William Hill Sponsors Racing League
Leading betting and gaming operator William Hill has renewed its partnership deal with the Racing League. It will act as the unique horse racing event’s official betting partner for the second year in a row. The news follows the completion of 888’s takeover of William Hill’s UK and European assets earlier this month.
The Racing League was developed last year to encourage new and younger fans to follow the sport.
©@coldbeer/Pexels
Racing League Returns
The Racing League has announced that betting and gaming group William Hill will continue as its official betting partner for the 2022 competition. Following the success of last year’s sponsorship, the pair have agreed to continue the collaboration. The competition was only launched last year, and is the first UK horse racing event to be made up of a league format.
The Racing League is a team-based horse racing competition that endeavors to shake up the industry. Over the course of the six-week competition, seven regional teams battle it out in 42 races. The annual competition consists of six events, held at venues up and down the UK.
This year’s competition will kick off at Doncaster, with races taking place from the first to the fourth of August. The following events will be held at Lingfield Park, Newcastle, Royal Windsor, Southwell, and then finally returning to Newcastle. Participants will compete for prize money totaling more than £2 million.
Each team consists of a group of trainers representing a region, and seven jockeys who will ride exclusively for one team. It is up to the team manager to decide the team selection for each race. Teams submit two runners for each race, with a total of fourteen runners on the field per race.
The competition is judged on a points system, with each team earning points for their finishing positions in each race. Prizes will be handed out for the top team as well as the jockey that collects the most points across the duration of the Racing League.
As the competition’s official betting partner, William Hill has pegged The East as its overall favorites, with odds of 5/2. Odds are also on for London and The South’s Daniel Muscutt, who has been given an 8/1 chance of winning top jockey.
Changes to Format
The Racing League held its inaugural competition just last year. It was created with the aim of attracting new and younger audiences to British and Irish horse racing. While the popular sport generates more than £3.7 billion for the UK’s economy, there are concerns that audience growth has not kept pace with that of other sports.
By adopting a league style format, the competition dials up the excitement over the course of six weeks. The League describes its format as simple and accessible. Through the use of innovative technology and data, it has also striven to enhance viewing experiences and boost fan engagement.
Having sponsored the 2021 Racing League, William Hill was delighted to see its return this year. Speaking on behalf of the operator, Director of Media, Sponsorship and UK Creative Liam McKee had warm words for the competition’s organizers. Praising the Racing League’s originality, McKee stated:
“The innovative and unique concept of Racing League has always appealed to us at William Hill and, with the planned changes to the 2022 format, we’re really excited to be involved in Racing League once again. We’re looking forward to seeing who will win the race to the top and be crowned the 2022 Champions.”
This year’s competition will be somewhat different to last year’s. In 2021, twelve teams participated, racing every Thursday evening for six weeks. Each evening saw six races take place with purses of around £50,000 each.
Last year, Team talkSPORT came out on top, scoring a total of 368.5 points. The winning team was made up of jockeys Hollie Doyle, Cieren Fallon and Jack Mitchell, alongside trainers Michael Bell, Ed Dunlop, James Fanshawe and Roger Varian.
Attracting New Audiences
Reflecting on last year’s event, Racing League CEO Jeremy Wray noted that this year’s competition will see a number of new innovations. Wray also took the opportunity to welcome back William Hill, adding that together they would promote one another and build up a fanbase for the League. Wray continued:
“125 trainers have signed up to take part, in regional teams this year, which we hope will create a competition that is equally as compelling for racing fans and punters. William Hill are, of course, well known and long time supporters of racing in this country, and we are delighted to welcome them back to Racing League.”
The 2022 edition of the Racing League will be broadcast across ITV Racing and Sky Sports Racing. Both channels will air all 42 races live as part of weekly shows. Sponsors talkSPORT will also broadcast the entirety of the event via its radio platform, while News UK will publish coverage in print and online.
Scimitar has been appointed the League’s official apparel sponsor. It prides itself on being a sustainably-orientated business with an eye to creating greener garments in the future. The Racing League has also partnered with charity Racing to School, which offers programs for schools at racing facilities across the UK.
Earlier this month, gambling operator 888 Holdings completed its acquisition of William Hill International. The purchase included all of the heritage bookmaker’s UK and European assets. It is understood that 888 paid in the region of £2 billion for the company.
The assets came on the market after US casino giant Caesars Entertainment completed its £2.9 billion takeover of William Hill last year. Caesars sought to diversify into the US sports betting market, and was not interested in retaining any of the company’s businesses outside of the states.
