Punters keen to have a flutter at Flemington racecourse in Melbourne will be able to bet online and watch the race in HD on their smartphone within the arena when a Wi-Fi service is introduced by the Victorian Racing Club (VRC) next year.
The Cisco Connected Stadium Wi-Fi offering, which is set to go live in time for Melbourne Cup 2013, will allow punters to access the Internet using their smart phones. According to VRC, members and guests can use the service to place bets, order food/beverages and watch races in HD video.
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According to VRC corporate finance and strategic initiatives executive general manager Simon Love, the Wi-Fi network will also help to free up mobile networks, allowing fans to SMS and call throughout race day.
“Real-time Wi-Fi access on our busiest race days will not only help visitors interact and share their race experiences with friends and families via social media, text and video during the event, it also allows us to expand the ways in which our guests can engage with the venue,” he said in a statement.
For example, VRC will be providing its VIP members with seat directions, traffic/weather updates and exclusive video content using another Cisco offering called StadiumVision, a video and digital content distribution system.
While Flemington is understood to be the first racecourse in Australia to roll out Connected Stadium, the system is also being used at Eden Park stadium in New Zealand and Wembley Stadium in London.
VRC has been contacted for comment by Computerworld Australia.
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