Zona de Azar UK – Talking Horses: Betting Shops May Reopen in Time for Royal Ascot

UK.- May 27, 2020 www.zonadeazar.com GVC, the parent company of the Ladbrokes and Coral betting shop chains, said on Monday evening that it is “well prepared” to open at least some of its outlets on 15 June, the day before Royal Ascot is expected to start behind closed doors. The openings are dependent on the government classifying high-street betting shops as supplying a “non-essential” product rather than as part of the hospitality industry, which is not expected to reopen until July.

Betting shops had previously been expected to reopen no earlier than 4 July, at the start of the third phase of the government’s steady unwinding of the lockdown. However, following an announcement by Boris Johnson, the prime minister, on Monday evening that all “non-essential” shops can reopen from 15 June, it now seems that the retail betting industry may be back in business just 24 hours before one of the biggest meetings of the year.

Betting shops are on a government list of outlets circulated to retailers on Monday evening that are able to open from 15 June. It also includes fashion shops, antique stores, photography studios, gift shops and dress fitters.

“We are well prepared to open some of our shops in June,” a spokesperson for GVC said, “and will be following the Covid-19 secure guidance.”

The suspension of racing since mid-March has cost racing around £8m per month in income from the Betting Levy, which returns money to the industry from the profits of off-course bookmakers, both on the high street and online. The big betting chains, meanwhile, also contribute many millions of pounds to racecourses in media rights payments for showing live action in their shops.

Ladbrokes and Coral operate around 3,100 betting shops while William Hill, which has about 2,300, has already said it plans a “staged” reopening of outlets when government lockdown restrictions allow it. The early reopening of betting shops on the eve of the Royal meeting would be a big boost to racing, which depends on daily meetings to keep money flowing throughout the industry but has not seen horses competing since mid-March.

The five-day Royal Ascot meeting seems likely to be the first major sporting event to take place as Britain’s lockdown restrictions ease and in a normal year it would be expected to contribute as much as £5m to Levy revenue, about 50% of which would come from high-street shops.

While some of that total would have been expected to shift online if betting shops were not open, the demand for cash betting remains strong and the extra income for the sport from Royal Ascot if some high-street shops open could be at least £1m in Levy income alone.

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