The online gambling operator Kindred has vowed to support the Racing Is Everyone’s Sport initiative, run by Great British Racing, and help it in its corporate social responsibility inclusivity endeavors.
Kindred Supports the LGBTQ+
The Racing is Everyone’s Sport campaign, alongside the soccer-oriented initiative Rainbow Laces, is a way to show that the sports community is welcoming to all people, regardless of their sexual orientation.
Kindred already showed its intentions of promoting a more inclusive racing community by supporting the Unbibet Becher Chase Day at Liverpool through its Unibet betting brand. The gambling giant incentivized the jockeys to wear rainbow-patterned armbands and/or pin badges in order to demonstrate support of the LGBTQ+.
Unibet also saw the saddlecloths of racers detailed with rainbows for the day broadcast on ITV, showing that the sport is indeed for everyone.
Kindred’s head of racing communications and sponsorships, Ed Nicholson, spoke on the matter, affirming that the whole company is “committed to building a diverse team with an inclusive and equitable experience for all.” Therefore, deciding to join the Racing is Everyone’s Sport initiative was an easy choice for the company, as it already shared its ideals.
“As sponsors of one of the big meetings on Saturday, we’re particularly pleased to donate one of our four ITV televised races from Aintree to help highlight the profile of the campaign,” Nicholson added. The head of racing communications and sponsorships explained:
“All four of our Unibet televised sponsored races, including the Unibet Becher Chase itself, will feature branded Unibet saddlecloths, each embroidered with bespoke names of the horses that will carry them and embellished with the Rainbow Laces colors.”
Kindred’s head of racing communications and sponsorships, Ed Nicholson
Kindred also donated 20% of its marketing assets to the day of the campaign.
British Sports Move Towards A More Inclusive Future
David Letts, the chairman of Racing with Pride and member of the Diversity in Racing Steering Group, spoke on the fact that racing as a whole is taking steps to a more inclusive future. “It is fantastic to see racing join the wider sporting community in celebrating Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces initiative,” Letts said.
He mentioned that the Racing Is Everyone’s Sport is a great opportunity for the British horseracing community to demonstrate its “ongoing commitment to the LGBTQ+” and show fans of the sport that progress is being made and the sport is becoming more welcoming to all.
The inclusivity movements have taken the British sports scene by storm, and the betting companies haven’t been indifferent to that. Recently Stake.com also demonstrated its intentions of being a part of the broader pro-LGBTQ+ initiative by vowing to update its branding for the Watford vs. Chelsea match in the Vicarage Road.