Razorfish recently gave ATG, the Swedish Horse Racing Totalisator Board, a hand in revamping its website for online horse race betting. Along with the new design, players of www.atg.se now have a lot more information at their fingertips.
The new website features a search tool for information like the heritage of a specific horse, an introductory lesson of the game and sport and a dictionary that explains gaming language and terminology that's accompanied by photographs and video. Users can log on and wager up until the races begin. Some races are broadcast live on the Web via streaming audio and video.
Eva B. Henriksson, the head of ATG's e-customer business unit, said reactions to tests of the site exceeded the company's expectations.
"Throughout the project we focused the end-result on the needs and wishes of the horse race enthusiast," she said. "ATG has a strong commitment to digital media, and recognized the opportunities to integrate horse racing events with live, online content to facilitate a unique, interactive sports experience."
The analysis part of the site now includes information and statistics about the horses, jockeys and drivers. There is no difference in the wagering part of the website.
New parts will be added to the website later this year. The site is only for Swedes per Swedish law. The software for the betting service was designed by Information Highway in 1997; Razorfish is responsible for
helping ATG modernize the service. ATG's online betting was previously located at www.tortget.se.
ATG has 33 percent of the market share in Sweden, making it the No. 2 betting firm. Henriksson said that three companies have test permits to offer online gambling in Sweden and that ATG is currently waiting for final legislation on the subject. Use of ATG requires a deposit from a bank account into an ATG account.
Razorfish was responsible for the concept, content, function and design of the site. During the past year, Razorfish, an Internet consulting company, chipped in to develop ATG's interactive marketing campaigns.