Cheltenham Festival 2021 presents one of the biggest sportsbook tests yet

The start to this year bears a striking resemblance to Groundhog Day. Lockdown measures imposed in the UK has restricted us to mundane routines with very little to shout about.

All of us are crying out for some form of entertainment to brighten our spirits and the return of Cheltenham Festival comes at a welcome time for the industry and the wider public. Despite the prestigious jump race meeting taking place behind closed doors, this year’s event promises to be one of the most intriguing Festivals in recent memory.

Appetite to engage with Cheltenham Festival will be bigger than ever and excitement is sure to reach fever pitch. Activity around last year’s virtual Grand National alone suggests we are in for a record-breaking event, with the virtual race reporting a higher number of bets placed than the actual race in 2019. Demand for entertainment is stronger than ever during these challenging times and the industry is rising to the occasion.

With no spectators attending the iconic racecourse and everyone in the same position of enjoying the action from the comfort of their own home, the game is well and truly set for the bettor versus bookmaker in a bigger way than ever before. There will be more of an edge this year and operators are already responding by providing punters with more attractive offers than ever before.

The remote experience will also elevate the social element of sports betting. There will be greater engagement among bettors via social media and instant messaging platforms in order to share tips and react to the winners as they cross the winning post. Considering that people have more free time at the moment, bettors are likely to scrutinise the form guide even more closely than in previous years.

This sets the stage nicely for a Cheltenham Festival that we have never seen before. The four-day event will bring huge opportunities for operators and provide bettors with an exciting experience they have been craving.

Biggest test for sportsbook platforms

With the anticipated influx of customers heading to the online channel, we are expecting the biggest test of our platforms ever. The distribution of bets will be different to previous years, and it is already evident that some punters are looking to place bets far earlier as they look to take advantage of early prices and some of the offers that are currently being advertised.  There will be a lot more recreational betting which will be spread across the race days, rather than the huge peak in the three mins before the off…

There are fewer distractions for people to contend with and that will almost certainly see a greater volume of races viewed and bet on this year. Significant interest is likely to test platforms to their absolute limit, as hoards of recreational and seasoned bettors flock to their mobile apps and desktop devices to place wagers on a variety of races across the meeting.

As we have seen in the US recently, platform reliability is of paramount importance to operators and downtime is not an option. Sportsbooks which fail to deliver a seamless user journey at peak times during major sporting events will only disappoint customers, and will inevitably lead to a loss of revenues.

The unsavoury scenes that followed last month’s big game in the US, which saw law enforcement officers having to deal with angry bettors who were simply trying to claim their winnings from a casino in Las Vegas, is just an example of how important a frictionless service is to many.

Platform reliability should never be taken for granted. In a similar vein to aircraft checks that are carried out before every flight, the same approach must be taken to ensure a sportsbook platform is fully prepared for any eventuality. Cheltenham Festival is the Olympics of horseracing and the OpenSports platform from Scientific Games is ready and looking forward to such a showcase event.

Offering an enthralling and safe betting experience throughout key sporting events like Cheltenham Festival is what our industry does best. Preparation has always been pivotal to ensure sportsbooks maximise the potential that these important fixtures bring to the end user.

The wait is nearly over. Enjoy what is sure to be one of the most fascinating Cheltenham Festivals in recent times.

As senior VP, sportsbook at Scientific Games, Keith O’Loughlin is responsible for the sports betting division that powers market-leading sportsbooks across the globe including Entain, Flutter Group, Golden Nugget, Caesars Entertainment, New Zealand Racing Board and Danske Spil among others.