Stan James to have permanent presence at Great Leighs
Great Leighs Racing, developers of the new floodlit all-weather track in Essex, and Stan James have signed a major three-year agreement that will give the major UK and international bookmaker a permanent presence at Britain’s first new racecourse in 80 years.
Great Leighs and Stan James have formed a betting and gaming joint venture to administer and operate the racecourse’s betting hall and gaming website. In a second agreement, Stan James has entered into a three-year deal as one of five founder brand sponsors at Great Leighs, scheduled to start racing next February.
Stan James was founded 30 years ago and its new relationship with Great Leighs sits well within its remit to push the boundaries of bookmaking – it was the pioneer of in-running betting.
Managing director Steve Fisher said: “We are a progressive company and the opportunity to expand into new fields with the new racecourse is a great one. We look forward to working with Great Leighs for years to come.
“We are very impressed with the commitment and innovation shown by John Holmes and his team. The superb De Boer stand they’ve bought for start-up will cleverly replicate the first two levels of the permanent stand. It will be ideal for test-driving our ideas before we move into the new building at the end of next year.”
John Holmes, Great Leighs chairman, said: “We have always had ambitions to project our betting product into the international market and to operate a sports betting hall that goes beyond racing within the racecourse itself. I am delighted that Steve Fisher and Stan James share our vision.”