Latest news with #GrainneHurst
The Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Bookies to donate all profits from Royal Ascot race to UK charities, BGC reveal
A number of UK charities are set to benefit from one of Royal Ascot's most famous races this week, as bookmakers pledge to donate all profits from the Britannia Stakes to good causes. The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) announced that its members will give away every penny of profit from win and each-way bets on the race - held on Ladies' Day, Wednesday 19 June - to a range of UK charities. 2 This marks the sixth year in a row that the initiative has run, raising more than £3 million to date. Charities set to receive funds this year include Prostate Cancer UK, Missing People, the SAS Regimental Association, Ascot Racecourse Supports, Racing to School, Greenhouse Sports and TempusNovo. Bookmakers taking part include Flutter (Paddy Power, Betfair, Sky Bet), Entain (Ladbrokes, Coral), William Hill, Unibet, Betway, Virgin Bet, Star Sports, QuinnBet, the Tote and Bet with Ascot. If the bookmakers don't make a profit on the race, they've agreed to donate a minimum of £200,000 to be shared between the chosen charities. Since 2019, BGC members have raised over £6 million for charities supporting health, sport and the armed forces. Betting and Gaming Council CEO Grainne Hurst, said: 'I'm absolutely delighted to announce that BGC members will once more be raising significant funds for a host of charities at the Britannia Stakes. "The BGC and our members are incredibly proud to have raised millions for a host of cherished good causes over the last five years, and it's fantastic to partner with Royal Ascot once again to add to that tally. "Millions of us enjoy a flutter, while Royal Ascot is the crown jewel in the sporting calendar, so it's fantastic to see Britain's bookies once again donating their profits from the Britannia Stakes. Whatever the result, charities are guaranteed to win big.' Felicity Barnard, Chief Executive at Ascot Racecourse, said: 'We are delighted that members of the Betting and Gaming Council continue to support this hugely successful initiative. "We are again thrilled that Ascot Racecourse Supports is a beneficiary – the monies raised are helping to support key community and equine legacy projects and we are hugely grateful.' Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who: For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.
The Sun
08-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Two-thirds of gamblers would turn to black market betting sites if the Government increased tax rate on horses
TWO thirds of punters say a tax increase on betting such as horse racing will push people to the gambling black market, a shock survey finds. A major change to the way betting and gaming is taxed online is being consulted on by Ministers triggering fears a flutter on racing and football will be more expensive. Sporting betting and online gaming are currently taxed at differing rates but the sector is warning against introducing a single new tax at a higher rate. The survey from the Betting and Gaming Council found that 65 per cent of regular punters would head to unregulated sites where no tax is paid. It comes after a recent study found 1.5 million Brits wager more than £4 billion on the betting black market every year hitting the fragile horse racing industry. The Treasury insist plans are about cutting back on bureaucracy rather than hiking or lowering tax rates. Grainne Hurst, the boss of the Betting and Gaming Council, said: 'This shocking statistic proves what's at stake if the Government forces through a self-defeating tax hike on ordinary punters. 'It's clear it will not raise more tax, it simply risks forcing huge numbers of customers out of the regulated market, with its world leading standards on player safety, into the arms of the growing, illegal, unregulated and unsafe gambling black market online. 'Any tax rises would make a mockery of the Government's growth strategy and be catastrophic for horseracing, which is already facing a bleak financial outlook. 'This is a wake up call for Government, punters have been loud and clear, hit them with further taxes and they will walk away from sports like racing, straight to the black market, triggering a spiral of decline.' Currently, there is a distinction between general betting which is taxed at 15 per cent and remote gaming which has grown hugely in recent years which is taxed at 21 per cent. Ministers are looking at bringing in a new single remote gambling tax with industry figures fearing it could be at the higher rate. A Treasury spokesperson said: 'We are consulting on bringing the treatment of online betting in line with other forms of online gambling to cut down bureaucracy - it is not about increasing or decreasing rates. 'During this consultation we welcome views from all stakeholders including businesses, trade bodies, the third sector and individuals.' 1
The Sun
29-04-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Horse racing faces fresh risk of ruin as Rachel Reeves mulls hiking taxes on betting
CHANCELLOR Rachel Reeves is considering a betting tax rise — placing the struggling racing industry at fresh risk of ruin. The Treasury wants to lift the levy for punts on the gee-gees from 15 to 21 per cent to put in on a par with online gaming, slot machines and casinos. 2 Critics argue the move would see less sponsorship, prize money and support from the betting giants that keep the racing industry alive. Any new rate would be announced in a Budget. Ministers have already proposed replacing the General Betting Duty, which applies to racing, and the Remote Gaming Duty, with a single Remote Betting and Gaming Duty. It would be applied to all bets, regardless of where they are laid, and comes as punters increasingly use mobile devices to place wagers. Grainne Hurst, boss of the Betting and Gaming Council, said equalising the tax rates would be 'catastrophic for racing's fragile finances'. She said a new rise, so soon after a White Paper which cost the sector more than a billion pounds, 'will not raise more money for the Treasury'. She said it was likely to force firms to push investment and jobs overseas. Punters, she added, would turn to the gambling black market online which pays no tax and has no safer gambling protections. The Treasury insisted the changes would not affect high street bookies and bingo halls and cut red tape for firms by reducing the number of returns they have to make. It said no exact rates had yet been decided.
