GBI Racing to launch in Denmark and Canada
Deal will allow Danish players to bet on UK and Irish races for the first time.
GBI Racing has signed deals with Canadian racetrack operator Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG) and former Danish monopoly Danske Spil, which will see British and Irish horse racing broadcast in Canada and Denmark for the first time.
Under the terms of the deal, races shown via the GBI Racing channel will now be screened on Canada’s Horse Player Interactive TV, and customers will be able to place bets on horse racing meets at WEG’s racetracks.
Commenting on the deal WEG’s senior manager of wagering operations Peter Spoar said: “We’re excited about this partnership with GBI Racing. Interest in British and Irish racing is high in Canada and we wanted to give the country’s horse racing fans the opportunity to watch and wager on some of the finest racing in the world. We expect an enthusiastic response from our customers.”
The agreement with Danske Spil will allow Danish punters to bet on British and Irish races in retail venues, at racetracks and online “ the first time the operator will offer odds on non-Scandanavian horse racing, Danske Spil’s marketing coordinator Morten Kofoed Sørensen explained:
“Up until now Danske Spil has offered betting only on Scandinavian races and this agreement gives us the opportunity to offer our punters the big British and Irish racing events. It also provides the opportunity to offer races at times when there are breaks in the Scandinavian schedule, such as on weekday afternoons.
“We are very happy to have signed this agreement with GBI Racing and it will be a good supplement to the Scandinavian races, which are mainly trotting contests,” he said.
GBI Racing was launched in March 2010, and provides coverage from all 60 UK race tracks, and 26 Irish tracks, broadcasting more than 1,800 events each year. Its chairman, Richard Brooke, commented that he was “pleased” to have moved into the new markets, with GBI now broadcasting in over 40 territories:
“North American racing is among the best in the world, so British and Irish racing is a natural fit alongside Canada’s racing schedule. Woodbine Entertainment Group is an excellent partner and will bring our racing to an enthusiastic audience.
“We also very much welcome our association with Danske Spil whose decision to choose British and Irish Racing as their first non-Scandinavian product is a ringing endorsement of GBI Racing,” Brooke commented.