Some of the largest charity organisations in the UK have received massive donations after local bookmakers handed over their profits from the 2022 Britannia Stakes at Royal Ascot.
According to reports, five charities – The Ivors Academy Trust, The Soldiers’ Charity, Cotswold Riding for the Disabled, Sue Ryder and Ascot Racecourse Supports Community Fund – are set to receive a part of the overall sportsbooks’ donation worth £1.2 million. As revealed by the trade body of the local gambling sector, the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), the funds were raised by the organisation’s members, including bet365, Flutter Entertainment, William Hill, Entain, BetVictor, Betway, 888 Holdings, Rank Group, BetVictor, Tote, Bet with Ascot, Virgin Bet, and Fitzdares.
The members of the Betting and Gaming Council have raised a total of £5.5 million for charity through the virtual Grand national and the Britannia Stakes race since the trade body was established in November 2019.
The CEO of the BGC, Michael Dugher, praised the trade body’s members for making such a large financial contribution to a number of charities. He further reminded that the licensed operators who are currently members of the Betting and Gaming Council support the jobs of approximately 120,000 people employed by the industry.
2022 Edition of Royal Ascot Breaks Records with £186-Million Turover for World Pool Bets Registered
Mr Dugher shared that the close relationship of the BGC members with horse racing made them proud but it also helped them accumulate a significant amount of money to be contributed to charities and good causes on the territory of the country, especially considering the fact that the year is marked by Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, and millions more were watching the races live in ITV. According to him, the money raised by some of the largest gambling operators in the UK would make a huge difference to charities and people who need their assistance.
This year’s edition of Royal Ascot continued to break records over the race’s 5-day duration, which culminated in a gross turnover for World Pool bets estimated at £186 million. Reportedly, this represented a 35% of last year’s turnover worth £123.9 million – a figure that in 2021 also included non-World Pool bets.
The three largest pools of the week were The Coronation Stakes, totalling £6.6 million, the Platinum Jubilee Stakes, worth £6.4 million and the Gold Cup, which totalled £6.1 million.
The Managing Director of Ascot Racecourse, Alastair Warwick, shared that everyone involved with the iconic racecourse and horse racing event was extremely grateful to all the bookmakers involved in the initiative thanks to which a significant amount of money for charity organisations had once again been raised. He further noted that the money donated particularly to the Ascot Racecourse Supports Community Fund will be quite helpful in the fund’s work to support the local community around Ascot.
- Author
Daniel Williams
