BGC members donate over £1m in Royal Ascot profits to five charities

BGC members donate over £1m in Royal Ascot profits to five charities - Banner
Charlie Vogelsang
by Charlie Vogelsang Last updated:

£1.2m have been donated from BGC members over the weekend

The Royal Ascot is one of the biggest and most prestigious events of the year with five days of top-class action featuring over 35 races hosted in 2022 at the Ascot racecourse in Berkshire.

This is Britain's most valuable race meeting and plays hosts to the best flat horses across Britain and Ireland as well as huge players from France, Australia and the US to name a few.

Naturally, this event brings in loads of enthusiasts and racegoers leading to many people placing bets on the different races. Amazingly, a group of Betting and Gaming Council members (BGC) have donated a huge amount of profits from the event to charity.

Big names in the initiative

From all the profits from the Britannia Stakes horse race last week, a group of BGC members have donated £1.2m to charity. Big companies such as Flutter Entertainment (known for Paddy Power and Betfair) and Entain were among the operators to sign up for this initiative.

This initiative states that all profits from this specific race would be distributed to a number of charities. It wasn't just Flutter and Entain joining in as Bet365, William Hill, BetVictor and the Rank Group were just a few of the many that joined.

£1.2m split amongst five charities

Thesis shot to victory with Jockey Ryan Moore meaning that £1.2m was split between Sue Ryder, Ascot Racecourse Supports Community Fund, The Ivors Academy Trust, Cotswold Riding for the Disabled and ABF - The Soldier's Charity.

Ultimately, the donation means that members of the organisation have raised £5.5m for charity since the BGC was founded in November 2019.

"Such a big donation to a number of brilliant charities," says BGC

“It’s great news that BGC members have once again made such a big donation to a number of brilliant charities,” BGC chief executive Michael Dugher said. “BGC members support the jobs of nearly 120,000 people and we are proud to back so many good causes in so many local communities all year round. 

He added: “We are also equally proud of the close relationship we have with the great British sport of horse racing. But with crowds back, with millions more watching it live on ITV, and with this year being Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee, Royal Ascot 2022 was extra special. 

“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. I’d like to thank all the BGC members who took part – as well as their customers who enjoyed a flutter on the race – and I’d like to thank Ascot for their continued support.”