Horseracing has long been a staple of UK betting culture, but in recent years, the sport has come up against its fair share of challenges. But, for Matt Parr, Head of Horseracing at Amelco, the gambling industry now has a golden opportunity to draw upon new technologies to broaden racing’s appeal among wider audiences.
Speaking to Amelco, Parr begins by walking through his career to date, going back to where his love of horseracing stemmed from, before exploring how the sport can balance innovation with tradition to keep pace with tech-savvy bettors.
Looking back at your journey into the gambling space, what first attracted you to this industry, particularly horseracing?
My love of horseracing started when I was a teenager! I vividly remember my first bet on the Grand National in the mid-80s, when West Tip won. As a teenager, I would spend countless hours sitting and listening to racing commentary and watching live footage.
My passion for the sport deepened when my English teacher, who had taken me under his wing to help steer me away from trouble, took me to see Desert Orchid win the King George in 1988. The atmosphere was electric, and seeing Dessie jump like a buck made me fall in love with the sport even more!
Fast forward to my late teens, and I was fortunate to have a neighbour, Glen Gill, who was a professional gambler. Glen was ahead of the game, with his own SIS satellite installed; we would watch recordings of the previous day's races, take notes and compare our findings to Timeform. In between those sessions, we would spend two or three days a week at the track. That love for the sport has only grown even stronger over the years – it's such a dynamic, fun industry where no two days are the same.
Can you walk us through some of the key milestones from your career so far?
My career in the betting world gathered pace very early on, with help from mentors such as Glenn and Harry Findlay – both of whom had a huge influence on my career. Spending time with them both gave me a deep understanding of the industry from the punter's perspective, which still continues to shape my career to this day.
As well as learning about the industry from the bettors’ perspective, I was fortunate to have a foot in both camps when I acted as a horseracing consultant for City Index, a global spread betting firm.
An opportunity then presented itself to work with Goldbet, which at the time was a major player in the Italian market. After four great years there, I moved on to SIS where Adam Conway and I set up the SIS Trading team. It was a lot of hard work just to get the space for a trading room, but the team we built is still going strong, with many of the original members still in place.
After some early successes, I started a new role with Ladbrokes/Corals in Gibraltar, where I headed the Trading and Bet Acceptance team. This was a real eye-opener, and I learned a great deal from both Matt Warner and the late Glynn Carroll.
My time at Entain was equally rewarding. But, it was Andy Wright who persuaded me to take charge of the risk, pricing and trading element of Sky Bet’s horseracing product. They were looking to make the horseracing product stand independently from their highly successful football product. It was a major challenge, but as a team, we made it a huge success!
After some time working with a hedge fund, I was thrilled to join Amelco in April 2024, where I was given the chance to develop a new horseracing product alongside their existing trading tools.
This role has been an exciting opportunity to build something fresh and innovative in the space. Every day is different, and it’s great to work alongside a team that has such a rich heritage within the horseracing space. That knowledge and expertise has really helped us to create a next-gen horseracing product for Amelco’s partners.
Horseracing has a rich heritage in the UK but perhaps doesn’t get the same attention as other sports – particularly when it comes to smaller, weekday meetings. What role can the gambling industry play in changing this?
That’s a great question. Horseracing is deeply embedded in the UK’s sporting culture, but often it’s overshadowed by the likes of football or rugby. But horseracing is primed ground for delivering new and exciting betting experiences to players across the UK!
Traditionally, weekday meetings tend to be quieter than weekend fixtures. We tend to focus much of our attention on high-profile meetings – be it the Cheltenham Festival, Ebor Festival, the Grand National or Royal Ascot.
But, it is these ‘smaller’, weekday meetings where the sport really comes to life! As an industry, we have a real opportunity to elevate those meetings and engage more bettors by enhancing both the visibility and accessibility of these events. We need to look at how we can continue to create more engaging experiences for smaller meets, potentially by improving how these races are marketed to players and making them more accessible via digital platforms.
Leveraging new technology, such as interactive betting features or live-streaming capabilities, can allow us to take those weekday races from the screens in the betting shops and broaden the appeal to a wider audience.
Are there lessons that horseracing can take from elsewhere when it comes to engaging with new audiences? Could the William Hill Racing League be a good example?
Absolutely. The William Hill Racing League is a fantastic example of how innovation in horseracing can attract a younger, tech-savvy audience. The league brought fresh formats, team-based competition and a more dynamic presentation of the sport, which resonated with a broader demographic.
Horseracing can look at how other sports, such as esports or even football leagues, have used digital content, gamification and social media to build excitement and foster a sense of community. The key is understanding what motivates the next generation of punters and tailoring the experience to meet their expectations.
How much can we consider when it comes to UX/UI and appealing to next-gen punters?
User experience and interface design are absolutely crucial when it comes to attracting younger punters. Next-gen punters don’t want a disjointed online experience; they are digital natives who expect seamless, intuitive experiences as a bare minimum. It’s important that we create betting platforms that are easy to navigate, visually appealing and engaging – not to mention also offering a broad array of products and markets to keep these bettors engaged.
This is where Amelco truly shines. We understand what it takes to create a sportsbook that is both technically excellent, but is customisable to help our partners engage with their customer base.
Whether it’s through interactive features, personalised content or smooth mobile integrations, delivering an outstanding UX/UI can make or break your brand. It helps separate the market leaders from the crowd. At Amelco, we prioritise speed, clarity and excitement – aiming to make the betting experience as enjoyable and immersive as the races themselves.
Where do you think will be the biggest opportunities for the sport to innovate in 2025?
In 2025, I think we’ll see significant advancements in data-driven innovation, particularly within the sports betting space. Horseracing will likely embrace more in-depth analytics and predictive models which, I believe, has the potential to transform betting strategies and race preparation.
Additionally, the integration of AR and VR technologies will transform the race day experience, giving fans new and exciting ways to get in on the action, from virtual track-side seats to interactive race previews.
I also see a huge opportunity for expanding the digital betting ecosystem through social features, allowing fans to interact, share insights and bet collaboratively. We’ve seen this really take off in other areas of the industry, and horseracing is primed for more social experiences!
From your experience, what are some of the key challenges facing the horseracing sector at the moment?
One of the key challenges the industry faces is how to stay relevant in an increasingly crowded sports and entertainment landscape. With new sports emerging and other forms of entertainment vying for attention, horseracing must evolve to meet changing audience expectations.
There’s also the challenge of regulatory changes and managing the integrity of the sport, which is always crucial for maintaining trust. At Amelco, we work closely with various stakeholders from across the industry to address these challenges, creating platforms that help the industry adapt while maintaining the sport's heritage and integrity.
Given your status within the horseracing space – how can the sport adapt and evolve?
To adapt and evolve, horseracing needs to embrace innovation while still continuing to respect its roots. This means leveraging technology to offer new forms of engagement and expanding into new digital channels.
Amelco plays a role in this evolution by providing cutting-edge platforms and services that not only enhance the betting experience but also bring new, more engaging ways to experience the sport.
From live data feeds to advanced betting solutions, we’re always looking for ways to support the growth and modernisation of horseracing while keeping those traditions that we all know and love.
