Believe me when I say that StableDuel is the next big thing in horse racing.
An article published by Arka Software in February 2019 presented findings that show why my statement above is true:
53.9 million people in the U.S. and Canada were playing fantasy sports in 2017.
Daily fantasy sports players consumed 40% more sports content after they became players.
50% of DraftKings customers adopted a sport they did not previously watch because of fantasy sports.
64% of fantasy sports players are now watching more live sports.
61% of fantasy sports players started reading more sports news after becoming a fantasy sports player.
Think about these stats and imagine what a fantasy sports app could do for horse racing.
StableDuel’s similarity to other fantasy sports apps make it something that non-horse players could quickly understand and learn to use. Those who use apps like FanDuel will find the transition to StableDuel almost seamless.
StableDuel, like other fantasy apps, uses the traditional ‘salary cap’ model. Players must choose a stable of 10 horses from a specific race card with only $50,000 to spend. The price of the horses is based upon its morning-line odds. A horse who is heavily favored is going to cost a lot more to add to your stable than a horse who is at odds of 25-1. Players can choose multiple horses from a single race or not have a horse in a race at all.
Once a player’s stable is created, they can continue to edit their picks until it is post time for the first race on the card. At that time, the game locks and players will not be able to edit their stables unless one of their horses scratch.
Points are calculated by the horse’s finishing place and by how much they won or lost by (nose, head, neck, lengths, etc.). If a player's horse comes in first place by one length, that player's stable will be given 61 points and so on and so forth. If their horse finishes 6th or worse, their stable will be given negative points based upon how much they were beaten by. The maximum negative point deduction is -30.
The player with the most points at the end of the race card wins!
The app is very easy for people without horse racing experience to understand. Plus, there's no need to have twenty different tabs open on your laptop to handicap the race. All you have to do is click on a horse’s name and their race record, pedigree, trainer, jockey, workouts, etc. will all be listed. It doesn’t get much easier than that.
I personally find the app to make watching horse racing 1000x more fun. You get to compare your stables with your friends and family. You should have seen my boyfriend and I celebrating when my horse Covfefe and his horse Bellafina crossed the wire in the Breeders’ Cup FIlly & Mare Sprint in first and second respectively.
Plus with this style of playing, it is not all bad when one of your horses lose. You still get points if they finish in the top five & you have nine other horses that can make up lost points for you.
StableDuel is definitely different than the traditional style of betting on horse racing and that is exactly why it is going to succeed. You don’t have to know all the different types of bets you can place. All you have to do is trust your handicapping and intuition while selecting your stables. My boyfriend doesn’t know a ton about horse racing and he came in 47th place on StableDuel’s Friday $5k challenge!
When StableDuel was testing their app, they found that 67% of their players were under 45 years of age. Arka Softwares found that 34% of players were Gen Z (born in 1996-2010). Clearly, fantasy sports appeal to younger generations. This is something that is especially needed in horse racing. The sport has struggled to attract young fans, especially in those who did not grow up around horse racing. StableDuel could change this!
StableDuel can increase the number of people watching horse racing as well as how often people are watching it.
StableDuel can also increase the number of people reading from and visiting horse racing media outlets. The more people playing fantasy horse racing, the more people that are going to be going to be reading the news and researching pedigrees to ensure that they are picking the right horses.
The app will also increase the amount of money wagered on horse racing. Though StableDuel has currently only hosted free-to-enter challenges, I am sure that they will soon begin to roll out challenges that you must pay an entry fee for. This money will go back into the economy and increase horse racing’s economic impact.
Many people in the industry have complained that the legalization of sports betting and fantasy sports have hurt horse racing. This is true. Fewer people are going to wager on horse racing when they could play fantasy football from their phones! This app’s similarly to other fantasy sports apps makes horse racing a more approachable thing to watch and “bet” on.
All in all, StableDuel is going to do great things for horse racing. Our industry needs to support this app. It will help increase viewership, money wagered, and the number of people viewing horse racing websites and publications. It will draw interest in this sport in a time when positive interest is exactly what we need.
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