Promoted feature: Racing in 2021

EGR Intel (EGR): Firstly, with Cheltenham kicking off this week behind closed doors, what is Spotlight Sports Group, and in particular Racing Post, doing differently this year for customers?

Eugene Delaney (ED): It is certainly no ordinary Cheltenham this year. I’m sure we would all prefer to be going to Cheltenham or watching in our betting shop. However, as a group, we have adapted to the circumstances and this will be our busiest Cheltenham on record.

We have been working closely with our partners to assist with digital engagement around Cheltenham and to ensure everyone at home has the best possible experience. We provided a range of products and services including Cheltenham-focused microsites, bespoke editorial and tipping, PDFs, audio and video programming, Alexa briefings, enhanced racecard content, bet-prompts and a range of CRM material. All of this is tailored to our clients’ customers’ needs, ensuring we’re going above and beyond for the festival.

EGR: How do you manage the demands for racing editorial from your B2B partners against your B2C business?

ED: We are in a privileged position of having the largest racing editorial team in the UK. Our award-winning team is more than able to cover the demands across the group.

Our partners know they are getting access to the top racing talent in the country who are on hand to create content through Superfeed for any type of request, delivered on-demand and with the highest editorial standards.

Alongside this, on a day-to-day basis, the Racing Post is still the home of horseracing news, tips and results from across Britain and Ireland.

EGR: Why is content key for racing and non-racing bettors?

ED: Compared to most sports, racing is considered more complex due to the number of runners and data points available. Our content is crucial in assisting customers to focus on the key information points.

Throughout our Superfeed, customers can access extensive databases and tipping talent, including Racing Post Signposts, trends, pointers, ratings, and bet-prompts in easily understandable and digestible formats. These help them make an informed betting selection and enrich their customer experience. We have honed our output through years of experience and regular customer feedback to ensure we are always meeting the needs of the customer.

EGR: Looking to the US, how does Spotlight Sports Group see racing fit into the general landscape in the coming years?

ED: It is an exciting time in the US with sports betting being allowed and new states coming on board regularly. Racing is a stable pari-mutuel betting product in the US with ADWs (advance deposit wagering) available in more than 40 states since the 1970s. However, fixed-odds betting on horseracing isn’t currently available, though conversations and trials are ongoing so we expect to see a change in the not-too-distant future.

When it does become available, I don’t expect racing will compete with the NFL or the NBA in betting popularity, but it is important to remember there are only 259 games in the NFL season, yet there will be circa 30,000 horse races in the US. From a sportsbook perspective, this is a huge betting opportunity to have available for customers at all times and racing is well positioned to help sportsbooks build out the content on their sites.

EGR: Racing Post makes up one part of AllSported, with other industry leaders TXODDS and Banach Technology comprising the other two-thirds. How successful has the product been so far and what more can we expect?

ED: Our aim with this partnership was to ensure we created the best possible product available in the marketplace. By bringing these three businesses together we have a product that delivers the best odds, best content and the best data, all in a single feed.

The product has been really well received and we are in the process of signing up our fifth customer. As we integrate new customers, we are taking their feedback and improving the product by adding new territories, new markets and new features on a regular basis.

Given the success we achieved in 2020, our first year in operation, we look forward to scaling the business further in 2021 with a focus on bringing the product to new markets.

Leveraging the authority of the Racing Post super brand, Spotlight Sports Group’s industry-leading Superfeed coverage analyses 60,000 races annually. Racing Post racecard is supplemented by a full suite of betting content, including race verdicts and horse-by-horse comments, all handwritten by an expert team. The Superfeed delivers data and editorial on more than 60,000 horse races and 15,000 greyhound races a year from Britain, Ireland, South Africa, the UAE and Hong Kong. For more information on Spotlight Sports Group Superfeed, visit https://www.spotlightsportsgroup.com/superfeed/

Spotlight Sports Group B2B director Eugene Delaney leads the formalisation, development and execution of the B2B strategy across retail, digital and international racing focusing on customer retention and new business growth.