bookmakers

At the time, one doesn't know if a minor skirmish will turn out to have been the opening salvo in a protracted war or merely a here-today-gone-tomorrow storm in a tea-cup. Regarding British racing's latest contretemps, we can only guess what will follow; but it is likely that the unexpected decision by Flutter (the parent company of several major bookmaking firms including Paddy Power and Sky Bet) not to take bets on Wednesday's meeting at Bath is merely the start of a major shake-up of the sport's finances. Flutter's decision...

In the 1960s British racing had the chance to own bookmaking. But it's happening the other way round. Bookmakers are moving closer to owning racing. Betfred's headline sponsorship of all five Classics - the 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas, Derby, Oaks and St Leger - from 2025 is manna to racecourse execs whose job it is to find backers for marquee events. With the Qatar-owned Qipco stepping back from sponsorship of the Guineas meeting and King George at Ascot from next year (they're maintaining their support for Champions Day), the prestige...

These are challenging times for British punters. If you win too much, your bookmaker could shut you down. If you lose too much, the state might send Big Brother in. This pincer of control and interference in online betting is weirdly at odds with the UK's economic culture, which favours deregulation and free markets - often to society's cost. The way power works, you will hear a lot more about the Gambling Commission's proposed affordability checks than you will bookmaking conglomerates restricting how much punters can stake - and the...

Fitzdares, the British bookmaker that has been taking bets since 1882, will have a North American launch in the coming weeks with the opening of an Ontario operation. Fitzdares received its iGaming Operator Registration from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) this month. Subject to final approvals, Fitzdares will be one of the first sports betting and iCasino operators to have its registration approved by the AGCO. Canada will join the United Kingdom and Ireland to become the third country where Fitzdares operates real-money online gaming. "We are...

Several bookmakers will donate their profits from the Britannia S. at Royal Ascot to various charities for the second year in a row. The following Betting and Gaming Council Members have all signed on: Flutter, which included Paddy Power, Betfair & Sky Bet bet365 Entain which is Ladbrokes and Coral William Hill Kindred (Unibet) BetVictor Betway Rank Group (Grosvenor Sport) the Tote Fitzdares In 2020, £250,000 was raised. This year the chartities that stand to benefit are: Prostate Cancer UK, Marie Curie, Care Radio and the three Armed Forces charities....

Ladbrokes and Coral will no longer have a presence in racecourse betting rings after their parent company GVC announced it will cease operation of all of its 106 racecourse betting pitches, which have been sold to John Hooper. "This decision has not been taken lightly, and we are very sad to be calling time on Ladbrokes and Coral's longstanding presence in the racecourse betting ring," said GVC's Trading Director Tom Ritzema. "GVC remains totally committed to horse racing, with a significant race sponsorship portfolio under the Ladbrokes and Coral brands,...

Lessons Learned from Australia Racing Prove when a Gambling Pie Grows, It Can Benefit Everyone Back in 2008, Australia began opening up their betting markets. In particular, corporate bookmakers and exchanges were allowed to flourish, offering racing and sports betting customers myriad choice. As we've often noticed in horse racing when presented with something new, in 2010, the sport down under was in full protection mode. They fought the changes in court, predicting "the total destruction of the racing industry as we know it," and "all 50,000 participants in the...