UK
BGC Announces Grainne Hurst as its New Chief Executive Officer
The UK’s Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has announced Grainne Hurst as its new Chief Executive Officer.
Grainne brings an unparalleled wealth of experience in the regulated betting and gaming sector, joining from global betting brand Entain, where she is currently Group Corporate Affairs Director.
The appointment comes as part of a wider restructuring of the BGC’s senior leadership, as current BGC CEO Michael Dugher moves to become Chair, replacing outgoing Chairman Brigid Simmonds OBE.
Grainne has held a number of senior roles in the land-based and online sectors, and brings a passion for increasing the number of high profile women in the industry, establishing the international arm of Global Gaming Women, where she is a board member, and oversaw the charity’s expansion to the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
Over almost a decade with Entain, Grainne has led the company’s activities and relationships with government and the public sector and successfully spearheaded the company’s rebrand from GVC to Entain.
She is also a board member of the Entain Foundation and created and delivered Entain’s multi-award-winning global safer gambling strategy, Changing for the Bettor.
She was previously a special advisor to the UK government and studied at King’s College London and Queen Mary University in London.
Grainne Hurst said: “I am delighted to be joining the BGC at such a crucial time for its members and the millions of customers they serve. I am very grateful to Michael Dugher for everything he has done in establishing the BGC and I look forward to working closely with him to move it forward. My focus will always be on ensuring that we have a well regulated industry which protects customers and looks after their interests. The betting industry in the UK has world leading businesses and iconic brands and I will work hard to ensure they remain so. There is much to be done and I look forward to getting started.”
BGC CEO Michael Dugher added: “Grainne’s appointment is excellent news for BGC and our members. She won a very tough, external recruitment process and clearly demonstrated that she has not only mission critical knowledge and experience in the regulated industry – both online and in the land based sector – but also a strong vision for continued change and improvement at the BGC. Driving further progress on safer gambling, whilst ensuring that the tens of thousands of people who work in the industry continue to have their voices heard, will remain at the heart of everything we do.
“Grainne’s wealth of experience, impressive leadership qualities, formidable campaigning skills and acumen will be essential in working with all of our members to take the BGC to the next level. She is someone who is rightly widely respected across the industry and, as I step back to become Chair of the BGC, I am confident she will work well with our talented staff to make a decisive impact as our new CEO.”
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World Pool, the largest globally commingled horse racing pools created and powered by the Hong Kong Jockey Club, will make its UK seasonal bow at Newmarket Racecourse on Saturday 4 May, where a brand new £50,000 initiative is being launched for jockeys.
For the first time the opening two Classics of the UK Flat season will both be World Pool events, with the QIPCO 1000 Guineas on Sunday 5 May becoming a new World Pool race this year and joining the 2000 Guineas run the day before.
Guineas weekend will also see the start of a new World Pool initiative, the World Pool UK & Ireland Jockeys’ Championship, where jockeys will compete to accumulate points across World Pool fixtures in the UK & Ireland.
For the winning jockey of every World Pool race in the UK and Ireland, points will be awarded based on the World Pool win dividend. The concept of this point system offers a level playing field for all jockeys, from leaders to rising stars, and their chances of winning are dictated by the public as reflected by their World Pool odds.
Beginning with the QIPCO 2000 Guineas, the competition will conclude on QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot on 19 October, with the winner receiving £50,000 to be donated to a charity of their choice.
A further new addition to the World Pool calendar this year will be the Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas on Sunday 26 May. The Tattersalls Gold Cup, run on the same day, will also be a World Pool race for the first time, with prize money increased from €450,000 in 2023 to €500,000 this year.
Following the successful introduction of World Pool Moment of the Year in 2022 in Great Britain and Ireland, this will continue in 2024 covering all full World Pool meetings and will reward stable staff with cash prizes, as well as a VIP trip to Hong Kong for four people in 2025 to the overall winner.
One World Pool Moment of the Day will be selected at each full World Pool meeting with the winning groom receiving HK$40,000 (or equivalent – £4,000 in the UK and €4,000 in Ireland).
Michael Fitzsimons, Executive Director, Wagering Products of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, said: “It’s fantastic to be returning to the UK and Ireland with an extended World Pool fixture list this year now featuring the English and Irish 1000 Guineas, and we look forward to making these historic fillies’ Classics available to customers from around the world.
“In addition to the popular World Moment of the Day initiative, we’re excited to announce the new World Pool UK & Ireland Jockeys’ Championship, which will provide a different dimension and further competition to World Pool racedays right up until QIPCO British Champions Day in October.
“It’s a unique competition, with a jockey’s points being determined by World Pool win dividends, and a great initiative as there’s £50,000 up for grabs for the leading rider to donate to a charity of their choice. We are committed to giving money back to racing and good causes, and this seemed the perfect way to do that.”
Alex Frost, Chief Executive of the UK Tote Group, said: “It’s always an exciting time of year as the Flat season gets underway and we’re delighted that both the UK’s first Classics are World Pool events. City Of Troy has the potential to be a global superstar and we look forward to his seasonal reappearance being watched and bet on by 28 countries who play into the UK’s first World Pool event of 2024.
“Racing fans in the UK and Ireland will be able to access the huge global pools at tote.co.uk, on the Tote App and at racecourses which means excellent value is on offer, while the sport benefits from this increasingly important revenue stream.”
