To participate in horse racing or racing of any kind in one way or another can be quite exclusive. From owning and training a horse to simply betting on a horse, time, resources, and restrictions can get in our way and prevent us from enjoying this exciting pastime. In the digital era, things are radically changing. This August, the American auto racing company NASCAR has come together with Virtually Human Studio to produce NASCAR-branded digital horses on its racing platform. The two crews are still concluding the final details, but, as the Virtually Human Studio team announced, they are working hard to create a “brand new, futuristic fandom experience”.
The Expensive Side of Horse Racing
Who doesn’t love horses, right? Well, as much as we might all appreciate these magnificent animals, horse racing is not available to everyone. Just to own and train a horse requires a lot of time, resources, and dedication, let alone participating in races. The price to access stake races goes from around $3,000 to $50,000 and the average cost of a racehorse is more than $76,000.
Horse racing is a whole separate world composed of owners, jockeys, particular racing traditions, and gambling. It is one of the most popular sports in the world and the second most popular in Britain, for example, with around 6 million spectators attending races every year.
The charms of horse racing and betting on horses had been depicted in so many literary works, such as in quite a few novels by Charles Bukowski, and in several dozens of movies. However, many people of younger generations are not at all familiar with this kind of entertainment.
The digital world might offer us experiences that are very close to the real world of horse racing and betting but without the unbelievable costs and inaccessibility. With NASCAR joining forces with the non-fungible token (NFT) project Virtually Human Studio (VHS), we are now able to have a NASCAR digital horse (yes, you heard it right). Namely, the crew behind the blockchain-based digital horse racing game ZED RUN will now feature NASCAR branded horses.
This was a good win, Chest Crusher! 🐴🔥 https://t.co/51UMhIQeE7
— ZΞD RUN 🐎 (@zed_run) August 23, 2021
ZED Run Game
ZED Run permits players to buy, sell, breed, and race digital racehorses as NFTs. The price of race entry fees is around $2 and $15, and it is up to the users to decide how much to invest to advance their digital property. Since the experience is not really comparable to the process of horse racing in real life, this kind of entertainment might reach a completely different population of people. Indeed, there already is a committed and zealous community of digital horse racing fanatics.
When it comes to real-life horse race betting, most races also provide a gambling station where people can put their money at stake on a horse. In certain countries, like Ireland, the UK, and Australia, alternative and more favored facilities are provided by bookmakers who make the odds market more productive. In some countries, however, betting on horses is illegal. Take for example most of the Middle East. Across the region and especially in Saudi Arabia, known for its Arab horse breed, love for horses is so great that people find ways to follow their passion no matter the restrictions.
For example, one of the best local sports betting guides, Arabian Betting, lists the best horse racing sportsbooks available to players from the region. It also details how to bet on a horse in five easy steps and how to read and calculate horse racing odds.
Of course, digital horse racing was not developed only to provide more availability to people who cannot access real-life horse racing. In order to get more interest in the auto racing league among a younger audience, branding digital horses began.
The average age of NASCAR TV viewers in 2006 in the US was 49 years old, and it grew to 58 by 2016. Therefore, the brand’s introduction through ZED Run is an attempt at spreading to a younger demographic of fans.
“Our teams are aligned in vision and share a passion for using technology as a launchpad to discover a new audience, one that is deeply engaged,” claims Tim Clark, NASCAR’s Chief Digital Officer. “ Partnerships like the one with VHS, have the ability to revolutionize the NASCAR brand by bridging the gap between an age-old sport and innovative new technology.”
To conclude, we can mention that the game has already reached over 100,000 players and recently partnered with Atari and Stella Artois to raise several hundred dollars and to launch exclusive racehorses and branded 3D racetracks. For people with an interest in horse racing without the finances needed to participate, as well as for young people who have never considered the real-life version of this sport, competing with a NASCAR digital horse in ZED Run is a pretty good option.
