance our ability to attract international participants for our prestigious races.
“The data and wagering technology from 1/ST CONTENT, along with broadcast and video streaming rights, make them the most suited provider for betting formats via their EasyGate integration, thus contributing to growth in the international racing sector.”
Simon Fraser, Senior Vice President International at 1/ST CONTENT, added: “We’re delighted to announce to our growing group of worldwide partners that we’ve secured the distribution rights for this jewel in the emerging Moroccan horse racing scene. The opening day of the festival features 8 elite international races, comprised of many intercontinental challengers for a more familiar feel, as raiders from Europe, backed by a truly global ownership group, all converge on Casablanca.
“Our friends at SOREC have pulled together the best resources to organize this event in accordance with the highest equine-welfare standards, as MIM continues its mission to bolster awareness of Moroccan horse racing on the world stage. The racing data and broadcast media are all set from the usual sources, with a simple integration available via our market-leading EasyGate API.”
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