Benzinga - by Chris Katje, Benzinga Staff Writer.
The 150th Kentucky Derby on May 4 could have more people paying attention to the superfecta odds and top four finishers than in past years.
What Happened: Virtual horse racing game Photo Finish LIVE announced a SuperFecta Scratch-Off event that will offer a $100,000 prize to one lucky winner.
SuperFecta tickets are minted for free plus the cost of gas on the Base Network, a Layer 2 from Coinbase Global (NASDAQ:COIN). Photo Finish Live parent company Third Time Entertainment counts Coinbase as an investor.
"As a portfolio company of Coinbase Ventures, it felt long overdue for us to build a seamless experience that works with the Coinbase Wallet to set the stage for an unprecedented FREE MINT event — featuring 116,280 Superfecta tickets, a collection guaranteed to include one $100,000 lucky winner.
Users can mint the tickets with Coinbase Wallet or several other supported wallets until the tickets are all reserved. Each user can mint three tickets for free. The scratch-offs can then be revealed and sold on exchanges like Magic Eden.”
Photo Finish LIVE partnered with Churchill Downs (NASDAQ:CHDN) in 2023 to attract new fans to live and virtual racing.
"A year ago, Churchill Downs entrusted Third Time Games with helping bring a younger generation of fans to horse racing," Third Time Games CEO Ian Cummings told Benzinga. "Superfecta Scratch-Off is our fun way of connecting web3 technology and digital assets to the actual Kentucky Derby results."
Other prizes, including free unraced virtual horses, will also be offered to owners of Superfecta scratch off tickets.
"This simple and exciting process will convert the Web3 world into rooting for their steeds in the historic May 4 IRL race, showcasing Photo Finish LIVE's ability to inject a new generation of fans into one of the world's oldest sports – it's our version of March Madness brackets!" the company said.
Users who sign up for Photo Finish can get a free horse to start racing and get familiar with the game.
Related Link: EXCLUSIVE: Blockchain P2E Virtual Horse Racing Game Photo Finish Announces New Funding – Meet The Investors And Next Steps
What's Next: The Superfecta tickets are available until they are all claimed or until the race on Saturday. As of Tuesday, Photo Finish reported that over 26,000 of the 116,280 tickets had been claimed.
The 150th running of the Kentucky Derby takes place on Saturday May 4, 2024 at Churchill Downs Racetrack.
Coverage of the race starts at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, units owned by Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA). The Kentucky Derby is scheduled to race at 6:57 p.m. ET.
"We believe this will have thousands of people who otherwise haven't been introduced to horse racing previously now paying attention to the results of the race on Saturday night," Cummings told Benzinga.
Twenty horses are set to compete in the 150th Kentucky Derby with a $3.1 million prize available for the first-place finisher and a total prize pool of $5 million for the top five finishers.
The 2023 Kentucky Derby saw Mage win. The 18-to-1 odds horse paid out $32.42 to anyone who placed a $2 wager on the win. A $1 Superfecta bet that correctly predicted the order of the top four horses (8, 3, 14, 11) paid out $15,643.
The current favorites for the 2024 race and their gate position are:
- 16. Fierceness: 5-2
- 2. Sierra Leone: 3-1
- 4. Catching Freedom: 8-1
- 10. Forever Young: 10-1
- 8. Just a Touch: 10-1
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