SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
William Hill has lauded its newly signed title sponsorship of the three-day Northumberland Plate festival, confirmed in cooperation with the Arena Racing Company (ARC).
The agreement will see William Hill benefit from prominent branding displayed around the racecourse, alongside race titles for the Saturday card and other feature races such as the Seaton Delaval Handicap, Hoppings Stakes and Gosforth Park Stakes.
“The Northumberland Plate has a fantastic history, and we could not be happier to be the new sponsors of what is shaping up to be a cracking renewal,” said Liam McKee, William Hill’s Global Head of Media & Sponsorship.
One of the Newcastle Racecourse’s major events, the Northumberland Plate, is a two-mile handicap race, the highlight of a three day festival taking place between Thursday 24 and Saturday 26 June.
The William Hill Northumberland Plate meeting on 26 June will be broadcast on Sky Sports Racing and ITV Racing. To celebrate the new sponsorship, the bookmaker will offer six places instead of four, with George Boughey’s horse Lostwithiel the favourite at 11/1.
Paul Elliott, Executive Director of Newcastle Racecourse, added: “We’re delighted to welcome William Hill as headline sponsor for the Northumberland Plate Festival. The meeting is a real highlight of the racing calendar here at Newcastle, and is one of the biggest sporting events of the year in the area.”
The announcement comes as William Hill enters a transformative period of its corporate history, having been acquired by Caesar’s Entertainment in April of this year for £2.9 billion, translating to £2.72 per share, following the firm’s delisting from the London Stock Exchange.
Bally’s Corporation is now in the process of selling all of William Hill’s non-US assets, with British competitors Entain and Betfred, as well as equity firm Apollo Global Management, reportedly interested in purchasing the operator’s suite of high-street stores and remaining online verticals.
However, the European division of William Hill has continued to pursue a policy of international growth, having recently kickstarted its expansion into the Latin American market by entering Colombia, building on its takeover of local brand Alfabet SAS.
