BetUK, part of LeoVegas Group, has announced an exclusive sponsorship deal with Arena Racing Company (ARC), the owners and operators of four of the six all-weather courses in the UK, and pioneers of the Championships. The sponsorship sees BetUK occupy advertising space across 600 races, in addition to naming rights.
Ahead of the tenth season of the All-Weather Championships, BetUK has secured multi-year sponsorship rights to Marathon, Middle Distance, and Sprint races staged during winter meetings at the four ARC-owned racetracks of Southwell, Wolverhampton, Lingfield Park, and Newcastle. The sponsorship deal is for an initial three-year period.
ARC operate 16 racecourses in total across Great Britain, accounting for roughly two-fifths of overall British Racing fixtures. They were a pioneer in the creation of the All-Weather Championships in 2013, established in an effort to promote all-weather racing and encourage owners and trainers to maintain the condition of their horses during the winter months.
As part of the agreement, BetUK banners and adverts will be displayed prominently around these four racecourses, which will reach an audience of both attendees and television viewers, with racecards featuring the brand’s logo, alongside ITV and Sky Racing each broadcasting selected races. BetUK also receives exclusive naming rights to all of the races across the series.
Chris Welch, Chief Commercial Officer at LeoVegas Group, said; “BetUK, Britain’s fastest-growing betting brand, is proud to sponsor The All-Weather Championships in their tenth season. We are thrilled to sponsor 600 races over the next 3 years. As this is our first major Racing sponsorship, it was important to find the right partner and the right quality races that match our vision and ambition for the BetUK brand. Racing punters are already enjoying over 40,000 live-streamed races from around the world on our site and we are sure this high-profile sponsorship will further cement BetUK as a punters’ favourite”.
Regarding the deal with BetUK, Director of Commercial Strategy & Partnerships at ARC, David Leyden Dunbar, said; “As the All-Weather Championships enter their tenth season, they are now a firmly established part of the British Horse Racing calendar. I’m delighted to welcome our new partner, BetUK, to the Championships and thank them for their support of the Sprint, Middle Distance and Marathon categories. The Championships continue to provide a compelling racing narrative with plenty of exciting action ahead over the winter period taking us through to the crowning of our new Champions on Good Friday with £1 million in prize money on offer”.
The first meeting gets underway at Newcastle Racecourse during the afternoon of October 18th, with BetUK offering exclusive promotions to players ahead of the opening fixture. Head to BetUK.com to find out more and keep up to date with the latest developments in the world of Horse Racing.
ABOUT BETUK
BetUK, a part of LeoVegas Group, is a mobile-first online sportsbook that brings you top betting odds, expert betting tips and fantastic entertainment alongside finger-on-the-pulse news, insight and previews from some of the UK’s most up-and-coming sports personalities and bloggers. Take a look at the UK’s fastest-growing sportsbook for yourself and discover all of the latest promotions at betuk.com.
About ARC
Arena Racing Company (“ARC”) is the largest racecourse operator in the UK.
ARC is made up of the following sixteen racecourses: Bath, Brighton, Chepstow, Doncaster, Ffos Las, Fontwell Park, Great Yarmouth, Hereford, Lingfield Park, Newcastle, Royal Windsor, Sedgefield, Southwell, Uttoxeter, Wolverhampton and Worcester.
In addition to racecourses ARC owns Central Park, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sunderland and Perry Barr Greyhound Stadia and looks after the media interests of the Greyhound Media Group (“GMG”).
ARC runs four of the six all-weather racecourses in the UK offering two different types of surface for horses to run on: Polytrack at Lingfield Park and tapeta at Newcastle, Southwell and Wolverhampton Racecourses – the only tapeta racing surfaces in Europe.
In 2013 ARC pioneered the All-Weather Championships which see horses compete throughout the winter for the chance of qualifying for Finals Day on Good Friday at Newcastle, and the All-Weather Vase at Lingfield Park.
ARC hosts racing at all levels of the sport from Class 6 through to Group 1s. Doncaster Racecourse is home to the world’s oldest Classic, the Cazoo St Leger, run each year in September as part of the four-day Cazoo St Leger Festival as well as the final Group 1 of the year in Britain, the Vertem Futurity Trophy. Feature jumps races include the Grade 1 Betfair Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle Racecourse, the Coral Welsh Grand National at Chepstow Racecourse and Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter Racecourse.
As well as racing, ARC also operates a hotel at Wolverhampton Racecourse, a hotel and golf course at Lingfield Park and The Border Minstrel public house at Newcastle Racecourse in the grounds of Gosforth Park. The Hilton Garden Inn Doncaster Racecourse opened in September 2018.
ARC is a significant shareholder in the horseracing TV channel Sky Sports Racing which is broadcast on the Sky platform to c.14 million homes.
ARC plays a pivotal role in British Racing. It is a shareholder in British Champions Series and Racecourse Data Company and is represented on the boards of the Racecourse Association (“RCA”), Great British Racing (“GBR”) and British Champion Series (“BCS”).
In 2015 ARC set up The Racing Partnership. This limited company represents the media rights of the 16 ARC owned-racecourses and the four independent racecourses Hexham, Newton Abbot, Plumpton and Ripon.
Further information about ARC can be found at www.arenaracingcompany.co.uk.