Betting Shops in England Could Reopen Just in Time for the Royal Ascot

High street betting shops in England could be open in time for the Royal Ascot, starting 15th June. The Royal Ascot, one of the biggest horse racing tournaments in the UK is set for a 16th June premiere date, behind closed doors. This potential reopening date is almost 3 weeks earlier than what industry proponents had initially projected. At first, 4th July had been thought of as the probable date when the land-based bookmarkers in England would get back to business.

Boris Johnson, the UK Prime Minister delivered this good news on Monday evening, indicating that retail outlets under the "non-essential" category would be allowed to open their doors on 15th June. However, the said outlets will have to meet the conditions of 5 government tests before they are approved for reopening. Just like in Malta and USA’s Nevada and Arizona states, the government tests that betting shops in England will have to fulfill include measures such as strict social distancing in the premises. The gaming shops will also be required to regularly clean betting terminals, among other surfaces and objects that are patrons and attendants touch frequently.

Local Bookmarker Operators Prepare to Reopen

Bookmaker operators can finally breathe a sigh of relief after a mandatory COVID-19 closure since 20th March. UK’s Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) welcomed the news through its spokesperson, saying that all BGC members are working to prepare their gaming amenities so that players can place wagers in a safe environment. Ladbrokes Coral also released a press statement saying that they are prepared to reopen some of their shops per the government’s secure guidelines.

This relaxation of the mandatory closure rules of retail betting shops is however only applicable to England for now, given that the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland, Wales, and Scotland haven’t decided whether they’ll borrow a leaf out of England’s book.

Ireland Bookmarkers to Follow Suit at the End of June  

Unlike Northern Ireland, betting shops in Ireland will also be reopening their premises in 29th June, as part of the government’s third phase of easing Coronavirus closures in the country. This decision was reached by the members of the Irish Bookmakers Association (IBA) in an online meeting that they held on Sunday. The retail betting industry in Ireland went under a mandatory closure on 16th March as part of the government's effort to control the spread of the highly infectious pandemic.

Small betting retailers will however be allowed to resume operations much earlier, in the first week of June in the Phase Two plan of the Irish government of opening up the country. However, the small betting outlets will be required to control the number of both staff and customers that will be present on the premises at all times. By the time Phase Three is complete, it is expected that 755 shops across Ireland will have reopened allowing over 6,000 retail and support staff to get back to their regular jobs.

Other than the betting shop operators, the media right holders of British and Irish racing will also be happy about the reopening of the bookmaking industry. These rights holders receive annual payments from bookmarkers amounting to millions of pounds so that the latter can offer live broadcasts from the racecourses in their gaming facilities.