RMG names Ben Dowding as chief betting officer

Racecourse Media Group has merged its domestic and international betting teams.

UK.- Racecourse Media Group (RMG) has named Ben Dowding as chief betting officer. Previously director of betting, he takes up the new role with immediate effect to oversee RMG’s newly merged domestic and international betting team.

Dowding joined RMG in March 2013 as head of partnerships and subsequently served as head of B2B before becoming director of betting in 2018. Before joining RMG he worked as sponsorship manager and regional sponsorship manager at The Jockey Club. He also serves as a non-executive director at BocaSports.

RMG represents 35 racecourses that have interests in Racing TV, GBI Racing and Racecourse Data Company. These include Aintree, Cheltenham, Exeter, Kempton Park and York. Their content is broadcast at around 7,000 licensed betting outlets in the UK and Ireland. The organisation said it decided to merge its domestic and international betting teams because more bookmakers were considering rights acquisition globally.

RMG chief commercial officer Nick Mills said: “Ben has a huge amount of expertise in the sector. I wish him every success leading the team to capture new international opportunities.”

Dowding said: “I am delighted to have been asked to expand my responsibilities internationally. There are significant and exciting opportunities to enhance further both revenues and awareness for British and Irish racing via this new collaborative approach to the domestic and global betting markets.”

In December, Arena Racing Company (ARC) and Racecourse Media Group (RMG) announced the start of a five-year partnership in which they will create shared channels to distribute UK and Irish racing content globally. The agreement will begin in January.

The channels will be promoted and commercialised on international tote and pari-mutuel markets as one service offered under Great British & Irish Racing (GBI Racing). A separate service for various fixed-odds betting territories will cover ARC’s Premier Greyhound Racing. Broadcast services will be provided by ARC’s Vermantia.