Fitzdares opens first betting club in the north of England
The ‘upscale’ betting operator has expanded to Chester.
UK.- The high-end betting operator Fitzdares has opened its first club in the north of England. The new Fitzdares Club is on Eastgate in Chester.
The operator said that like its clubs at Windsor Racecourse and at Naunton Downs in Gloucestershire, the new club was intended to provide an “upscale environment” for members. That typically includes loud floral wallpaper, cushioned sofas and dining. The venue will screen live sports. It also has a snooker table and the bookmaker’s first Negroni honesty bar.
Fitzdares CEO William Woodhams said: “It’s been a hectic week for Fitzdares as we open our new Club in Chester, our first venture north of the Watford Gap. The club will showcase the best live sport and includes a snooker table and our first Negroni honesty bar.”
The brand said that the Chester club hopes to attract sports fans seeking a “premium experience”. Meanwhile, the brand has extended its sponsorship at Royal Windsor Racecourse in a three-year deal coinciding with the return of jumps racing to Windsor after 20 years from December 15.
Earlier in the year, Fitzdares announced a partnership with UK Tote to offer exotic bets in the relaunched The Racing App by Quantum Leap Solutions.
However, all is not rosy in British horse racing betting. The sector has called for urgent action after Gambling Commission statistics suggested that online betting on horses had fallen by £3bn over the last two years, a decline of 16.3 per cent before considering inflation. The industry says the downturn would be around £15bn after inflation is factored in.
The Racing Post has suggested that the numbers represent a financial crisis for UK horse racing, noting that it comes on top of a drop in funding from media rights, sponsorships and long-postponed calls for a revamp of the betting levy. At the same time, the sector has had to contend with wage increases and higher National Insurance contributions. It’s called for intervention on recently introduced affordability checks for online gambling.
