Del Mar Thoroughbred Club

PROFILE:

Del Mar Thoroughbred Club is a non-profit horse racing track located in the city of Del Mar, California. In 2011 it hosted roughly 18,000 patrons per day and drew more than $430 million in para-mutual wagers during its 37-day racing season.

BACKGROUND:

Established in 1937 by Bing Crosby, Pat O’Brien, and Jimmy Durante. Typically, the club’s races attract nearly 660,000 attendees who place more than $400 million in para-mutual wagers.  “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 having 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, leading to the same problems in a different area. DMTC needed a system that allows 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. Furthermore, bets cannot be placed allowed outside fairgrounds. Also, the network has to be specific to this system to keep from getting bottle necked.

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 using Cisco 5500 series controllers and 3500 series access points.

Due to the wide variety of devices that could be used, CompuOne enabled 802.11 A, B and N connectivity. Restricted network access controls the volume of visitors. The gaming website is the only one available.  Focused access points ensures only allows network access 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 has been 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.