The Irish horse racing industry is well renowned for being at the forefront of innovation, with numerous elements in the sector using technology to drive improvements.
Those efforts have proved to be extremely successful, with the industry delivering a staggering €2.46 billion to the Irish economy in 2022.
With that in mind, we look at some of the latest developments in Irish horse racing, starting with how a major betting brand has leveraged technology to promote safer gambling.
Betting Giants Awarded Player Safety Accolade
The top horse racing betting sites in Ireland recently took part in Safer Gambling Week – an initiative designed to promote responsible gambling practices.
Leading Irish betting brand Boylesports were at the forefront of the activities, with the firm showcasing how they have used technology to create a safer gambling environment.
Leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) technology is amongst the ways Boylesports has achieved this and their efforts have now been recognised within the industry.
The company has been awarded the prestigious Advanced Level 3 certification by GamCare for maintaining high standards of player protection across their betting platforms.
“This award is a great acknowledgement of how Boylesports acts to ensure player safety,” said Hayley Smith, Group Director of Compliance at Boylesports.
“We are committed to continuing to set high standards of social responsibility and working towards further improvements to minimise the risk of our customers experiencing gambling-related harm.”
Regulatory Board Launches Risk Reduction Project
The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) has launched a new project which will seek to implement enhanced safety measures for horses and riders across the country.
To achieve this aim, the Equine Injury in Irish Racing Risk Reduction (EIIRRR) Project will analyse Irish horse racing data and evaluate worldwide evidence of injury risk mitigation strategies.
The academic research team is being supported by a project team with a vast array of expertise and experience across the Irish racing industry
These include the IHRB, Horse Racing Ireland, medical officers, veterinarians, trainers and jockeys, who will all contribute to the final report.
The EIIRRR Project has already designed a risk assessment for race-day injury, allowing veterinary inspections to be refined and expanded to keep horses safer.
The database of Irish equine injury data will also continue to be developed and monitored on an ongoing basis to further contribute to the risk reduction strategy.
Irish Racing Keeping a Close Eye on Developments in North America
The Irish horse racing industry is monitoring developments in North America, where they are looking to develop a project to improve the early detection of musculoskeletal injuries in racehorses.
The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AEEP) wants to develop wearable biometric sensor technologies to help reduce the risk of horses suffering life-threatening issues.
The proposed system will ‘monitor musculoskeletal parameters related to gait needs and have data transmission capabilities that interface with algorithms designed to detect injury’.
It is hoped that the system will be scalable for widespread use, opening the door for it to be rolled out into other major jurisdictions worldwide.
With several leading Irish trainers regularly sending their horses to compete in North America, they will be keeping a watchful eye on how this project develops.
Irish horse racing industry bosses will also be keeping themselves in the loop, particularly given they have recently launched their own risk reduction project.
