TPD and XB Net partner for in-running betting on North American racing

Total Performance Data teams up with leading Stateside supplier for ground-breaking in-running product

 XB Net, the leading provider of premium content for North American racing, has announced a ground-breaking new partnership with Total Performance Data (TPD), the definitive source of in-running data for horse racing.

Thanks to Equibase’s GPS rollout, the pair are launching an “in-running” industry-first for North American horse racing. This product undertakes to revolutionise live betting by delivering reliable pricing on a popular sport which has traditionally struggled to maintain pace with a broader sportsbook marketplace, where over 70% of turnover is generated in-play. Now, however, TPD and XB Net have combined to produce a dependable in-play offering that crystalises accurate odds for the most solid in-play, fixed-odds pricing available.

The feed fuses the PA starting price with the best of automated trading via TPD’s astonishing range of consequential in-running analytics, including stride length, stride frequency and sectional timings enabled by saddle-cloth GPS tracking. These variables are accordingly harvested in-play by TPD’s machine-learning trading tools whose algorithms train themselves on race pace for precise pricing that delivers a distinct step-change in live fixed-odds wagering.

This landmark deal promises to usher in a bright dawn for in-play betting on horses, providing operators and their customers with the following benefits:

• In-running prices available on existing PA Media XML/DTD integration
• Win-only in-play betting from XB Net racecourses, with further markets in due course
• 1,500 race days per year and rising
• Improved in-running engagement, featuring:

o   Accommodating after-the-off “late money”

o   Live tradeable prices until the final furlong, sometimes even the wire

o   Cashout-integrated functionality in-play (fair-margin, lowest latency)

o   Price-smoothing and visual-tracking graphics to enhance the user experience

This new in-running pricing feed now capitalises on its position to deliver deeper engagement for horse racing fans and improved digital dwell-time for operators. Demo feeds are already trialling successfully with a number of high-profile operators, helping create fresh revenues streams against the backdrop of a progressively homogenised betting landscape.

The announcement adds yet more muscle to XB Net’s leading end-to-end solution which grants its clients access to many of the planet’s most prestigious races, with rescheduled marquee events like the Preakness Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup still to come across a packed timetable this autumn.

Simon Fraser, Senior Vice President of International at XB Net, said: “The cat is well and truly out of the bag when it comes to the significance of in-play turnover for sports betting. So, it was high time racing narrowed the gap with a legitimate and robust product of its own. Working with TPD’s team of analytical experts has allowed us to finally deliver that new product for North American racing.

“This isn’t about incremental gains. It’s an automated product revolution which belatedly gives the operators and customers the live service that they’ve been demanding for a long time. TPD has seamlessly incorporated its API with the PA Media’s benchmark XML language, ensuring total peace of mind and speed of integration for any operator looking to add this breakthrough feed.”

William Duff Gordon, CEO at TPD, added: “We’re thrilled to partner with XB Net in the States to provide the only fully automated in-play solution on the market. As with any live sport, you must have a service that keeps up in-play, harnessing the most accurate and lowest-latency data feeds to secure genuine market innovation. Our prices process the key variables in real-time, and leverage neural networks to create the best possible in-play price.

“XB Net’s unparalleled racetrack coverage in North America – coupled to their strong heritage in managing content rights, data and odds – meant that they were the logical partners in a shared vision that challenges an outmoded mindset around horse racing trading. Deeper audience engagement is simply our combined aim. So, we’re confident this in-play solution will bring a welcome new dimension to anyone following racing stateside.”