Day 4 of the World Trotting Conference in Berlin, Germany on Thursday, Aug. 17 focussed on wagering and technology
Jari Vahanen, Co-Partner and Founder of The Finnish Gambling Consultants, asked the question, "What does the future of horse betting look like in different countries?"
Vahanen looked at wagering trends of countries around the globe when it comes to horse racing betting.
“Overall, the future for horse betting is quite good,” he said. “Huge growth is predicted for China and India. But there is currently no trotting in Asia. Predictions are not as positive in Europe as it is in Asia and other places. Europe's share of the total horse betting is going down.
“Betting companies shouldn't focus on the current customer. It is easier to do but betting companies need to be brave enough to do something new and focus on the needs of new customers,” said Vahanen.
Jean Baptiste Vilain of Veltys technology company talked about a new tool for optimization of racing in France.
Using the information from 50,000 races in France, and more than 10 years of data, Vilain is able to optimize race wagering by using a new Artificial Intelligence tool.
“The number of participants in a race is crucial to betting. You should never go below 10 horses in a race. Turnover decreases significantly when you are below 10,” he said.
Following the sessions, Aymeric Verlet, Directeur international PMU, spoke about wagering in France and Petter Johansson of ATG spoke about wagering in Sweden and strategies on attracting a new generation of customer.
“The next generation wants entertainment and bets that are simple to them,” said Johansson. “They want entertaining sports, leagues and to identify with something. They want a betting company that takes clear social responsibility and dares to take a stand on difficult issues.
“We have to personalize everything we do to meet the needs of different customer base.”
The World Trotting Conference concludes on Friday with final Committee meetings and sessions.