UK bookmakers raise £2.6m for NHS charities in Virtual Grand National initiative

UK bookmakers will donate more than £2.6m in profits to NHS charities from bets placed on Saturday’s Virtual Grand National.

The donation is the result of a Betting and Gaming Council-backed initiative agreed among member firms including bet365, GVC, Flutter, William Hill and Sky Bet last week.

Great coverage today for the #VirtualGrandNational 🏇🏻🇬🇧 A TV audience of nearly 5 million and more than £2.6 million donated to @NHSCharities #COVID19 Very proud of @BetGameCouncil and our members.

— Michael Dugher (@MichaelDugher) April 6, 2020

Betting stakes were limited to £10 for the event and, according to reports, the average stake placed on the virtual race was £2.

Kindred Group’s Ali Gill told EGR Intel that the race was the biggest event of the weekend.

Gill said: “The Virtual Grand National came in as, by a mile, our biggest event of the weekend. As an overall experience, the event went down well, and one of the few events we were more than happy to lose on with all profit going to charity.

“The winner was fairly well supported in the end, but margin was strong overall, which was good to see for the NHS,” he added.

NHS Charities Together, the body which will receive the £2.6m raised by bookies, represents more than 140 NHS charities across the UK. The BGC has confirmed all profits from Ireland will be donated to Irish charities including the Irish Red Cross.

I've worked in the betting industry for 23 years and the way all the major betting operators have worked together on the #VirtualGrandNational this week culminating in a fantastic donation to the NHS is without doubt one of the best things I've ever been involved in. Amazing week

— Simon Clare (@SiClare) April 5, 2020

Betting and Gaming Council CEO Michael Dugher said he was “overwhelmed” by the public support.

“I am proud that so many BGC members, up and down the country, are supporting in so many different ways the national effort to combat Covid-19, including here by contributing all of their race profits to NHS Charities Together,” Dugher said.

“NHS Charities Together thanked the BGC yesterday, but I’d like to thank them for the amazing work that they do in support of the NHS all year round,” he added.

Saturday’s race was won by 18/1 shot Potters Corner, with the race attracting 4.8 million viewers at its peak on ITV, the largest ever for the virtual race and over 30% of the national TV audience.

Ten million watched the 2019 Grand National, while the Cheltenham Gold Cup has averaged 1.6 million viewers over the last four years.