SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
A strong field at this week’s Royal Ascot is expected to result in a large number of accumulators placed throughout the week, according to BusinessDay.
Consulting some of the UK’s leading bookmakers, the business news site stated that firms are anticipating an ‘avalanche of accumulator bets’ throughout the five days of the festival.
In particular, Baaeed in the Queens Anne Stakes (1/5 on Oddschecker), Golden Pal in the Kings Stand Stakes (3/1) and Coroebus in the St James Palace Stakes (4/5) are catching bettors’ attention.
Dave Stevens, Coral PR Spokesman, informed the outlet: “Short-priced accumulators tend to be the trend with festival days.
“We see it at Cheltenham and Royal Ascot because of the nature of the grade ones. It has to be said it’s been a brilliant start to the flat season with good horses everywhere.”
This reportedly high number of accas expected at the event could of course be either a blessing or a curse for bookies – the multiple bets are notoriously tricky to win, but when they do a large payout can be expected.
Betting firms are likely hoping to build on the success of the Cheltenham Festival and Grand National at Ascot – the last fixture in the triple series of blockbuster National Hunt racing events.
The four-day Cheltenham Festival saw high turnover across the industry, with sports content and tech company OpenBet reporting 3.5 million bets placed on the Gold Cup alone and processing £500 million in stakes.
OpenBet maintains partnerships with several major horse racing wagering operators, including William Hill, Entain’s Ladbrokes and Coral, and Flutter Entertainment’s Paddy Power, SkyBet and Betfair brands.
Speaking to BusinessDay, Paddy Power Journalist Paul Binfield, said: “Baaeed, Coroebus and Golden Pal will be popular on the day with punters throwing in a horse like Blackbeard.
“We’ll see plenty of accumulators with these three and whatever Frankie [Dettori] is riding on day one. It will give the odds boffins real headaches.”
