British charities are set to miss out on almost £500,000 in donations from Royal Ascot this year after bookmakers withdrew support for a long-running charity fundraising initiative, citing
mounting pressures on the gambling industry.
Since 2021, major betting operators including Betfair and Ladbrokes have donated profits from Royal Ascot’s Britannia Stakes to charitable causes. The scheme has raised more than £3.6 million ($4.8 million) for organizations such as Prostate Cancer UK and Missing People. Last year alone, the initiative generated approximately £450,000.
However, the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) confirmed that the industry-wide fundraising effort has been paused for 2026.
“We have taken the difficult decision to pause it this year as the industry continues to adapt to a challenging and evolving environment,” a BGC spokesperson said in a statement.
The spokesperson described the move as temporary, adding that the industry hopes to revive the initiative once there is greater certainty and stability across the sector.
“Our members remain committed to supporting good causes and continue to work with a number of charities on a range of successful fundraising, partnership and community initiatives,” the spokesperson said.
The decision comes as bookmakers face increasing financial pressures from higher taxes on online gambling and sports betting, alongside the introduction of stricter affordability checks aimed at protecting vulnerable gamblers. In response, many operators have reduced marketing expenditure and reassessed sponsorship commitments across horse racing.
British racing remains heavily dependent on funding from the betting industry, which contributes more than £350 million annually to the sport. Industry figures have previously warned that any decline in bookmaker profitability could reduce the financial support available to racing and related initiatives.
Several operators have already scaled back their involvement. Coral recently ended its sponsorship of the Coral Cup at the Cheltenham Festival and reduced its support for York Racecourse.
Simon Clare, public relations director for Entain’s UK brands Coral and Ladbrokes, acknowledged that tax increases have affected revenues and forced operators to make adjustments. However, he said the decision to discontinue support for the Britannia Stakes charity initiative was not directly linked to those measures.
“It is a challenging operating environment, but that wasn’t the reason,” Clare said. “A couple of operators had already pulled out last year. The cross-industry support wasn’t there anymore, so I think it was a sensible decision to end it.”
Clare said Entain would instead focus on other charitable programmes, including its partnership with Birmingham City FC, under which the company donates £500 to the club’s charitable foundation for every home goal scored. Photo by Fabiopao, Wikimedia commons.
