UK racing has mourned the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who is recognised as horseracing’s “greatest and most influential supporter.” Yesterday afternoon, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) celebrated Queen Elizabeth’s patronage of British racing supporting all levels of the sport. Queen Elizabeth was a keen breeder of racehorses and endorsed equine welfare as a global ambassador of The …
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The Horseracing Betting Levy Board (HBLB) has issued a ‘going concern’ notice on the funding scheme’s ability to continue after it published a troubling set of financial results today. This morning, HBLB declared its annual report and accounts for 2020/2021 to DCMS, revealing that betting levy receipts taken for the year ending March 2021 had fallen to £82 million (2019/2020: …
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The Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) has committed to providing £31.9 million in funding for the first four months of 2021, continuing the ‘significantly increased support’ that it has provided since the resumption of racing in June 2020. The contribution will include £24.4 million which will be designated for prize money, a 46% increase on the normal level paid by …
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The Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) has offered a £3.2 million boost to UK racing in the form of immediate and short-term funding. The Board has agreed to fund £1.46m of one-off costs incurred by racecourses which will be used to ‘meet regulatory standards and guidance for hosting fixtures in the current environment’. This will be limited to £75,000 per …
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The Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) has confirmed that it will make a ‘substantial increase’ in its prize money for the remainder of the year, with allocations due to rise by 50%. HBLB has been spending around 25% more than usual on prize money since 1st June but from 1st September, for the following four months, this will increase even …
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The Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) has boosted its prize money contributions to support the industry as it continues to deal with the financial implications of the coronavirus crisis. With no crowds on racecourses, nor betting shops open, a drop in prize money was previously considered to be ‘inevitable’. The HBLB has since confirmed that it would boost its prize-money …
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A £22 million ‘hardship fund’ has been launched by The Horserace Betting Levy Board (Levy Board) and the Racing Foundation supporting horseracing stakeholders impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. The newly reformed Levy Board acts as a non-departmental public body, in charge of collecting and organising the finances of UK racing through betting taxes, fundraising and further on-course activities. Its counterpart the …
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Seeking to act as a unified voice for all UK gambling stakeholders, new industry trade body the ‘Betting and Gaming Council’ will launch this autumn. The new body will replace the functions and duties of the Remote Gambling Association (RGA) and the Association of British Bookmakers (ABB), which will be wound-up when the council secures its full operations. Announcing its …
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Steeped in history and tradition, but it could now be the case that Manchester’s Belle Vue dog track could be at risk, after it was revealed by the Manchester Evening News that there are potential plans to build 243 homes on the site. Having first been built in 1926, the infrastructure is synonymous with the Belle Vue area and is …
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The Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) has announced the appointment of Jeremy Cooper as its new Chairman. Cooper’s last position was as Chief Executive of the RSPCA, where he devised and implemented a five-year strategic plan. Prior to that, he was responsible for overhauling the RSPCA Freedom Food brand and relaunching it as RSPCA Assured, while turning it into …
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