BGC’S GRAND NATIONAL CHARITY BET RAISES THOUSANDS FOR CHARITIES ACROSS THE UK, RECORD NUMBER OF PARLIAMENTARIANS TAKE PART

Charities up and down the country have won big thanks to the Betting and Gaming Council’s Grand National Charity Bet campaign, which has raised over £15,000 for good causes.

58 parliamentarians, including Defence Secretary Rt Hon John Healey MP and seven Ministers, placed a charity bet on Saturday’s Grand National – a record-breaking number.

The UK’s biggest betting operators will hand over all winnings to the MPs’ charity of choice.

The eventual winner was 33-1 outsider Nick Rockett, ridden by Patrick Mullins and trained by the legendary Willie Mullins.

Labour MP Mike Reader and Conservative MPs Sir Christopher Chope and Ashley Fox all backed fifth placed Meetingofthewaters with an each way bet, but none of the parliamentarians backed the winner.

Every nominated charity will still receive at least £250 after BGC members taking part pledged to support good causes even if the MPs’ horses didn’t win.

These donations, combined with the winnings, raised a total of £15,375.

Some of the winning good causes included national charities like Parkinson’s UK alongside local good causes such as the East Durham Veterans Trust and Ryedale Special Families, which supports families of children with disabilities in North Yorkshire.

Other MPs who took part included Shadow Gambling Minister Louie French, Culture Media and Sport Select Committee member James Frith and Deputy Speaker Caroline Nokes.

During visits, MPs heard from staff about the range of safer gambling measures available to customers in bookmakers.

Grainne Hurst, the BGC’s Chief Executive, said: “It’s been a fantastic record-breaking year for our Charity Bet with 58 parliamentarians taking part from right across the political divide.

“Millions of people enjoyed a bet on the race showing once again that, for so many of us, having a flutter is a part of our great British culture.

“I visited a number of betting shops in recent weeks and I want to pay tribute to all the thousands of people who work in them to help support our hard-pressed high streets. I would like to thank all those MPs who took part for supporting so many good causes. I would also like to thank all of our members for once again getting behind this great initiative”.

MPs were invited to visit either a Ladbrokes, Coral, William Hill, Betfred or Paddy Power in their constituency to place the charity bet, organised by the Betting and Gaming Council, the standards body for the regulated industry.

The regulated betting and gaming industry already makes a huge economic contribution throughout the UK. BGC members contribute £6.8bn to the economy, generate £4bn in tax while supporting 109,000 jobs.