Britain’s biggest bookmakers to donate profits from bets placed on Britannia Stakes to Covid-19 and cancer charities
- Thursday is traditionally the biggest betting day of the five-day royal meeting
- Prostate Cancer UK, Marie Curie and the Care Workers Charity set to benefit
- Almost £3m given to NHS charities from bets placed on Virtual Grand National
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
Britain’s biggest bookmakers will donate profits from bets placed on Thursday’s Britannia Stakes to Covid-19 and cancer charities.
Prostate Cancer UK, Marie Curie, the Care Workers Charity and the Berkshire Community Foundation coronavirus fund should get a boost on what is traditionally the biggest betting day of the five-day royal meeting.
The betting industry gave almost £3million to NHS charities from bets placed on the Virtual Grand National that was shown on ITV in April.
Royal Ascot will start on Tuesday and five-day meeting will take place behind closed doors
Last year, the betting industry avoided a £100m pay-out on the outcome of the Britannia Stakes when Frankie Dettori went into the race having won all four races on the day only for his mount, Turgenev, cut to 7-2 favourite, to finish second to 28-1 shot Biotic. Simon Clare, of Coral, said: ‘We still have nightmares about what could have happened last year.
‘We won’t win next week but it will be a more pleasurable experience writing out a cheque for the charities.’
Meanwhile, Ladbrokes and Coral will open all their 2,445 shops in England from Monday but shops will remain closed in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
