Bet365 ends major UK race sponsorships as gambling tax rise bites
Global online bookmaker Bet365 will withdraw race sponsorships at Britain’s Newmarket and Haydock racecourses, saying changes to the UK’s gambling tax regime have influenced its commercial decisions.
The operator’s title backing of the Craven meeting at Newmarket, in place since 2017, will cease, and its support for races at the July Newmarket fixture will also end in 2026.
At Haydock, Bet365’s 23-year sponsorship of the Old Newton Cup and the Lancashire Oaks is set to conclude, leaving those historic races without its branding.
Bet365 described the decision as “very difficult” in confirming that the agreements with the two racetracks will not be renewed.
British racing operates under a taxation framework that includes elevated duties on remote gambling, with industry observers linking recent bookmaker sponsorship withdrawals to the increased tax burden.
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