BGC Members Raise £1M For The British Greyhound Racing Fund
The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) and its members have helped raise an extra £1 million for the British Greyhound Racing Fund (BGRF).
The BGRF is an organisation that was founded to help support and care for active racing greyhounds and support the Greyhound Retirement Scheme, which works to ensure that all retired greyhounds are sent to suitable rehoming organisations.
Every year, the organisation’s fund spends half of its revenue on animal welfare schemes, and during the pandemic, the BGRF made an additional £600,000 available. The organisation this year aimed to raise an extra one million pounds to help cover its work, and the goal was met by contributions from the BGC and its members.
According to the Betting and Gaming Council, all members who offer greyhound betting, including BetVictor, 888, Betway, and the Kindred Group, has contributed towards the organisation’s goal. As part of the agreement between the BGRF and BGC members, the organisation will ensure that all donated money will completely go towards welfare and integrity projects.
Joe Scanlon, the Chair of the British Greyhound Racing Fund, said in a statement: “It’s fantastic news for the whole of the greyhound industry that all of the Betting and Gaming Council members who offer bets on greyhound racing, both in retail and online, are now supporting the Fund. Once the country returns to normality, this added funding will result in a huge boost to the welfare of racing greyhounds. Despite all the challenges of the past 12 months, we’re feeling positive about the future of this excellent sport.”
Brigid Simmonds, the Chair of the BGC, added: “Watching greyhound racing is part of our culture and social fabric that has been closed over the last year. It is vitally important that 100 per cent of members of the BGC who benefit from income from greyhound racing also support the industry, and in particular dog welfare, whilst racing and when the dogs retire. I am delighted that our members have stepped up their financial support, and the BGC will remain keen supporters of BGRF and the many charities it supports.”
BHA Working To Get Owners Back On Racecourses
Meanwhile, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has announced that it is working with stakeholders to get horse owners back on racecourses across England and Scotland from Monday, March 29, as part of the UK’s current plans for easing lockdown restrictions.
Under the UK’s lockdown rules, the public are prohibited from attending horse racing events, all of which have played behind closed doors. Due to this, horse owners have not been able to see their horses perform on racecourses and in yards, but the BHA is looking to change that and allow owners back on racecourses.
According to SBCNews, the BHA plans on easing racecourse restrictions by launching a “phased, risk-managed approach” between March 29 and April 12, during which a maximum of two pre-registered representatives per horse will be allowed access to individual racecourses. The phase will then be reviewed on April 12th, when the BGA hopes to increase access to six representatives.
A statement from the BHA, obtained by SBCNews, reads: “Racecourse officials are currently liaising with their local authorities and will contact owners directly ahead of each fixture with further details of any local requirements. We would also like to thank those owners who have attended behind closed doors fixtures and co-operated fully with the infection control measures in place. These are designed to keep everyone safe and protect racing from the risk of Covid-related disruption. Thank you again for your support – and we look forward to seeing you back on the racecourse.”
Betway And Betfred Announce New Content Agreements
While all of the above has been helping, gambling operators Betway and Betfred have both announced new content agreements as part of a move to expand their game catalogues.
This week, Betway announced a new agreement with Pragmatic Play, under which the game developer will provide the operator with its entire selection of live casino content. This includes games such as Mega Wheel, Blackjack Azure, several Roulette titles, and plenty more.
According to Pragmatic Play, the new agreement is an extension of the firms’ previous content partnership signed in December 2020, under which Pragmatic Play video slots such as Wild Wild Riches, Wolf Gold, Joker’s Jewels, Mustang Gold, and numerous others were made available with Betway.
Bhotesh Maheshwari, the VP of Commercial Strategy and Operations at Pragmatic Play, said in a statement: “Betway has only been a customer for a few months and we’re already enjoying a fantastic partnership. Our live casino portfolio offers operators cutting-edge games designed for players of all tastes and we are very excited to take this relationship to the next level.”
Paul Adkins, the Marketing and Operations Director at Betway, added: “Pragmatic Play’s slot offering has been a great addition to our online casino, and we’re delighted to be complementing that with their live casino range as well. Adding new verticals from Pragmatic Play was very easy through their single API integration and we look forward to enjoying continued success together in the future.”
Meanwhile, Betfred has partnered with game development studio Pariplay in a deal that sees the Malta-based slot aggregator and content provider launch a selection of its casino content under Betfred’s “Games” tab of its casino, with more to release in the coming months, European Gaming reports.
Christine Lewis, the Chief Commercial Officer at Pariplay, said in a statement: “The UK market remains a very important one for us and we are very pleased to have extended our reach there by teaming up with Betfred. The games we have selected to kick off our relationship are proven performers and I’m confident they and the others we have in our portfolio will go down well with their players.”
Andy Horne, the Head of eGaming at Betfred, added: “Pariplay’s slots are a great addition to our portfolio and we’re looking forward to making them available to our Games customers. We have an evolving cooperation with Pariplay and are excited about the opportunities it is set to bring in the near future.”