Horseracing Returning to Towcester After Betway Signs Sponsorship Deal

Towcester Racecourse is to resume hosting horseracing meetings following a nine-year hiatus after agreeing a sponsorship deal with Betway, with the operator taking the naming rights of the venue and becoming the exclusive betting partner at all race fixtures.

The racecourse in Northamptonshire hosted its last horseracing meeting in May 2018 and officially closed to horseracing a year later after the operating company went into administration, with debts exceeding £1.3 million; the remaining fixtures were sold off to Arena Racing Company. Greyhound racing has continued taking place at the track since then, with the English Greyhound Derby being held there.

Orchestrate, which manages the racecourse, has now secured a path back to hosting horseracing with the Betway partnership. The first races to be staged at the reopened venue will take place at the start of the 2027/28 jumps season next spring, with National Hunt racing expected to return in the following autumn. Course and facility refurbishment works are already underway ahead of this, worth in excess of £2 million.

Where does Betway come in?

Betway will be the course’s principal strategic partner, and the course will be renamed Betway Towcester Racecourse. Betway’s exclusivity at all fixtures at the racetrack is an unusual move, but could be a sign of a new type of business model in the racing industry, with operators potentially being attracted by being able to take bets at race meetings without competition.

Towcester has a long history, with the modern racecourse being officially opened in 1928 by Lord Hesketh. In November 2013, the track hosted AP McCoy’s historic 4,000th race win. Lewis Knowles, Betway’s PR Manager, said:

“Towcester has such a rich history within British racing, and we’re delighted to be partnering with the team there to bring horseracing back to what is such an iconic racecourse.

“As principal strategic partners, we plan to offer a truly unique experience for racegoers, owners, trainers, and jockeys at Betway Towcester Racecourse. The hard work is already well underway as the team prepare the track and facilities for racing’s return. Our thanks go to the team at Orchestrate for all their hard work in making this partnership possible, and we can’t wait to play our part in this exciting new chapter for the racecourse.”

Concerns over future sponsorship

There have been concerns in the industry about the future of betting sponsorship in racing, particularly in light of increased taxation. From the start of April, remote gaming duty, paid on online casino bets, was raised from 21% of gross gambling yield (GGY) to 40%. In addition, general betting duty, paid on online sports bets, will go up from 15% of GGY to 25% in April 2027.

While bets on horseracing will be exempt from this increase, the expectation has been that operators will have to reduce their spend on expenses such as hosting betting stands at racetracks or sponsoring meetings.

This was exemplified in January, when Coral announced it was ending its sponsorship of the Coral Cup, with the Entain-owned brand referencing the tax increases as part of its reasoning.

In March, Bet365 withdrew its sponsorship of the July meeting and Craven meeting at Newmarket, as well as the Old Newton Cup and the Lancashire Oaks at Haydock. While Betway’s sponsorship deal covers the course rather than specific races being held there, this would appear a bold strategy in the current climate.