Flutter And BHA Choose 11 Start Ups For ‘Dragon’s Den’ Style Event

Flutter and the British Horse Racing Authority (BHA) have confirmed they have whittled down the number of applicants that will participate in the ‘Future of Racing’ summit next month. Initially, 100 tech start ups lodged applications, but this has now been whittled down to 11, and the hopefuls will pitch ideas to shape the direction of the sport moving forward.

On February 10, a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style pitching event will take place in London, where the chosen start ups will present their ideas to sports investors, venture capitalists, and key figures from the horse racing and betting industries. The overall premise of this is to drive engagement within the sport.

What inspired the idea?

While gambling giants Flutter and the BHA were the masterminds behind the programme, the idea stemmed from Project Beacon. Indeed, Project Beacon was a large-scale survey where the thoughts of 7,500 racegoers were canvassed.

In that study, racegoers admitted to having some recurring concerns, including difficulty in understanding betting terminology and form, as well as worries about horse welfare.

The 18-28-year-olds were the ones who were the most vocal about the challenges facing the sport, and they are perceived as being an important demographic group.

Main items on the agenda

The BHA has been exploring various ideas to drive more interest in the sport, including changing the Saturday racing schedule to boost viewing figures. But four fundamental themes will be addressed over the coming weeks:

• • Horse Welfare - Introducing technologies to enhance equine safety and welfare.
  • Education - Simplifying the sport for beginners through accessible tools.

• Raceday Experience - Making the raceday experience more sociable and entertaining.

• Fan engagement - Immersive opportunities, offering behind-the-scenes access.

Anticipation building

Originally, the event was scheduled to take place at York Racecourse, but York will instead host their own event this summer. In the meantime, Flutter and the BHA are excited about what’s to come next month.

Brant Dunshea, BHA Chief Executive, said:

“It is extremely encouraging to have received so many applications for the Future of Racing Summit. This project represents a unique opportunity for the sport to embrace new thinking as we seek to secure future generations of fans.

“I am eager to learn more about the start ups as this process continues, with the newly confirmed format providing us with the opportunity to understand how the sport could benefit from what they have to offer.”

Seb Butterworth, Flutter’s Strategic Racing Director, added:

“This is a fantastic opportunity to understand new ways to take forward British Racing, and answer important questions posed by Project Beacon. I’m really looking forward to exploring these concepts in more detail, as the programme progresses through the interview process and on towards creating a shortlist ahead of the pitching day.”

Securing racing’s future

Ultimately, securing the long-term future of racing remains the objective of the sport’s stakeholders. While many punters continue to wager on the biggest flat and jump events at the UK’s best horse racing betting sites, there are still some questions that remain unanswered.

Despite horse racing receiving a reprieve from Rachel Reeves’ UK budget in November, with taxes scrapped, the sport would certainly benefit from an injection of new ideas. The ‘Future of Racing’ could well be just the ticket to silence the critics and put the sport on a pathway to success this year and beyond.