Sportsbooks, punters and fans are getting saddled up for an exciting showcase at the track and online

As we head into the second week of March, we are reminded of the global prominence of horse racing and its influence within the iGaming industry.

Next Tuesday (March 10th) marks the start of the four-day Cheltenham Festival, bringing together the best that Britain and Ireland have to offer in hurdles and steeple chase. The “Cheltenham Roar” will also mark the start of a three-month period that includes the following events:

Cheltenham Festival (March 10th – 13th)

Dubai World Cup – 20th anniversary (March 28th)

Grand National (April 11th)

Kentucky Derby (May 1st – 2nd)

Preakness Stakes (May 16th)

Belmont Stakes (June 4th – 6th)

Festival of Wonder

Featuring a total of 27 events (28 if you include the St. Patrick’s Day Derby), the Cheltenham Festival will again be a source of betting bedlam as thousands of punters look to cash-in through a combination of expert analysis and Nostradamus-like foresight. Among those races is the OLBG Mares’ Hurdle, which Quevega, who has now retired, had previously won six years in a row from 2009 – 2014.

Who will assume the role of champion for the OLBG Mares’ Hurdle? It’s just one of many questions being posed heading into Cheltenham:

• Who will take the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup Steeple Chase on the last day of the festival? Will we be introduced to the next Arkle or Best Mate?
• Will the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase showdown between Sire De Grugy and Sprinter Sacre live up to its lofty expectations?
• Will bookies be able to surpass £600 million in bets? According to the Lancashire Evening Post, a combination of factors should make it so.

Tracking Cheltenham

A whole other set of data-driven questions will come from iGaming operators looking to make the most of one of the biggest marketing opportunities in the world of equestrian. With hundreds of millions of pounds in play, competition will be as fierce as ever and sportsbooks will need to incorporate a blend of pre-event strategy, actionable data collection at their virtual betting windows and post-race analysis.

horsesThis undertaking will require a clear picture of lead and conversion pathways across marketing channels. Income Access supports this need with our Ad Serving tool, which facilitates campaign management and conversion optimisation by providing automated display strategies, attribution reporting and ad targeting that can reach customers according to location, device and time.

The Ad Serving tool, along with Income Access’s mobile app-tracking, is aimed at answering the growing needs of sportsbooks, which themselves are responding to how punters are now choosing to wager on their favourites. All operators will be monitoring these emerging trends along with the performance of global horse racing in 2015.

While we will all most assuredly be excited to assess betting statistics in the wake of Cheltenham, what we still look forward to the most are the races themselves and the grand spectacle that accompanies them. To get yourself ready you can check out Racing UK’s recap from the 2014 Festival or get to know Irish trainer Willie Mullins as he prepares for this year’s edition.