Figures from the UK’s Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) suggest that £9.4m could be staked illegally on the Grand National this coming weekend.
Each year, around 13m adults in the UK bet on the annual race at Aintree, which is viewed by around 600m people around the world. BGC figures say that around £250m is staked on the event.
“Almost £10m is predicted to be staked illegally on the unsafe, growing gambling black market at this year’s Grand National, fuelling crime, undermining player protection measures, while sucking vital cash from sport and the Treasury,” said Grainne Hurst, BGC CEO.
“The Grand National is one of the precious few sporting events in this country with the ability to unite the entire nation around a single spectacle. It is the nation’s punt, and it is being subverted by illegal operators offering illicit gambling to thousands of punters, many of whom are vulnerable to harm.
“This should serve as a wake-up call for Government who must guard against overbearing regulations which risk driving punters into the arms of illegal operators. Balanced regulations and a stable tax regime are the best defences against this black-market menace, which now poses an existential threat to British racing.”
