Online gambling operators 188Bet and McBookie have joined the rooster of sports betting and gaming companies to support the British Horseracing Authority’s Authorised Betting Partner initiative. The two operators will now be offered access to a number of branding and sponsorship opportunities at events organized by the British Horseracing Authority and at tracks owned by the Jockey Club and Arena Racing Company.
As mentioned above, 188Bet and McBookie have joined the constantly increasing number of other Authorised Betting Partners to the British Horseracing Authority, with Sky Betting & Gaming, bet365, Betfair, SeanieMac, and BetStars being among those. The program aims at supporting the country’s horseracing industry. As part of this support, Authorised Betting Partners have agreed to contribute a portion of their profits generated from bets on horseracing.
Commenting on 188Bet joining the initiative, Nigel Singer, Managing Director of the online gambling operator, said that the agreement with the British Horseracing Authority reinforced the company’s commitment to the British horseracing industry as a whole and to delivering an excellent horseracing product to their betting customers.
Paul Petrie, a spokesman for McBookie, noted that their core interest lies mainly with five Scottish racecourses and that they want to play a role in the venues’ sustainability through the operator’s voluntary commitment to pay a certain portion of its profits to British horseracing. Mr. Petrie further noted that the agreement with the racing authority would further cement the company’s relationship with Scottish racing through the payments McBookie would contribute.
The Authorised Betting Partner program was launched on January 1, 2016. As mentioned above, it rewards gambling companies for their voluntary contributions to horseracing by offering them the Authorised Betting Partner designation and the chance to use their relationship with the popular sport and with regulators to promote their services and options and grow their business.
In 2014, Ladbrokes, Betfred, William Hill, and Coral, known to be the owners of the largest High Street betting shop chains, contributed the amount of £4.5 million to horseracing. If their future contributions meet certain criteria, the afore-mentioned companies will, too, receive the official Authorised Betting Partner designation.
