Betting horse racing on the Internet and social media could be replaced by virtual bets, according to a new study.
Researchers say the new technology could potentially disrupt betting markets and lead to greater financial efficiency for online bettors.
The researchers say that by combining virtual bets with betting data from a horse racing handicapping book, it is possible to track an individual horse race on a race day and predict which horse will win.
The study, published in the journal Optimal Behavioral Trading and used by the Institute for Humane Studies at the University of New Hampshire, suggests the technology could reduce the cost of horse betting by 40 percent.
Researchers say virtual betting would be a way for people to bet on the outcomes of horse races, or bet on which horse might win a race, which could be a huge advantage for online betting.
But the researchers warn that there could also be unintended consequences.
For instance, a horse with a good showing in a race could be able to be bet on to win by placing a bet on that horse.
In order to do this, the researchers say, bettor data would have to be anonymized.
This means the information would have become public, and could be sold to third parties.
For now, the research focuses on horse racing, but they say their technology could be applied to other forms of betting, including betting on sports, and the sale of real estate.