This past week was a good one for sports gambling enthusiasts, as well as for certain charities. The Britannia Stakes race at Royal Ascot was held, and certain bookmakers had previously agreed to donate their profits to groups that support cancer and coronavirus initiatives. The sportsbooks are all part of the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), which ultimately donated over $310,000 for the worthy causes. It was a victory for everyone involved – the gamblers came out ahead, the charities picked up some much-needed cash and the bookmakers scored some points with the public.
Among those operators that participated in the charity driver were bet365, BetVictor, Betway, Fitzdares, Genting Bet, Grosvenor Sport, JenningsBet, Kindred Group, Ladbrokes Coral, Paddy Power Betfair, Sky Bet, Virgin Bet and William Hill. They had agreed to turn over all profits, minus taxes and other fees, from wins and each-way wagers placed on the race, allowing several charitable organization to see a welcome influx of cash.
The CEO of the BGC, Michael Dugher, said in a statement, “It was a great day for punters, though not such a good one for the bookies. However, it’s brilliant to see that despite bookmakers not making a profit in the race, they will still make a large donation of a quarter of a million pounds to four fantastic charities, who undoubtedly deserve every penny. I’d like to thank those BGC members for this wonderful gesture.”
Among the entities that received funds were the Berkshire Community Foundation Coronavirus Fund, Marie Curie, Prostate Cancer U.K. and The Care Workers Charity. Royal Ascot also made a donation of $124,000 for the National Emergencies’ Trust Relief and National Health Services (NHS) Charities. The second-favorite horse, Khaloosy, won the Britannia Heritage Handicap, which means certain gamblers also scored nice paydays. The three-year-old colt would go on to claim six wins at Royal Ascot 2020.
Prostate Cancer U.K. Director of Fundraising and Supporter Engagement Tracey Pritchard added of the results, “I would like to thank everyone at the Betting and Gaming Council and their betting operator members for this incredible donation to Prostate Cancer U.K. Money raised by this fantastic initiative will go towards life-saving research into treatments and better tests to stop the disease being a killer, and men and their families accessing our support service during these challenging times.”
