Britain’s Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) announced that more than 50 MPs have agreed to take part in the council’s Charity Bet initiative. As a result, representatives of both sides of the house will visit betting shops to place charity wagers on the Grand National.

Everyone Will Win No Matter What

According to the BGC, MPs can visit either a Paddy Power, William Hill, Ladbrokes, Coral, Betfred shop or local independent betting shops run by JenningsBet, Corbett Bookmakers, and others to place their charity bets.

Every MP will be handed £50 to back a Grand National participant. Winning bets’ payouts will go to a charity of the winner’s choosing.

Thanks to Britain’s biggest bookies, each MP will be handed £50 to back a horse in the world’s most famous steeplechase, with all the winnings going straight to a local charity of their choice.
BGC statement

In addition to that, BGC members have promised to make a £250 donation to the nominated charity of each MP whose horse doesn’t come in. This means that everyone will win no matter the outcome of the MPs’ bets.

Last year’s Charity Bet initiative, for context, raised more than £15,000 for multiple good causes.

BGC CEO Hurst Thanked the MPs

Grainne Hurst, the BGC’s chief executive officer, commented on the initiative and its power to “bring the whole nation together.” She said that the BGC is happy about the multiple charity opportunities and thanked all BGC members who made the Charity Bet initiative possible.

Hurst also thanked all MPs who agreed to participate in the initiative and help to raise thousands of British pounds for good causes.

The Grand National is one of this nation’s greatest cultural exports, and I’m thrilled to see parliamentarians once more back racing, their local bookmakers and good causes, best of luck to all.
Grainne Hurst, CEO, BGC

The BGC noted that the MPs who met with representatives of the council were also able to learn more about the latest safer gambling measures available across sportsbooks in the UK.

The Biggest Horserace Draws Near

The Grand National is the most popular and most-watched horserace in the world. This year’s edition of the event is set to take place on April 5 at 4 pm local time.

According to the BGC, the Grand National is watched by around 600 million people from 140 countries every year. In addition to that, an estimated 13 million British adults wager on the race every year.

The BGC expects Brits to wager £250 million on the main event alone. It also predicts that betting on the event will generate £3 million in taxes and £2 million in contributions to the horseracing levy.