So, you are passionate about horse racing and thinking of building a horse racing website? Good idea! Yes, there may be competition on the market, but you can still offer something unique, and possibly a combo between news and some kind of service beneficial for horse racing enthusiasts.
However, building a website from scratch requires a lot of time and money. Fortunately, we have WordPress and specially designed (pre-made) plugins and widgets that can be added to your site to open new functions.
One of the most requested features on a horse racing-themed website is getting live odds, stats, and more fancy data.
You might be confused thinking that this is impossible, but there are a few great plugins that you can use to unleash the big guns and bring more usability to your website. Some of them are free, others must be purchased.
Why Use Horse Racing Plugins?
So, why do you have to use plugins? Well, plugins are necessary if you are trying to introduce a unique feature that requires coding and you don’t know much about coding. Other than that, you can always make the features yourself, but it requires a lot of knowledge and time.
Some plugins are also free, so there isn’t a point in coding one yourself and losing all that time when you have an already finished product.
Plugins are required in order to automate complex features on your site such as odds, race statistics, betting widgets, news, and much more. It saves you a hell of a lot of time and reduces your coding headache.
On top of that, it makes your site a lot cooler!
So, if you are managing a horse racing website, here are some of the plugins you would want to include first.
Live Odds Plugins
You want live odds. Your visitors need live odds. Whether they’re casual fans or hardcore bettors, seeing the latest odds in real-time can be the dealbreaker. Here’s how you can easily add them to your site:
- Odds Widgets: This is a popular option for a good reason. Instead of installing a new plugin on your website that can make your website heavy and load slower, you can add an HTML tag or an odds widget with a code.
Don’t worry. It isn’t as complicated as it seems. You just have to set the API and connect it to your website. This is also a free plugin that comes with payment options for upgrades. It is a simple solution that can help you set up rules on which sports or events to track like the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic odds for example.
Imagine updating odds in real time while your site zips along without a hiccup—dreamy, right?
- Betting Odds Plugins: Another solid option is to consider general sports betting plugins, like Sportsbook Odds Comparison, which integrates live horse racing odds from different betting sites. It displays odds in an easy-to-read table format, so your visitors don’t need to jump around multiple betting sites—they’ll love you for this!
Race Stats and Data Plugins
Of course, live odds are only half the story. Stats are the lifeblood of horse racing—knowing which horse has a winning streak or which jockey has a bad day is essential for informed betting. Stats plugins will turn your site into a horse racing powerhouse:
- SportsPress: One of the best all-around sports management plugins out there, SportsPress lets you add detailed statistics and rankings for horse races. It’s built to manage a variety of sports, including horse racing, offering match schedules, player profiles, and event results. You can set up automated tables with race results and historical data.
- WP Club Manager: While this one is geared toward managing sports clubs, it’s highly customizable for horse racing. You can track horses, riders, and results with detailed stats for each race.
Adding Race Replays and Streaming
Can’t get enough of race day excitement? Consider integrating race replays or live streaming! Plugins for embedding video or live streams make it easy:
- Embed Any Document allows you to embed live streams or race replays directly on your site. Whether you have a subscription to a service or your own content, this plugin supports almost any format.
- WP Video Lightbox is another good one if you want to keep your site fast while offering video pop-ups for replays. With this, your visitors can relive the heart-stopping final stretch without leaving your site.
Interactive Betting Features
You can go even further by adding interactive betting features that let users engage with your site. Why not let them calculate their potential winnings directly from your page?
- Bet Calculators: There are several calculators available as plugins, like the Bet Calculator plugin, which is great for bettors to calculate potential returns based on their stake and the odds offered. It’s simple, but effective.
Why Not Code It Yourself?
Sure, if you’re a WordPress ninja and coding is your jam, you could code these features yourself. But for the rest of us mere mortals, plugins are a lifesaver. You don’t want to be stuck in the code while the next big race starts!