The majority of us have never had the opportunity, or the necessary training, to experience the adrenaline rush of horse racing first-hand. Until now.
Spearheaded by Coral, Entain launched its immersive, 360° virtual reality horse racing experience in partnership with JockeyCam in April. This combination of cutting-edge technology and entertainment is the first of its kind, with pioneering technology allowing customers to take the reins, go head-to-head with other virtual riders, and experience the thrill of being a jump jockey.
This trial footage was filmed with 360° high-definition cameras mounted on the helmets of seven professional jockeys, who raced over two miles facing 11 fences at Chepstow Racecourse. The immersive experience is currently touring the UK and is available to customers at a number of Coral-sponsored events throughout the year.
As this exciting footage illustrates, our innovative thinking drives how we distinguish ourselves for our customers. We’re looking to bring the sports betting and gaming industry into the future by investing in new products and interactive content. Whether in artificial intelligence, virtual reality or augmented reality, our aim remains the same: to create new moments of excitement for our customers.
Coral’s immersive approach to customer engagement follows its industry-first 3D advert on the world-famous Piccadilly Lights as part of its refreshed “Your Horse” campaign in the build up to the Cheltenham Festival in March this year. The brand’s expansion into innovative VR experiences is one of our cutting-edge initiatives as a part of our multi-year, global investment in innovation to deliver new and exciting experiences for customers.
The growth and engagement in our UK sports brands shows just how powerful the combination of our core customer offer and immersive experiences can be. We have a really exciting opportunity to do something different and, through our brands, are committed to reaching both new and existing customers in interesting, fresh and engaging ways.
Also in the UK, Ladbrokes recently launched a new customer initiative, called ‘Ladbrokes Amplify TM’. This new entertainment feature allows football fans to stream music content and gain exclusive access to gigs and events, breaking down the barriers between betting, football, and other forms of entertainment. Ladbrokes has just launched ‘Free To Play TM’, a first in the marketplace, which provides customers with a central space to discover Ladbrokes’ range of free to play content.
bwin has a ground-breaking partnership with UEFA, beginning with the season across 2021 and 2022, to become an Official Partner of both the UEFA Europa League and the newly formed UEFA Europa Conference League. This three-season deal is prime endorsement of bwin’s position as a world leader in responsible sports betting and provides prominent branding presence in regulated betting markets around the globe. In the ‘21/’22 season, a total of 64 teams from 35 of UEFA’s 55 member associations participated in these two leading competitions in European football from the group stage onwards, covered by the partnership in matches which are broadcast worldwide.
So what does this mean?
As the Official Betting Partner, bwin will enjoy high visibility in both competitions, appearing on broadcast backdrops and in stadia where permitted, including on extensive perimeter advertising, as well as on the website and social media of these two UEFA competitions.
To mark the partnership, bwin has launched a new dedicated website to highlight the range of tools bwin provides to help customers stay in full control of their gaming and promote bwin and Entain’s safer gambling initiatives.