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William Hill and Betfred have separately confirmed that their betting shops will be closed on Friday 9 September to respect the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
The Big-4 retail bookmakers announced their decision to close shops on Friday via Twitter.
William Hill stated: “We’re saddened to hear of the passing of Her Majesty The Queen.
“Queen Elizabeth II, our longest reigning monarch, has been an important and steadfast figurehead during times of massive change. We join with the nation in expressing our deepest condolences to The Royal Family.
“As a mark of respect, our shops are closed this evening and will remain closed tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, Betfred posted: “As a mark of respect, all our shops are closed this evening and will remain closed tomorrow.”
Issuing their condolences, the governing bodies of sports have confirmed that weekend fixtures will be postponed and rescheduled to a later date.
As of Thursday, UK racing halted all race meetings to mourn the passing of Elizabeth II, who is recognised as the sport’s ‘greatest patron’.
The English Football League (EFL) has postponed the Championship match of Burnley vs Norwich and Tranmere Rovers vs Stockport County in League Two.
“A determination regarding the remainder of this weekend’s scheduled fixtures will be made following a review of the official mourning guidance, in addition to further consultation with DCMS and other sports on Friday morning,” read an EFL statement.
UK media anticipates that the Premier League will announce the postponement of its full weekend schedule, which is expected to be announced on Friday morning.
Golf’s European Tour confirmed that play at the PGA Championships at Wentworth had been abandoned: “Out of respect for Her Majesty and the Royal Family, play has been suspended at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club for the remainder of Thursday and Friday.”
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced that there would be “no play on Friday in the third England v South Africa Test following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II”.
Downing Street reports detailed that DCMS will provide guidance to sporting bodies on how to observe and respect the Queen’s passing and its impact on scheduling.
However, DCMS has maintained that it is for individual sporting bodies to decide whether to maintain fixtures as the government will impose no obligation to cancel sporting events.
