BGC Delighted to Once Again Support Leicester Racecourse Veterans’ Day

The Betting and Gaming Council are proud to once again be supporting Leicester Racecourse Veterans’ Day.

It’s the second time Leicester races has held this event, there are six races on the day and each race is sponsored by a partner who makes a contribution to a military charity with a connection to Leicester.

This event is another opportunity for us to give back to the veteran community that has sacrificed so much on behalf of this nation’s security and prosperity.

The BGC’s sponsorship of Veterans’ Day builds on the work we have already done to celebrate veterans.

Our members have gifted nearly £700,000 to armed forces charities over the past two years including The Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity, ABF The Soldiers’ Charity and the RAF Benevolent Fund after our members donated all their profits from the flagship Britannia Stakes race, held at Royal Ascot.

Our chosen defence charity for this year’s event is the Defence National Rehabilitation Centre, where wounded service personnel go to get bespoke rehab treatment. Their aim is to transform outcomes for people who have suffered potentially life-changing injury, trauma or illness – and making sure that they can regain a quality of life equivalent to or as close as possible to their life prior to injury or illness.

BGC Chairman, Brigid Simmonds OBE said: “As a very proud former Captain in the Women’s Royal Army Corps, it gives me enormous pleasure that the Betting and Gaming Council is able to sponsor Veterans’ Day at Leicester Racecourse this week, giving us another fantastic opportunity to salute this nation’s special ex-Forces community.

“Thanks to the BGC’s support, veterans are the guests of honour, treated to a wonderful day of racing among friends.

“It is the very least we can do for a community that is too often overlooked in our society and yet gave so much for service to our country.”

Former Veterans Minister Lord Watson of Wyre Forest said: “The BGC’s support of Leicester Racecourse’s Veterans Day, builds on a great base of support from the industry for veteran’s groups.

“As a former Defence minister I am delighted that this event is organised and veterans get this special day considering all they do to enrich families, communities and workplaces across the nation.”

Every year, through sponsorship, media rights and the levy, our sector contributes £350m direct to horse racing. This is part of a wider economic contribution our members make to UK plc, supporting 110,000 jobs, generating £7.1bn to the economy while raising £4.2bn in taxes.

However, this funding is under threat as research by PwC found the number of customers using unlicensed betting websites has more than doubled, from 210,000 in 2019 to 460,000 in 2020 and the money staked is in the billions. The growth in black market gambling results in lost tax revenue and reduced funding for sport.

The Betting and Gaming Council is the standards body representing over 90 per cent of the regulated betting and gaming industry in the UK, including bookmakers, casinos and bingo and online betting.