JustRalph
06-23-2004, 12:56 AM
This should be interesting for those who live in the larger cities. The wireless access points in large cities will make this work very nice.
From Bill Finley via ESPN.COM
Tuesday, June 22
Wireless wagering ready for debut
By Bill Finley
Special to ESPN.com
Imagine your wife has dragged you to the supermarket just about the time the horse you love in the 4th at Dogpatch Downs is about to go to the post. You can't get to the track. You can't get to an OTB or simulcast facility. And a phone account won't do, not when you need to get the latest odds, handicapping information and, of course, want to watch the race, right there from the produce department. In the very near future, this scenario, a horseplayer's worst nightmare, should no longer be a problem.
Wireless technology is rapidly changing the world as we know it, and horse racing is no exception. When Youbet, the leading on-line wagering company in the country, launches a wireless hand-held device next month, the customer will be able to make a wager from the grocery store, the beach, the airport, the department store or while just walking down the street. He can mow the lawn and bet on the horses, all at the same time. It doesn't get much easier than this.
Similar devices are already available to bettors in Hong Kong and Japan, racing mad countries where total betting handle dwarfs that bet on a normal day at any major track in the country. In Hong Kong, more than 150,000 bettors already own hand-held wagering devices. The U.S. has lagged behind, thanks in part to outmoded totalizator systems. On July 21, the American racing industry will take the first start toward catching up. That's when Youbet Anywhere will become available.
Developed by Digital Orchid, a San Diego-based company which has already developed ground-breaking wireless products for NASCAR, the device will allow the customer to make a wager, while also providing real-time odds and results, full entries provided in a format similar to a normal race program and betting activity log. The cost of a subscription is $19.99 month, which does not include the cost of the device.
The initial product won't be perfect. It won't have video streaming of live races or replays and the customer must sign up with Verizon Wireless to take part. The good news is that the first version of Youbet Anywhere should be obsolete in less than a year.
The next step will be to add video streaming to the equation. Sean Conley, the brand manager for Youbet Anywhere, says it won't be long until the customer can bet on and watch races live from just about anywhere they please.
"It's such a dynamic industry that with these devices I would say (video streaming) will be available in probably three to six months," Conley said. "The industry is just changing so quickly. If you want a conservative estimate, it will be maybe 12 to 18 months."
The next step will be for the cell phone to replace the hand-held device. Conley says that development isn't far away, either. In the near future, an individual's phone can be his personal simulcast and wagering center.
"That's exactly where this is headed," Conley said. "People will be able to go about their daily business and not be locked into going to an OTB or going through a cumbersome phone system to use. Everything is so dynamic, this probably isn't as far away as one might think."
Youbet Anywhere, or any similar devices developed by competing companies, are likely to become the wave of the future when it comes to making a bet. Just as off-track betting turned the live racetrack experience into a needless inconvenience for most, these gizmos might do the same thing to traditional forms or simulcasting and OTBs. Better yet, they might just entice a few more people to get interested in the sport and wagering on it.
"When you look at the application presently, it's definitely marketed to the owners, jockeys, racetrack managers and hardcore fans," Conley said. "Our hope is that we can build on that and also focus toward others and make them understand that pari-mutuel wagering can be a lot better deal and can be more fun than what they might get from Vegas. We also hope to appeal to a younger audience. That's where we see the future of wireless. Horse racing appeals to an older, more mature audience. This should appeal to a younger audience."
Things won't change overnight. But just as it longer makes sense in most instances to drove 50 miles to go to the track, betting at an OTB or even over the phone or on the Internet soon won't be the easiest, cheapest or most convenient way to make a wager. A new era in wagering may be around the corner.
From Bill Finley via ESPN.COM
Tuesday, June 22
Wireless wagering ready for debut
By Bill Finley
Special to ESPN.com
Imagine your wife has dragged you to the supermarket just about the time the horse you love in the 4th at Dogpatch Downs is about to go to the post. You can't get to the track. You can't get to an OTB or simulcast facility. And a phone account won't do, not when you need to get the latest odds, handicapping information and, of course, want to watch the race, right there from the produce department. In the very near future, this scenario, a horseplayer's worst nightmare, should no longer be a problem.
Wireless technology is rapidly changing the world as we know it, and horse racing is no exception. When Youbet, the leading on-line wagering company in the country, launches a wireless hand-held device next month, the customer will be able to make a wager from the grocery store, the beach, the airport, the department store or while just walking down the street. He can mow the lawn and bet on the horses, all at the same time. It doesn't get much easier than this.
Similar devices are already available to bettors in Hong Kong and Japan, racing mad countries where total betting handle dwarfs that bet on a normal day at any major track in the country. In Hong Kong, more than 150,000 bettors already own hand-held wagering devices. The U.S. has lagged behind, thanks in part to outmoded totalizator systems. On July 21, the American racing industry will take the first start toward catching up. That's when Youbet Anywhere will become available.
Developed by Digital Orchid, a San Diego-based company which has already developed ground-breaking wireless products for NASCAR, the device will allow the customer to make a wager, while also providing real-time odds and results, full entries provided in a format similar to a normal race program and betting activity log. The cost of a subscription is $19.99 month, which does not include the cost of the device.
The initial product won't be perfect. It won't have video streaming of live races or replays and the customer must sign up with Verizon Wireless to take part. The good news is that the first version of Youbet Anywhere should be obsolete in less than a year.
The next step will be to add video streaming to the equation. Sean Conley, the brand manager for Youbet Anywhere, says it won't be long until the customer can bet on and watch races live from just about anywhere they please.
"It's such a dynamic industry that with these devices I would say (video streaming) will be available in probably three to six months," Conley said. "The industry is just changing so quickly. If you want a conservative estimate, it will be maybe 12 to 18 months."
The next step will be for the cell phone to replace the hand-held device. Conley says that development isn't far away, either. In the near future, an individual's phone can be his personal simulcast and wagering center.
"That's exactly where this is headed," Conley said. "People will be able to go about their daily business and not be locked into going to an OTB or going through a cumbersome phone system to use. Everything is so dynamic, this probably isn't as far away as one might think."
Youbet Anywhere, or any similar devices developed by competing companies, are likely to become the wave of the future when it comes to making a bet. Just as off-track betting turned the live racetrack experience into a needless inconvenience for most, these gizmos might do the same thing to traditional forms or simulcasting and OTBs. Better yet, they might just entice a few more people to get interested in the sport and wagering on it.
"When you look at the application presently, it's definitely marketed to the owners, jockeys, racetrack managers and hardcore fans," Conley said. "Our hope is that we can build on that and also focus toward others and make them understand that pari-mutuel wagering can be a lot better deal and can be more fun than what they might get from Vegas. We also hope to appeal to a younger audience. That's where we see the future of wireless. Horse racing appeals to an older, more mature audience. This should appeal to a younger audience."
Things won't change overnight. But just as it longer makes sense in most instances to drove 50 miles to go to the track, betting at an OTB or even over the phone or on the Internet soon won't be the easiest, cheapest or most convenient way to make a wager. A new era in wagering may be around the corner.