SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
William Hill has been named official betting partner of the Racing League for the second year in a row, sponsoring the 2022 edition of the tournament.
Launched last July, the Racing League is the first horse racing event in the UK to follow a league format, featuring teams of horses, jockeys and trainers representing seven regions of Great Britain and Ireland.
The tournament, developed with the aim of fostering a new and younger audience for British and Irish horse racing, will be broadcast across Sky Sports Racing and ITV Racing.
Liam McKee, Director of Media, Sponsorship and UK Creative at William Hill, said: “The innovative and unique concept of Racing League has always appealed to us at William Hill and, with the planned changes to the 2022 format, we’re really excited to be involved in Racing League once again.
“We’re looking forward to seeing who will win the race to the top and be crowned the 2022 Champions.”
This year’s season will start on 4 August at Doncaster racecourse, followed by a further 41 races for a total prize fund of over £2m. Each team earns points for their finishing position in each race.
The group first sponsored the Racing League for the inaugural series last year, when the company was still a FTSE100 company, but owned by US conglomerate Caesars Entertainment. Since then, 888 has successfully completed its acquisition of the heritage bookmaker.
Jeremy Wray, Racing League CEO, added: “We took in a huge amount of feedback following the inaugural running of Racing League in 2021, and have been keen to add a number of innovations into this year’s competition.
“125 trainers have signed up to take part, in regional teams this year, which we hope will create a competition that is equally as compelling for racing fans and punters.
“William Hill are, of course, well known and long time supporters of racing in this country, and we are delighted to welcome them back to Racing League. We look forward to working together in promoting both their brand, as well as our competition to racing fans and their customer base alike.”
