Jockey Club Racecourses today announced the completion of the largest multi-site installation of free public Wi-Fi in Europe, which is now live at all 15 of its racecourses nationally. 

Jockey Club Racecourses welcomes nearly two million people on racedays per year and a further two million people for other events, who now have access to the high performance and high-density service, free-of-charge.

Free Wi-Fi is now available across all public areas, including grandstands, bars, restaurants, hospitality areas, Owners & Trainers areas, parade rings and concourses. The Wi-Fi also provides use for The Jockey Club’s own business services and for its partners, such as access control, point of sale functionality and the Britbet pool betting service launching in July 2018. Wi-Fi for media, photographers, conference and events customers, officials and employees has been in place across Jockey Club Racecourses for several years.

The public Wi-Fi rollout at The Jockey Club’s ‘large’ racecourses was completed in 2017 and is exceeding expectations both in terms of usage and performance. This prioritised the maximum number of racegoers first, with Cheltenham the first course to go live in 2014, and then further investment has completed the remaining courses in The Jockey Club’s portfolio, with the final course installation going live this week.

The Jockey Club worked with a range of best-in-class partners in the development and installation of a bespoke Wi-Fi solution. As a result, The Jockey Club’s business services arm, Jockey Club Services, now offers fellow UK sports organisations its unique expertise in designing and delivering multi-venue Wi-Fi systems through consultancy and central services that provide guest portal, web filtering, customer data aggregation, reporting and insight.

The Jockey Club’s racecourses are: Aintree, Carlisle, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs, Exeter, Haydock Park, Huntingdon, Kempton Park, Market Rasen, Newmarket July Course, Newmarket Rowley Mile, Nottingham, Sandown Park, Warwick and Wincanton.

Paul Fisher, Chief Executive of Jockey Club Racecourses, said: “As well as investing record amounts into prize money and our racing surfaces, it’s essential we continue to invest in enhancing the experience we offer to our customers. Racing is a fantastic day out and we are very clear that free Wi-Fi is a customer expectation, so I am very pleased we have completed what amounts to Europe’s largest multi-site system rollout. This also creates a range of commercial opportunities, including for partners, engagement through our app, customers sharing their experience on social media and for our forthcoming Britbet pool betting service.”

Alan Stewart-Brown is Regional Vice President of Europe, Middle East and Africa at Xirrus, one of the technology providers involved in The Jockey Club’s Wi-Fi project. He said: “Xirrus are proud to be part of what is undoubtedly the largest multi-venue, high-density Wi-Fi installation in Europe.”