William Hill Bets On Virtual Reality Racing William Hill bets on virtual truth racing 1 October 2015 Anyone who has been to a racecourse will know the excitement when the horses pound towards the finish line. But this thrill of the ride is something that many clients who bet in stores or online do not experience. Bookmaker William Hill is eager to recreate it with virtual reality innovation. The UK's Gambling Commission stated that it would be monitoring innovations such as virtual reality to guarantee that they did not encourage extreme gambling. Using virtual truth headsets, integrated with GPS racetrack information, it is giving consumers the possibility to see the race from the jockey's point of view. "Currently you put a bet and not much takes place in between that and the result," said Crispin Nieboer, William Hill's director of development. "We desire to bring clients closer to the sporting action, to experience the thrill of the trip." To test the possibilities, the group at William Hill labs built a 3D mock-up of Kempton Park racecourse and collected live data, via GPS trackers fitted on horses, throughout a training race at the course. Combining the information created a virtual race users can view by means of either Google Cardboard or an Oculus Rift. The technology is not yet offered to the public but was on program at an open day at the firm's innovation lab in Shoreditch. Users first choose the horse they wish to race on. Accompanied by live commentary, wearers can turn and look at other horses as well as triggering an information display screen about the horse's heart rate, stride and race position. William Hill plans to add more courses and live races next year.