Charities to share £1.2 million from Royal Ascot’s Britannia Stakes

Some of the UK’s well-known charities will share a huge donation from Betting and Gaming Council (BCG) members after bookmakers donated their profits from this year’s Britannia Stakes. Charities to benefit from the fundraising initiative are ABF – The Soldiers’ Charity, Sue Ryder, Ascot Racecourse Supports Community Fund, The Ivors Academy Trust and Cotswold Riding for the Disabled. The race Britannia Stakes was won by Thesis ridden by Ryan Moore in a gripping finish, at odds of 14-1. 

This is the second time that Betting and Gaming Council members have supported this initiative and this year, Flutter (Paddy Power, Betfair, Sky Bet), bet365, Entain (Ladbrokes, Coral), William Hill, 888, BetVictor, Kindred (Unibet), Betway, Rank Group (Grosvenor Sport), Virgin Bet, Tote, Fitzdares and Bet with Ascot) all signed up for the initiative. The BGC members have raised £5.5 million for charity through the virtual Grand National and the Britannia Stakes since 2019.

Michael Dugher, chief executive of the BGC, said: “It’s great news that BGC members have once again made such a big donation to a number of brilliant charities. 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.

“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.”

Caroline Graham, Director of Fundraising at Sue Ryder, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have benefitted from the Britannia Stakes at Royal Ascot this year and want to thank the members of the BGC for their generosity.

“It is particularly special for us to be chosen in the Platinum Jubilee year as Her Majesty The Queen is our Patron. This incredible donation will make such a difference to Sue Ryder. It will enable us to grow the reach of our much needed bereavement services and help us in our ambition to create a society where no one has to face grief or loss alone.”

Alastair Warwick, Managing Director at Ascot Racecourse, added: “We are hugely grateful to all the bookmakers involved in this initiative which has once again raised a significant amount of money for some very worthwhile charities. The money donated to the Ascot Racecourse Supports Community Fund in particular will help us hugely in our work to support the local community around Ascot, our equine focused charity partners and many more.”