Racecourse Media Group (RMG) and Playtech Sports have teamed up to power the Cheltenham Festival with in-play markets, raising the excitement ahead of the highly-anticipated event. According to the former company, this would mark the first time betting shop punters will be able to bet in-play on full win markets on horseracing’s biggest betting event.
In addition to that, RMG penned a deal with Pythia Sports and Quantum Leap Solutions (QLS), which will further empower betting on horse races.
Strategic Deals Will Enhance Betting on the Festival Races
RMG elaborated that it has joined forces with Playtech sports to ensure content from RMG’s 37 shareholder racecourses is now available for in-play betting. As a result, some 16,000 Playtech self-service betting terminals across Britain and Ireland will offer the opportunity for in-play wagers.
Playtech’s terminals, which are the only ones that will be offering this service, can be found in all Betfred, BoyleSports and Paddy Power shops, as well as across independent betting hubs.
According to the announcement, Playtech’s SSBTs will offer win only markets at first. However, RMG promised that this will be expanded with additional bet types in the following months.
In addition to that, RMG unveiled tie-ups with Pythia Sports and QLS. The former has created seamless pricing for bookmakers, while the latter has provided the slick design and easy-to-use navigation, empowering the racing bets on Playtech’s SSBTs.
Executives Are Looking Forward to the Festival
Representatives of all involved companies commented on the matter, expressing excitement for the upcoming festival.
Nick Mills, RMG’s chief executive officer, called the roll-out of in-play betting on RMG content “another significant step forward.” He predicted that this will not only drive revenues but will bolster engagement across betting shops in Britain and Ireland.
Early indications are that in-play is already proving popular, with in-play stakes in the independent shops accounting for nearly 10% of SSBT turnover on RMG content. We will work closely with our partners at Playtech, QLS and Pythia to continue to innovate and evolve the SSBT product.
Nick Mills, CEO, RMG
Playtech Sports’ managing director, Lee Drabwell, was likewise pleased with the unprecedented launch of in-play bets on RMG races, highlighting the potential of this partnership. Drabwell said that the alliance with RMG, Pythia and QLS has elevated and enhanced the in-shop racing experiences.
With exciting innovations on the horizon, we are optimistic about the bright future this presents for both operators and customers.
Lee Drabwell, managing director, Playtech Sports
Freddy Galliers, Pythia Sports’ director, echoed the excitement, saying that the initiative aligns with his company’s focus on delivering accurate, dynamic, and responsive pricing to enhance the betting experience. He added that in-play betting on horseracing presents unique challenges and noted that his team is “proud to have helped deliver this exciting development.”
Last but not least, Mark Fellows, commercial director of QLS, said that innovative products and content are what racing needs to attract new fans. Fellows was likewise pleased about the continuation of QLS’ long-standing relationship with the other companies.
