PointsBet, in conjunction with 1/ST Technology is launching a new, US-facing horse racing app that’s aimed at differentiating the operator from its competitors in the insanely competitive American sports betting market. PointsBet’s product launch comes at a time when horse racing is generally on the decline, and the US side of the business is awash in a horrific period of mysterious race horse deaths.
The new horse racing app allows players to wager on more than 180 international tracks, including the US, England, Ireland, Hong Kong, Japan and Australia. More importantly, for PointsBet anyways, the app will also include all the tracks included in the US Triple Crown. The launch of the product, early last week, was meant to coincide with the first race in the Triple Crown, the Kentucky Derby. This year’s Derby handle was a record $188.7 million, up from $179 million last year.
Johnny Aitken, PointsBet USA CEO recently talked about how the new app fits into the bigger picture of regulated sports betting products saying, “The launch of PointsBet Racing marks a significant milestone in our efforts to expand our product portfolio and capture the tremendous potential of the US horse racing market.”
“We are optimistic about replicating the success we have seen in mature global betting markets where racing is a huge engagement channel next to sports. This new offering will contribute to the growth of online horse racing in the US and we are excited to get live in advance of one of the most important racing events of the year,” he added.
PointsBet isn’t, however, the only US-facing operator to launch a new horse racing app. DraftKings and FanDuel have both launched similar products this year.