How CompuOne Delivered Tailored IT Services in San Diego to Streamline Operations and Enhance the Guest Experience at Del Mar’s Leading Entertainment Venue
Profile
Del Mar Thoroughbred Club is a non-profit horse racing track located in the city of Del Mar, California, drawing nearly 660,000 attendees and more than $400 million in para-mutual wagers across a 37-day racing season.
Background
Established in 1937 by Bing Crosby, Pat O’Brien, and Jimmy Durante, the club’s races routinely sell out. “As we walked through the grounds in 2010 we could see long lines at the betting windows and kiosks,” says Walker McBride, Director of Promotions and Digital Media at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. “It led to some of our patrons being unable to get their bets down before the race began. That’s not good, either from a revenue or customer experience standpoint.”
Del Mar Thoroughbred Club tried adding 13 mobile tellers roaming through the crowd to take bets among box seat and grandstand ticket holders, but the mobile tellers quickly became overwhelmed as well. DMTC needed a system that would allow patrons to place bets without the use of an intermediary.
Situation
An app that allowed patrons to place bets from their smartphones or other personal devices over a wireless network seemed like the solution. Del Mar knew the network would have to provide high-speed, secure access from any public area within the track, that bets could not be placed outside fairgrounds, and that the network would need to be dedicated to this system to avoid bottlenecks.
Solution
Del Mar Thoroughbred Club turned to their trusted IT adviser CompuOne, a partner with expertise in wireless networks. Based on the size of the facility and the need for scalability, CompuOne recommended Cisco 5500 series controllers and 3500 series access points.
Due to the wide variety of devices in use, CompuOne enabled 802.11 A, B and N connectivity, with restricted network access controlling visitor volume and focused access points limiting network access to within the facility. The pilot program included coverage for the box seats, restaurant/pub, and paddock area.
Results
The launch of the new wireless network and app was a huge success for Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. In the first year, with limited coverage, roughly 85,000 patrons placed more than $500,000 in wagers through the system.