No white-out for virtual racing, say bookmakers

Racing goes ahead at Portman Park
Racing goes ahead at Portman Park

The football may have been called off and the racing abandoned, even on the ‘all-weather’ tracks around the country, but the bookies are still doing alright – thanks to virtual racing.

“In the last week alone we have taken more than 300,000 individual bets,” claims William Hill’s David Hood.

Whether he is telling porkies or not only Mr Hood knows for sure, but it’s fair to say that while racing is struggling financially in the Big Freeze, bookmakers have achieved partial insulation through their range of virtual games, including virtual horseracing, and fixed-odds betting terminals. Read more.