BGC Members Donate Race Profits
Members of the Betting and Gaming Council have pledged to donate all profits earned from the Britannia Stakes race at the Royal Ascot. A broad range of charities will benefit from the occasion, which marks the King’s coronation. Last year, BGC members managed to raise a worthwhile £1.2 million for charity from the race.
This year, legendary jockey Frankie Dettori signed off on his final Royal Ascot with a ninth Gold Cup victory.
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Charities Benefit from Royal Ascot Race
The UK’s leading betting and gaming operators have agreed to donate all funds raised from this year’s Britannia Stakes to charity. The flat handicap horse race took place at the Royal Ascot on June 22nd. In celebration of the King’s coronation, a number of top charities will benefit.
All profits generated by bookmakers will be shared between SportsAid, the Holocaust Education Trust, Cystic Fibrosis Trust, SAS Regimental Association, Ascot Racecourse Supports and Together for Looked after Children. The BGC hasn’t yet revealed exactly how much its members have raised, but last year’s race generated an impressive £1.2 million for worthy causes.
Charities stand to benefit, whether bookmakers have turned a profit on the race or not. Betting operators agreed that if they failed to profit, they would make a combined donation of £250, 000 to be split amongst the selected charities.
Betting and Gaming Council members set to donate their earnings from the race include Flutter Entertainment, bet365, Entain, 888 William Hill, Kindred Group, Betway, Rank Group, Virgin Bet, LivescoreBet, Tote, Fitzdares and Bet with Ascot. The bookmakers will gift all profits made from win and each-way bets, after levy and duties are deducted.
Since the launch of the industry body in 2019, BGC members have helped to raise more than £5.5 million for a variety of good causes. Amongst the charities to have benefitted from the BGC’s fundraising efforts are Sue Ryder, NHS Charities Together, Prostrate Cancer UK, Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity, ABF the Soldier’s Charity and the RAF Benevolent Fund.
Celebrating the Coronation
Thanks to the charitable initiative, bettors were able to enjoy the big race safe in the knowledge that whether their horse won or lost, their money would go to a good cause. Speaking on behalf of the BGC, Chief Executive Michael Dugher was delighted that members had once more elected to raise much needed funds for charity. The CEO stated:
“The BGC’s largest members are proud to honour the King’s Coronation by once again donating all profits from the Britannia Stakes to worthy causes. It is also a fitting tribute to the Late Queen Elizabeth II, whose passion for horse racing was known throughout the world, having bred so many successful horses and clocking up 1,800 winners in her time.”
Dugher also took the opportunity to thank BGC members and the team at Ascot for making the fundraising effort possible. This year is the fourth that the BGC’s top operators have donated profits generated from the flagship race to charities. The initiative promises to become a great tradition for the industry body, that spreads good will amongst punters, bookmakers and charities alike.
Members of the BGC are instrumental to horseracing, helping to fund the sport with around £350 million through sponsorship, media rights and the betting levy. The regulated betting and gaming industry in the UK as whole supports 110, 000 jobs, generates £4.2 billion in tax and adds £7.1 billion to the economy.
Chief Executive of Ascot Racecourse, Alastair Warwick, echoed Dugher’s sentiments. He said that it was fantastic news that bookmakers had agreed to donate their profits from the Britannia Stakes race once again, adding that the funds raised since 2020 have been gratefully received.
The organization’s own Ascot Racecourse Supports program has benefitted from the operators’ contributions. The donations have helped it to support a range of worthy causes and carry out vital work within the local community.
Docklands Wins Britannia Stakes
The Britannia Stakes is a flat handicap race open to three-year-old colts and geldings. The 1-mile race takes place at Ascot every year, on the third day of the Royal Ascot meeting. The handicap takes places on the straight course, the same course as the Royal Hunt Cup.
The heritage race has been held at the meeting since 1928. However, the history of the Royal Ascot stretches back even further, to 1768. The meeting’s oldest race is the Gold Cup, an event that was established in 1807. To this day, the meeting is the highlight of the British racing calendar.
The Royal Ascot is Britain’s most valuable race meeting, with the finest horses from around the world competing for millions of pounds in prize money. The total figure stands at around £9.5 million. It is estimated that 500 horses race across the five days of the meeting, participating in eighteen group races.
This year, the Britannia Stakes was won by Docklands. Jockey Hayley Turner ran the 6/1 favorite, trained by Harry Eustace to victory. Docklands strode out past New Endeavour and Urban Sprawl to secure the victory. Speaking to reporters at ITV Racing, she expressed her surprise at taking the win, saying:
“I honestly didn’t know until they shouted the photo if I’d won or not because it’s so far away, so I’m delighted. There’s been a lot of history made today so to look back on today will be amazing. I think Harry was half thinking of claiming off him he went up that much in the weights!”
That same day, King Charles saw his own horse pick up a prize. The 18-1 tipped Desert Hero was ridden to victory by jockey Tom Marquand in the King George V Stakes, beating Valiant King and Bertinelli. The success marked the monarch’s first winner at the Royal Ascot. Frankie Dettori claimed his ninth Gold Cup, riding Courage Mon Ami to victory. The triumph was especially meaningful for the 52-year-old, as he is set to retire later this year.
