The British Horse Racing Authority announced Friday that online betting group Sky Betting and Gaming has signed up to its controversial Authorized Betting Partner project in a three-year deal commencing April 1 that includes the betting company voluntarily paying the BHA an at present undisclosed percentage of its revenue from UK horse racing wagers.
In return, Sky Betting will be allowed to participate in sponsorships and advertising at British horse racing tracks, joining companies like BetVictor, 32Red, Bet365 and Betfair who have already signed up.
Not so keen on participating in the project are major companies like Ladbrokes, Coral and William Hill (see previous reports).
The sign-up of Sky Betting followed a week of speculation on whether the Leeds-based company would do the deed, which can entail coughing up around 7.5 percent of revenues derived from UK horse race wagering to the BHA.
Our readers will recall that all UK-based bookies will have to contribute to the BHA anyway by April 1 2017 following a new law by the British government introduced earlier this year.