Horse Betting In Great Britain

Horse racing is the second largest spectator sport in Great Britain, and one of the longest established, with a history dating back to the Romans. It generates over £3.7 billion for the British economy and the major horseracing events such as Royal Ascot and Cheltenham Festival are important dates in the sporting and society calendar.
Britain is also home to some of the world’s iconic racecourses including Newmarket, Ascot and Cheltenham and many of the world’s iconic races including the Epsom Derby, Grand National and Cheltenham Gold Cup. The UK has also produced some of the greatest jockeys, including Sir Gordon Richards and Lester Piggott.
Britain has also historically been a hugely important centre for thoroughbred racehorse breeding. All modern thoroughbred racehorses can trace a line back to three foundation sires which were imported to Britain in the late 17th/early 18th centuries[3] and the General Stud Book first published by James Weatherby still records details of every horse in the breed.
Gambling on horseraces is considered the cornerstone of the British betting industry and the relationship between the two has historically been one of mutual dependence. The betting industry is an important funder of horse racing in Great Britain, through the betting levy administered by the Horserace Betting Levy Board and through media rights negotiated by racecourses and betting shops.
There are two main forms of horse racing in Great Britain.
1. Flat racing, which is run over distances between 5 furlongs and 2 miles 5 furlongs 159 yards on courses without obstacles
2. National Hunt racing, races run over distances between 2 miles and 4 1/2 miles, where horses usually jump either hurdles or fences, also known as steeplechases. There is also a category of National Hunt races known as National Hunt flat races, which are run under National Hunt rules, but where no obstacles are jumped.
The Jockey Club governed the sport until its governance role was handed to the British Horseracing Board, which was formed in June 1993. The BHB became responsible for strategic planning, finance, politics, race planning, training and marketing, the Jockey Club continued to regulate the sport. In 2006 it formed the Horseracing Regulatory Authority to carry out the regulatory process whilst it focused on owning 13 racecourses and the gallops in Newmarket and Lambourn. In July 2007 the HRA merged with the BHB to form the British Horseracing Authority.
There are 59 licensed racecourses in Great Britain, with a further two in Northern Ireland (Down Royal and Downpatrick). All the courses date back to 1927 or earlier except for Ffos Las which opened in 2009. The oldest is Chester Racecourse, which dates to the early 16th century.
Unlike the United States, racing in Britain usually takes place on turf. There are four courses which have all-weather tracks – Kempton Park, Lingfield Park, Southwell and Wolverhampton. Southwell’s surface is Fibresand, while the other three are Polytrack. Courses also vary wildly in layout. There are very few which are regular ovals, as is the typical layout in the United States.
The major horse racing events are:
March Cheltenham – The Cheltenham Festival
Lingfield Park – Blue Square Winter Derby
April Aintree – Aintree Grand National
Ayr – Scottish Grand National
Newmarket – Craven Meeting
Sandown Park – Bet365 Gold Cup Celebration
May Newmarket – Guineas Meeting
Chester – May Meeting
York – Dante Meeting
June Epsom Downs – Epsom Derby Meeting
Ascot – Royal Ascot
Newcastle – John Smith’s Northumberland Plate
July Sandown Park – Coral-Eclipse Meeting
Newmarket – July Meeting
Ascot – King George Day
Goodwood – Glorious Goodwood
August York – Ebor Festival
September Haydock Park – William Hill Sprint Cup
Doncaster – St. Leger Meeting
Ayr – Western Meeting
Ascot – Ascot Festival
October Newmarket – Totesport Cambridgeshire Meeting
Newmarket – October Meeting
Ascot – Champions Day
Doncaster – Racing Post Trophy
November Cheltenham – The Paddy Power Open
Haydock & Aintree – North West Masters
Newbury – Hennessy Meeting
December Sandown Park – Tingle Creek Meeting
Kempton Park – Stan James Christmas Festival
Chepstow – Coral Welsh National
Finally, wagering money on horse races is as old as the sport itself, but in the United Kingdom the links between horseracing and nationwide wagering are very strong. Betting shops are common sights in most towns