The Sun
29-04-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Treasury's proposed new Remote Betting & Gaming Duty would be 'catastrophic for Racing's fragile finances' BGC warn
BETTING & GAMING COUNCIL chiefs have warned HM Treasury any further tax increases would be "catastrophic for Racing's fragile finances". It comes following a proposal into 'The Tax Treatment of Remote Gambling' which would see taxes hiked further, due to the increase in remote users in gambling. 2 The latest proposal follows fresh on the heels of the gambling White Paper, which hit the gambling sector's revenue by over a billion pounds. Trends have shown that punters are using mobile devices more and more for their betting. At present, the structure of tax makes clear distinctions between general betting, pool betting and remote gaming, with the government suggesting it now doesn't reflect the increased use of the latter. As such, they're looking to introduce a new single remote gambling tax - named Remote Betting & Gaming Duty - which would include 'betting and gaming activities offered remotely such as online casino, and remote betting including general and pool betting'. But BGC chiefs have hit back, saying its members already contribute £6.8bn to the economy and generate £4bn in tax", while any further tax increases would 'make a mockery of the government's strategy for growth'. They've also warned it could have a detrimental impact on punters moving into the black market for their gaming, and also for the future of horse racing, which is already battling with its finances. Betting and Gaming Council CEO, Grainne Hurst, said: 'Raising taxes further now on regulated betting and gaming through a new single tax would be utterly self-defeating for the Government, while making a mockery of their growth strategy. 'Any potential further increase in taxes on our members, so soon after a White Paper which cost the sector over a billion pounds in lost revenue, will not raise more money for the Treasury. 'If General Betting Duty is raised to the same level as Remote Gaming Duty under one new tax, it would be catastrophic for Racing's fragile finances. 'It will also likely force businesses to push investment and jobs overseas, while making their products more expensive for UK customers, driving them to the growing unsafe gambling black market online, which doesn't pay a penny in tax and doesn't have any of the safer gambling protections available in the regulated sector. 'BGC members contribute £6.8bn to the economy, generate £4bn in tax while supporting 109,000 jobs, but this flawed approach can only lead to a spiral of decline. 'Government must listen to business and sport and not drive growth, investment and jobs out of one of the UK's few global business success stories.' Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who: For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Revealed: The £10 million betting black market for Grand National
Almost £10 million is being staked illegally on the Grand National amid an alarming growth in black-market betting across the UK, according to industry analysis. Gamblers are turning to unregulated markets in record numbers, potentially depriving the Treasury of up to £335 million over the next five years, it is claimed. A record number of illegal bets on the Aintree showpiece is anticipated after a 522 per cent increase in traffic to unlicensed sites over three years. Industry analysis seen by the Betting and Gaming Council shows for the Grand National alone £9.4 million will be staked illegally. 'This should serve as a wake-up call for Government, who must guard against overbearing regulations which risk driving punters into the arms of illegal operators,' the organisation says. Influencers boasting of huge wins on social media are also helping to lure problem gamblers into joining unregulated groups on Telegram, WhatsApp or Signal. 'Almost £10 million will be staked illegally on the unsafe, growing gambling black market at this year's Grand National, fuelling crime, undermining player protection measures, while sucking vital cash from sport and the Treasury,' said Grainne Hurst, BGC's CEO. 'The Grand National is one of the precious few sporting events in this country with the ability to unite the entire nation around a single spectacle. It is the nation's punt, and it is being subverted by illegal operators offering illicit gambling to thousands of punters, many of whom are vulnerable to harm.' Gambling addiction awareness campaigners had lobbied hard for more Government regulation but the industry claims affordability checks are playing a part in pushing punters into illegal markets. Following various law changes, gamblers who lose £150 or more a month now face extra checks. Restrictions were introduced after the Government published a White Paper on gambling reform, which included proposals for a mandatory levy to fund addiction treatment, education and research. However, a report by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities shows illegal betting and related crime have boomed during the same time. The number of unique customers visiting 22 unlicensed sites taking bets on British racing had grown by 522 per cent between August 2021 and September 2024. Unique visitor traffic to 10 legal websites offering betting on horse racing had grown by only 49 per cent over the same period. Hurst, of the Betting and Gaming Council, adds: 'Balanced regulations and a stable tax regime are the best defences against this black-market menace, which now poses an existential threat to British racing.' The growth in illegal gambling comes at a critical juncture for horse racing. Gambling Commission figures published in December showed online betting turnover on British horse racing had dropped by £1.6 billion in the last two years. In September last year, the BGC commissioned Frontier Economics to conduct a study on the size, scale and reach of the black market, which includes illegal casinos, bookmakers, betting via syndicates on WhatsApp or Telegram and illegal bookmakers online. That study found 1.5 million Britons collectively stake up to £4.3 billion on the growing, unsafe gambling black market each year. The report found illegal operators are 'aggressively targeting UK customers, significantly undermining player protections, while sucking millions from sport and the Treasury'. According to the research, more than one in five 18-to-24-year-olds who bet already use the unsafe, unregulated gambling black market online, and via secure online messaging apps. Meanwhile, outfits based overseas aggressively target customers who have self-excluded from regulated betting operators. Authorities have started to clamp down on illegal platforms. Haydon Simcock, a British racehorse owner, is currently awaiting trial accused of being a senior figure in an illegal bookmaker that claims to have more than 1,000 customers, including others involved in racing. Simcock was allegedly a commercial manager for The Post Bookmakers, an unregulated firm taking bets through the messaging app WhatsApp, whose advertising material had been circulating widely through the sport. Simcock, 39, of Weston Coyney, Stoke-on-Trent, is charged with providing facilities for gambling to consumers in Great Britain without holding an operating licence between October 18, 2023 to September 11, 2024, and advertising those facilities between May 26, 2023 and March 1, 2024. The Grand National at Aintree is the most popular – and most watched – horse race in the world. According to industry research conducted by the BGC, approximately £250 million will be staked on the main event. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
