Poll: How important is the Cheltenham Festival?

Sportsbook marketers have been fighting amongst themselves over the past week as operators look to grab the attention of punters ahead of and during this week’s Cheltenham Festival.

The marketing war has seen a number of specials promotions with offers ranging from Betfair’s pledge to refund losing doubles up to the value of £10 and Coral’s attempt to lure new accounts by offering 4/1 on 4/6 shot Quevega in Tuesday’s Mares Hurdle.

In addition, bet365 this morning announced it will be going best price on every horse running in a Channel 4-screened Cheltenham race compared to a selection of its major competitors.

Operator’s apps have also undergone a facelift ahead of tomorrow’s Cheltenham roar, with Ladbrokes last week adding horse racing content such as race overviews and forecast and tricast betting.

William Hill released its first Android app claiming to be the first to include both live streams of horseracing and in-play radio coverage, while BetVictor’s recently launched Instabet app will this week focus on offering customers selected price boosts.

However, the rise of football betting has meant horse race betting has been on the wane for some time at online sportsbooks with a declining share of revenues.

And while it remains an important source of revenue, is Cheltenham the big acquisition opportunity it once was and will it be as important a source of revenue as in years past?

As such, this week’s poll asks whether this week’s action prove a timely fillip for sportsbooks’s horse racing revenues or whether the vast number of special offers is indicative of an industry on the decline?

Have your say on the right-hand side of the page.