It is being reported that Sky Bet is to be announced as the latest bookmaker to sign up for authorised betting partner status with British horseracing.
This is a somewhat exclusive status and should it go ahead the operator will join Betfair, bet365, BetVictor and 32Red as an APB. This is in addition to a number of smaller companies. The primary benefit of gaining APB status is that it allows those listed to sponsor races at a number of British tracks.
The deal will also allow talkSPORT 2 to launch as planned during the upcoming Cheltenham Festival which starts on March 15th. Sky Bet is the station’s betting sponsor and the intention is to broadcast the first shows from the course which would not have been allowed to go ahead without the bookmaker first securing ABP status.
Talksport’s main channel will also be broadcasting from the festival for its duration. A spokesman from Racecourse Media Group has stated that this will be allowed despite its output including sponsored shows by bookmakers without APB status. This is reportedly because they were part of deals which were agreed prior to the APB dispute.