March 2011

Cheltenham Festival Roars Ahead as it takes Record Number of Mobile Bets

Mfuse, the leading provider of mobile-gaming technology, announces that last week saw a record number of bets placed via mobile gaming apps at the Cheltenham Festival.

Cheltenham Festival, the most prestigious meeting in the National Racing Hunt calendar, has had its most successful year yet after it was revealed that a record numbers of bets were placed via mobile gaming apps. The use of mobile gaming apps at the meeting was found to have increased four-fold over last year's figures as companies including Ladbrokes and William Hill sought to expand their use of the technology.

Mfuse can reveal that the first day of the Cheltenham Festival witnessed more mobile bets placed on one day than during the whole of last year's four day meet; the equivalent of 3 people every second placing a bet on a mobile gaming app in the run up to the main race of the day.

2011's Cheltenham Festival has been forecast to see over £200 million placed in bets over four days as over 200,000 spectators took part in the traditional highlight of the racing calendar.

Marcus Wareham, Chief Executive Officer of Mfuse, commented: "This is fantastic news for Cheltenham, for race-goers and for people on the move who don't want to miss out on the fun. As a horse-racing enthusiast, I am immensely proud that Mfuse is associated with the most famous meeting in the racing calendar. The use of mobile gaming apps over the last year has out-paced even our own optimistic expectations. Race-goers are embracing technology which makes it possible to place a bet wherever you are: at the races or on the sofa. Our new live horse racing and betting app has clearly been a hit with Ladbrokes' customers."

Mfuse launched on Monday the first live horse racing and betting app on a mobile phone in the UK. The service, available through the Ladbrokes betting app on the iPhone, allows any customer in the UK and Ireland to watch a live stream of their chosen race following a minimum bet of £1.