Horse racing has been one of the world’s most popular sports for the better part of the last two centuries. The game began in post-industrial Britain among wealthy businessmen looking to have some friendly betting matches against each other.
It didn’t take long for the sport to catch on, and it quickly became a fan favourite across the country. As Britain spread its influence across the world, many of its colonies would adopt some of its more popular sports. This is why countries like Australia and North America have built their own horse racing empires over the years.
Despite the massive popularity that horse racing has enjoyed in the last few decades, the sport has seen a general plight, especially within the last decade. One of the reasons for this was the rise of casinos during the 1960s onwards.
Casinos were a new type of gambling that didn’t mean having to drive to the nearest track or deal with the often-shady bookmakers that were connected to horse racing. People preferred to spend their time and money at casinos, where they could sit comfortably, have access to food and alcohol, and retain the chances of winning money from the many games they offered, such as real money pokies.
The Decline Of Horse Race Betting
The downfall of horse racing first became apparent in 2011. A census conducted by The Jockey Club
showed that without any type of intervention, betting on horse racing would see a major decline. They estimated that by 2021, horse race betting would see a total decline of up to 25 per cent. They noted that the sport had failed to keep up with other, more modern types of gambling, and that the competition was starting to outpace many of the attempts of horse race betting companies to make the sport more popular.
Another big factor is the massive age gap of the people that participate in betting. Horse racing has always been aimed at older generations, and it’s a trend that has remained to this day. It’s so bad; in fact, that statistics have revealed that one of the biggest reasons for the decline in bettors is due to old age and death.
What The Future Holds
Many believe that the only way to truly save horse racing is by bringing it into the modern age. While there are undoubtedly endless ways to make bets on horse racing through the power of the Internet, many feel that the entire industry is still too old-fashioned.
Some believe that campaigning to make horse racing more appealing to casual bettors is the only way forward, and one of the ways to do this is by creating modern betting platforms that are accessible to everyone.
Horse racing is intimidating, especially for those that are new to the sports betting scene. If the industry can make the effort to create a more engaging, more welcoming environment that just about anyone can join and make use of, then they may be able to shift the current decline in popularity to something more positive.
