How Mobile Sports Betting Has Transformed Horse Racing
In 2026, across the US, Canada, Europe, and many other places across the world, betting on a phone is now the norm, and it continues to grow. Global sports betting revenue was measured at around $88bn last year, as more and more legalisation occurs and mobile betting apps become more accessible and more popular.
Mobile betting on horse racing has fundamentally transformed the sport. It’s given bettors new opportunities to bet, and more options than ever before. It also continues to expand, for example, bettors in Canada can now access Alberta sportsbooks for betting on racing, now joining various places in Canada and the USA.
Phones have transformed betting on horse racing in a number of ways, but paramount among them is the appearance of micro-betting, and the rising popularity of virtual betting.
The rise of micro-betting in horse racing
Micro-betting has gone from a concept deemed almost impossible to one of the most common types of betting currently used. Microbetting allows players to get on hyper-specific, short duration events within the confines of a bigger sporting event. It could be betting on one quarter of football, or even on a single pitch in baseball.
The same is now true within horse racing. Bettors can now not only place bets before a race begins, but as it unfolds. You can even bet from furlong to furlong, giving players a fast-paced experience. This is due to the speed and computing power of phones solving the issue of latency; phones can now update with odds almost instantly, allowing players to make bets live as games or races occur. It also increases the appeal for younger people, as Gen Z want a gambling experience more in line with the fast-paced style of online games and betting.
The rise of virtual horse racing
Another development in the world of online betting on horse racing that is the result of an increasingly young audience, virtual horse races have been increasing in popularity in the iGaming sector. Virtual horse racing became a way for both bettors and sportsbooks to continue to run races and have opportunities for betting in the downtime between races. Races often only occur at weekends, and even within racing days, the gap between races is around 30 mins.
Virtual races are usually 3D rendered in apps, with the results determined by random number generators. There has been a 38% rise YoY in the adoption in virtual horse racing, once again led largely by young people, who are quicker to adopt the new technology. It’s likely to continue to grow in the coming years, but virtual sports gambling is already a billion dollar industry, and it’s bound to only get bigger.
