First out of the gate with virtual reality gambling?

Online and land gambling group William Hill plc featured in an interesting article published by the marketing publication Drum this week, which previewed the company’s progress on the red hot trend toward Virtual Reality technology in gambling.

Visitors to this year’s ICE show in London will recall that several major companies, including Microgaming and Playtech are actively working in the development of wearable and virtual reality technology.

William Hill – and specifically its tech lab in Shoredtich – has engaged with specialist production firm Unit9 for its “Get In the Race” project, working with Google Cardboard virtual reality technology, Drum reports in an article accompanied by a Youtube vid on U9’s efforts accessible here:

The complicated project includes the use of GPS data from racetracks and eye motion science, alongside VR technology to produce an exciting “participation” jockey experience for online and mobile punters.

Customers will need only a smartphone and the Google Cardboard device, provided by William Hill, to enjoy the new experience.

Punters who prefer the atmosphere of a betting shop will also be catered for by the provision of more traditional virtual reality headsets…and perhaps even their own interactive physically modelled mount!

The mobile app will be subjected to extensive testing before moving to a soft launch and ultimately a full public roll-out.

Crispin Nieboer, William Hill’s director of corporate development and innovation, told The Drum: “This is all part of our plan to enhance what we call the thrill of the ride. Most people in betting don’t do much for the customer in between placing a bet and finding out about it, so we think this is a step in the right direction.

“People tend to see bookie shop – did you win or not – it comes down to that. That’s the opposite of say a Las Vegas [betting] experience, which is all about an entertaining experience that is also about winning. So that is what we are gearing towards.

“The trials will help us decide whether to take it mass market, and will also inform as to how. For example we could create an installation which could go in our stores – someone could once there put on a headset and immediately be immersed in the environment. Or we could provide it just through mobile with Google Cardboard. We will need to decide if we should allow people to bet in it or whether it should just be the experience once you have already placed your bet on mobile or online.There is a bunch of stuff we could do with it,” added Nieboer.

Read the full article here: http://www.thedrum.com/news/2015/05/10/william-hill-opts-google-cardboard-vr-experience-aimed-reinvigorating-sports-betting.