Martin Stevenson, Chief Executive Officer of Racecourse Media Group (RMG), which represents the media interests of The Jockey Club, Goodwood, and York Racecourses, said: “RMG looks forward to another exciting World Pool season in UK and Ireland, and will continue to work closely with the Hong Kong Jockey Club, UK Tote and our racecourses to grow both the sport’s revenues and global appeal.”
Amy Starkey, Managing Director, Jockey Club Racecourses, said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with the Hong Kong Jockey Club, and thank them for their support as we deliver three exciting World Pool days across the QIPCO Guineas Festival and the Betfred Derby Festival.
“For the first time in the UK, we have worked alongside World Pool to host a nine-race card on QIPCO 2000 Guineas Day. This will include the first Classic of the season, whilst we are also delighted to feature the following day’s three-year-old Classic Fillies’ race, the QIPCO 1000 Guineas, as a World Pool race for the first time.
“World Pool enables strong reinvestment back into British racing and working alongside them to secure these additional races is an important step as we continue to strengthen links with Hong Kong, engage more fans with British racing and strive to grow our sport.”
Brian Kavanagh, Chief Executive of the Curragh Racecourse, said: “We are delighted to extend our relationship with World Pool in 2024 with the Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas and the Tattersalls Gold Cup on 26 May and the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby meeting on 30 June included in the programme.
“We had a very positive first experience with World Pool last year and look forward to building on it this year, bringing our racing to a wider audience. Irish horses have enjoyed great success internationally in recent years and we are delighted to be showcasing our best races through World Pool.
“Inclusion in World Pool has enabled us to increase prizemoney at the Curragh in 2024 and we look forward to developing this relationship further in the future.”
Upcoming UK and Irish World Pool events in first half of 2024:
May
Saturday 4: 2000 Guineas Day – Newmarket Racecourse (F)
Sunday 5: 1000 Guineas Day – Newmarket Racecourse (S)
Saturday 18: Lockinge Stakes Day – Newbury Racecourse (P)
Sunday 26: Irish 1000 Guineas Day – Curragh Racecourse (P)
June
Saturday 1: Derby Stakes Day – Epsom Racecourse (F)
Tuesday 18: Queen Anne Stakes Day – Ascot Racecourse (F)
Wednesday 19: Prince of Wales’s Stakes Day – Ascot Racecourse (F)
Thursday 20: Gold Cup Day – Ascot Racecourse (F)
Friday 21: Commonwealth Cup Day – Ascot Racecourse (F)
Saturday 22: Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes Day – Ascot Racecourse (F)
Sunday 30: Irish Derby Day – Curragh Racecourse (F)
*F: Full meeting – World Pool coverage on all races in the relevant meeting
P: Part meeting – World Pool coverage only on selected races in the relevant meeting
S: Single race – World Pool coverage only on this race in the relevant meeting
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PA Betting Services (PABS) has agreed a deal to supply racing data to the Tote for a further four years.
As part of this agreement, PABS will continue to serve as a supplier of United Kingdom (UK) and select international racing data for the Tote. This will enable its valued customers the opportunity to access the wealth of dependable, accurate and real-time data for which PABS is known.
The content offering supplied by PABS includes race cards, premium vector silks, live betting odds, results and access to our Early Price Feed. This partnership showcases the shared commitment of both companies for innovation, excellence and customer satisfaction.
“We are delighted to continue to work with the Tote and to provide it with our best-in-class racing data,” the Account Director for PABS, Niamh Richardson, said. “I look forward to seeing our relationship grow from strength to strength.”
“We are thrilled to partner once again with PABS and to bring our customers the most comprehensive and up-to-date UK and select international horse racing data,” the Head of UK Commercial Partnerships for the Tote, Kev Matthews, said. “By collaborating with PABS, we ensure that our users have access to accurate and reliable information, enhancing their experience with the Tote.”
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Yorkshire County Cricket Club (YCCC) has announced Dafabet as its latest official partner. The two-year partnership will see Dafabet feature on the collar of all YCCC’s playing shirts for all three formats.
Dafabet have established themselves as a major backer of British professional sports clubs over the past few years, including influential partnerships with a number of county cricket clubs, in boxing and snooker, as well as a significant presence in football having worked with the likes of Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Celtic, Everton and Fulham in recent years.
Stephen Vaughan, Chief Executive Officer for YCCC, said: “We are thrilled to have agreed a new major partnership with Dafabet, a company who have a wealth of knowledge and experience within the sporting world. Their support is a fantastic shot in the arm and allows us to make serious strides towards our objectives both on and off the pitch over the next two years. Dafabet have very much impressed everyone at the Club with their desire to help drive the club forward on and off the pitch, and I would like to thank the team at Dafabet for coming on board with Yorkshire Cricket.”
Tom Webster, Business Development Manager for YCCC, said: “We are hugely excited to be announcing our partnership with Dafabet and are delighted to welcome them to the Yorkshire family for at least the next two years. Dafabet is one of the most recognisable brands in the sports betting industry and we’re thrilled that they’ve chosen to work with us and are extremely grateful to John and his team for the support.”
John Cruces, Head of Sponsorship at Dafabet, said: “We are very proud to become a major sponsor of Yorkshire County Cricket Club and have our branding across all of the club’s playing shirts for all three formats. With cricket becoming our biggest growing international sport, we saw Yorkshire as a key club to further our sponsorship portfolio within elite cricket. The club needs no introduction to cricket fans, being one of the world’s most famous cricket clubs and having produced the greatest number of players to represent England. We are looking forward to a long partnership that we are sure will help us achieve our common goals. We wish them the very best of luck for this season.”
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