Grand National Tipping League to Pioneer Safe Gambling App for Racing Enthusiasts
A new digital platform called RaceRival is set to launch with a Grand National tipping league at its core, introducing a community-focused approach to sports betting with an emphasis on safe gambling practices. The app, developed by IT consultant and lifelong racing fan Lewis Bell, offers daily competitions where players can participate for a £20 stake.
How the RaceRival Platform Operates
RaceRival, available on the App Store, allows punters to join daily leagues where they compete to select the most winning horses from a racecard. After paying the £20 entry fee, players choose one horse per race, including a best bet that scores double points. The league table is ranked based on the starting price of each winning selection.
At the end of each meeting, the highest-ranked players win a share of the pooled entry fees, with 80% of the total sum paid out as prizes. For the three-day Grand National festival, RaceRival is guaranteeing a minimum prize fund of £5,000 per day, providing substantial incentives for participants.
The Developer's Inspiration and Background
The game was developed over two years in his spare time by Lewis Bell, a 34-year-old IT consultant from Medway in Kent. Bell and his brother have been avid horse racing fans since childhood, influenced by their grandparents and father, and have attended the last five or six Cheltenham Festivals.
"About two years ago we started taking part in competitions using spreadsheets and on WhatsApp messages," Bell explained. "One of the competitions was over the Cheltenham Festival where everyone paid a £40 entry fee, and that brought you four days worth of entertainment across four days of Cheltenham. After that I decided I would try to digitalise what these competitions do."
Safe Gambling Premise and Regulatory Approval
Bell emphasizes that RaceRival, which holds a UK gambling licence, offers a way to enjoy horseracing within a community of fans without risking significant losses. The Gambling Commission has noted that the platform's model is distinct from traditional betting.
"The Gambling Commission said that what we're doing is quite different from anything else," Bell stated. "There's a safe gambling premise to what we're doing. So by having a daily competition rather than being able to gamble every single race, you can't then do a high cadence of bets and you also can't chase your losses."
He added that the £20 entry fee provides value for money, covering seven races worth of entertainment, and prevents the rapid betting cycles often associated with online gambling.
Goals for Engaging a New Audience
Bell believes RaceRival will attract a younger demographic to horse racing and encourage more people to visit racetracks. "I think what we're doing with the application is very different from what anyone else is doing, and I think it will entice a younger audience into racing and get more people to racetracks," he said.
The app's community aspect, combined with its structured competition format, aims to foster a more responsible and engaging betting environment, aligning with broader efforts to promote safer gambling practices in the sports industry.
