A number of UK charities are to receive a share of £1.25m, after members of the Betting and Gaming Council agreed to donate all profits gained from the Britannia Stakes, which took place at Royal Ascot on June 17.
Prostate Cancer UK, Marie Curie, the three Armed Forces charities and Care Radio will receive a share of the aforementioned figure, after 18/1 shot Peretto, ridden by Oisin Murphy, triumphed.
The Tri-forces charities who will all benefit from the race are the Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity; the Army Benevolent Fund, The Army’s national charity; and the RAF Benevolent Fund.
Michael Dugher, chief executive of the Betting and Gaming Council, said: “I am absolutely thrilled by the amount raised by this fantastic initiative at Royal Ascot. This money will make a huge difference to the incredible work done by the charities involved.
“I’d like to thank all the BGC members who took part – as well as their customers who enjoyed a flutter on the race – for their generosity in supporting some really great causes.”
BGC members Flutter Entertainment (Paddy Power, Betfair, Sky Bet), bet365, Entain (Ladbrokes, Coral), William Hill, Kindred (Unibet), BetVictor, Betway, Rank Group (Grosvenor Sport) and AnzoGroup (Livescore Bet and Virgin Bet), plus the Tote, Fitzdares and Sporting Index, all signed up to the fundraising initiative.
Alastair Warwick, managing director of Ascot Racecourse, stated “We’re delighted that Royal Ascot has once again played a part in raising valuable funds for these deserving charities.
“I know this fantastic initiative from the betting industry is hugely appreciated and the money will be used for some extremely worthwhile causes.”
The initiative will see the operators hand over $1.25m to the charities, a figure which tops the £250,000 given out following the first Britannia Stakes charity fundraiser a year ago.
“We’d like to thank the Betting and Gaming Council members for this incredible donation, which enables us to support people across the UK through our frontline nursing and hospice care and support services,” added Susan Boissier, Marie Curie head of special events.
“Our fundraising has been impacted by coronavirus and its thanks to generous initiatives such as this that we are there for people and to help improve everyone’s experience at the end of life.”
