In-Running Betting on North American Racing Debuts with Sky Bet, TPD, and 1/ST CONTENT

A breakthrough in the iGaming industry has been realised as 1/ST CONTENT, a distinguished provider of premium content for North American racing, in collaboration with Total Performance Data (TPD), an authoritative source of live data for horse racing, have launched an innovative in-running betting product. A successful implementation of this novel service was recently demonstrated by Sky Bet, a major operator in the iGaming sphere and a part of Flutter Entertainment.

This cutting-edge initiative was softly introduced by the UK-based operator across numerous races last fall, which promptly resulted in significant upticks in player engagement and turnover for Sky Bet. The In-running Racing service has now been expanded to numerous 1/ST CONTENT and TPD-affiliated racecourses in the United States.

The recent Belmont Stakes in New York, the concluding race in this year’s Triple Crown, served as an ideal platform to formally exhibit the potential of this pioneering in-running betting concept. The main event yielded notable increases in turnover for Sky Bet, highlighted by an audacious in-running maneuver by Arcangelo, trained by Jena Antonucci, the first woman to train a U.S. Triple Crown winner.

The game-changing service offered by 1/ST CONTENT and TPD leverages comprehensive in-running analytics, such as stride length, stride frequency, overall race-pace, and sectional timings enabled by saddle-cloth GPS tracking, and combines it with machine-learning trading tools developed by TPD. These sophisticated algorithms provide precise pricing, marking a significant advancement in live fixed-odds wagering.

The dynamic variables involved in horse racing have long hindered this sport from harnessing the full potential of in-play betting, unlike other sports. With the advent of this new offering, 1/ST CONTENT’s operator partners can reap a myriad of benefits, including in-running prices availability, win-only in-play betting, extended betting windows, cashout functionality in-play, and live tradable prices up to the final furlong.

This latest innovation by 1/ST CONTENT is a testament to their commitment to providing a comprehensive and responsive pricing service for North American horse racing. This sophisticated in-running pricing feed and fully-automated pricing solutions are set to revolutionise the iGaming industry, driving betting revenues and attracting new audiences.

With this significant addition to their service portfolio, 1/ST CONTENT continues to provide clients access to some of the world’s most prestigious races, from the Pegasus World Cup in January to every race of the Triple Crown, and culminating with the Breeders’ Cup World Championships in Santa Anita in November.

Simon Fraser, Senior Vice President International at 1/ST CONTENT, said: “The jury has long been in, when it comes to the significance of in-play turnover for sports betting. 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, has 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 which 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.”

Will Duff Gordon, CEO of Total Performance Data, said: “This is our first North American in–play racing deal with an operator. 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 revolutionises 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 visualisations 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 UK, U.S., Canada, Chile, Saudi Arabia and India, we’re confident that the racing’s data revolution is only just getting started.”

A Sky Bet spokesperson added: “We’re thrilled to partner with 1/ST CONTENT and TPD in the States to provide the only fully automated in-play solution on the market. 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 to their strong heritage in managing content rights, data and odds – meant that they were 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.”