Smarkets to sponsor 240 Jockey Club races
London-based betting exchange inks first horseracing sponsorship
Smarkets has signed its first ever horseracing sponsorship deal, agreeing to sponsor 35 Jockey Club horseracing fixtures in 2018, covering 240 separate races.
The first sponsored event is this weekend’s fixture at Wincanton on 6 January, while the betting exchange will also sponsor meetings at Aintree, Haydock Park, Epsom Downs, Sandown Park, Huntingdon, Exeter, Carlisle, Market Rasen, Warwick and Nottingham.
Five of the racedays will be shown live on ITV and all 35 will be broadcast by Racing UK, with the highlight arguably being the prestigious Rose of Lancaster Stakes at Haydock Park in August.
The deal means Smarkets is sponsoring more than one tenth of the 348 fixtures Jockey Club Racecourses is scheduled to stage this year.
“We are delighted to be partnering with the Jockey Club where we will be integrating our industry-leading betting exchange into the live horseracing experience,” said Jason Trost, Smarkets CEO.
Trost said the firm would integrate its exchange into the live horseracing experience.
“Racing fans attending our meets or watching at home will be able to experience our advanced technology first-hand and see for themselves the greater value and returns Smarkets offers on winning bets compared to all our competitors,” Trost said.
We continue to set the bar with clear pricing and a fixed commission of just 2% on profits, meaning we often have the best odds in the world.”
The exec added: “The breadth of Jockey Club racedays that Smarkets will be sponsoring this year is a clear indication of our commitment to the sport, which is one of the most popular on our platform. We’ve seen great volume and liquidity increases in the last couple of years and want to build on this even more in 2018.”
Paul Fisher, the chief executive of Jockey Club Racecourses, said: “It’s always fantastic to be able to welcome new partners into our sport and that’s very much the case with Smarkets.”
The effort to take racing liquidity from Betfair has heated up in recent months, with Matchbook launching its own horseracing sponsorships, and Betdaq launching a marketing campaign with social media personality the Racing Blogger.