UK charities receive £1.2m donation from sportsbooks

Multiple UK charities are the recipients of a new donation after sportsbooks gave away their profits raised from the Britannia Stakes win at the flagship race Royal Ascot last week. Overall, a share of £1.2m ($1.5m) donation will be distributed to Ascot Racecourse Supports Community Fund, The Ivors Academy Trust and Cotswold Riding for the Disabled, as well as ABF The Soldiers' Charity and Sue Ryder.

The huge donation to charities comes from Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) members that includes William Hill, bet365, Entain (Ladbrokes and Coral), as well as Flutter (Paddy Power, Sky Bet, Betfair). Betway, Kindred (Unibet), Rank Group (Grosvenor Sport), 888, Virgin Bet, Tote, Fitzdares, Bet with Ascot and BetVictor are also among BGC's members that agreed to participate in the fundraising.

In a statement released Monday, Alastair Warwick, the Managing Director at Ascot Racecourse, said: "We are hugely grateful to all the bookmakers involved in this initiative which has once again raised a significant amount of money for some very worthwhile charities." He explained that the donation to the Ascot Racecourse Supports Community Fund will help local community support.

Cliff Fluet, The Ivors Academy Trust's Chair, added: "We are extremely grateful to the Betting and Gaming Council for their generous donation to The Ivors Academy Trust as a first-time beneficiary." He said that the donation will help create life-changing opportunities for disadvantaged composers and songwriters. Fluet pointed out that the charity's donation programs help professional development and creativeness.

ABF The Soldiers' Charity for Berkshire's Chairman, Brigadier Peter Walker OBE, thanked the members of the BGC for their contribution and support. Brigadier Walker revealed that the charity's main goal is to provide support "for the Army family." He revealed that last year alone, ABF The Soldiers' Charity supported 60,000 people in 63 countries around the world.

BGC's Chief Executive, Michael Dugher, added: "It's great news that BGC members have once again made such a big donationto a number of brilliant charities." He pointed out that some 120,000 jobs are supported by BGC members and the Council is proud to contribute once again to good causes.

Dugher said that the BGC is proud to collaborate closely with horse racing, which is one of the great British sports. "I am sure that the money we raised will once again make a huge difference to the incredible work done by all the charities involved," added the BGC's Chief Executive. In conclusion, Dugher thanked BGC's members as well as Ascot Racecourse for their support.

The BGC revealed that since it was formed in November 2019, some £5.5m ($6.8m) were raised for charity by its members.

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