Discover 5 top horse racing trends enthusiasts and investors of the sport should know in our article here.
Horse racing, popularly known as the sport of the kings, has been around since the 12th century. The sport contributes significantly to the industry’s growth, especially in the UK, where the sport is more popular, with at least 6 Million fans attending racing events in a year. According to a report released by Prime PR Wire in 2023, the global horse racing industry was worth US$ 402.3 Billion by 2020 and would experience a 12% annual growth between 2021 and 2028. In short, the industry has witnessed tremendous growth and will continue improving with technological advancements and changes in business strategies. This article will discuss five trends catalyzing this growth, which every horse racing enthusiast and investor should know.
- Partnerships with Online Casinos
As nations worldwide continue developing regulations and legalizing online gambling, betting sites and casinos are embracing different marketing strategies, including sponsoring horse racing events. While popularly known for their slots and table games, some online casinos also have sportsbooks that offer football, basketball, and horse racing. Even without sportsbooks, online casinos still gain from such sponsorships by attracting horse racing fans to their platforms. When a casino sponsors an event, they get to dress the jockeys, using their branded T-shirts to advertise their business.
With such visibility, casinos gain credibility, which convinces punters to place their wagers with these gambling brands while exploring their offerings. Meanwhile, races gain lucrative sponsorship deals, enhanced prize purses, and cross-promotional opportunities. This win-win is likely to continue driving strategic alignments.
- Digital Transformation
The rise of digital platforms has significantly disrupted horse racing. Luckily, the disruption has been positive, opening up new opportunities while changing how fans engage with the sport. Key trends include:
- Online betting platforms – Horse racing has been famous as a physical sport involving fans and enthusiasts placing wagers on course during the events. Like other sports, hot=rec races have embraced online betting, and numerous bookmakers now offer an array of horse racing markets on their sites. With betting apps and user-friendly interfaces, placing wagers anytime, anywhere is easier than ever. Investors should look to companies innovating in this space.
- Live streaming – For a long time, horse racing has been offering pre-match bets, but recently, punters have had opportunities to enjoy live bets. Media rights and streaming services that allow fans to watch races in real-time from around the world have greatly expanded horse racing’s reach and revenue potential.
- Sustainability and Ethics
Horse racing is facing mounting public pressure to address ethical concerns, making sustainability an urgent priority for the sport’s future viability. Supporting ethical practices and equine welfare can benefit investors both financially and reputational. For example, controversies around excessive racehorse injuries and post-career outcomes have sparked criticism.
Investors can help transform public perception by directing capital towards companies developing safer racing surfaces, retirement programs for retired racehorses, medical advancements to reduce injuries, and training reforms focused on horse welfare.
Furthermore, as climate change amplifies, investments in environmentally sustainable racecourse operations and greenhouse gas reduction technologies can reduce costs in the long term. Overall, sustainability efforts allow investors to drive positive change while future-proofing their interests against regulatory and public backlash risks. Being proactively ethical creates a win-win scenario for investors and horses alike.
- Global Expansion
While Horse racing in some locations like the US accounts for $ 3 Billion of the market, its worth and potential still needs to be explored in others like Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East. As such, investors can capitalize on these markets with limited competition and large populations.
Again, investors can tap into the emerging betting markets and middle-class fans from these locations, gaining an early foothold if they finance new racecourses.
Additionally, exporting horses or breeding their stock in newly acquired jurisdictions could be profitable. This way, sports fans in these locations get improved experiences, and the investors get trade avenues and returns. Like any other business, such arrangements come with challenges, in which case investors would have to navigate different cultural norms and regulations before tasting success.
- Technological Innovation
Technology is reshaping the horse racing landscape, providing investors numerous opportunities to capitalize on innovation. Equine health and performance tech is maximizing racehorse safety, health and athletic ability through developments like real-time monitoring, injury prevention systems, advanced rehabilitation methods, and predictive analytics. These allow horses to reach their full potential.
Additionally, big data creates information advantages for picking race winners and boosting competitiveness. Complex algorithms can process volumes of data on horses, jockeys, tracks, and races to uncover hidden insights for betting and training strategies.
By staying informed and aligning investments with these trends, investors can profit from the evolution constantly revolutionizing horse racing. While numerous existing challenges exist, the racing industry continues to gallop toward an exciting and innovative future.
Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.