Our annual Race Night is on Saturday 14th February. Doors open at 6pm and the first race is at 6.45pm. Bring your own nibbles and drink and enjoy 8 races of fun
Purpose
There are two reasons why we hold our race night events; one is to raise funds for the ongoing committments of the Parish Hall and one is to provide an engaging social evening of entertainment for village members.
Race nights provide a lively atmosphere where guests can socialise, cheer on their chosen horses on pre-recorded races and enjoy a shared experience.
It is an effective way to bring the community together and when chosen, raises awareness of any specific cause or charity being donated to.
A typical race night involves the following:
- Showing a series of pre-recorded races on a large screen.
- Before each race, participants place bets (£1 per horse) with a portion of the total stake going to the event's cause and the rest to the winners' pot.
To comply with regulations:
- We will open the betting for the first race, and take the bets.
- When all bets have been placed the race night tote is closed.
- Ask a member of the audience to choose a race film number at random from the selection available.
- Before the race starts a fun form guide gives a brief rundown on each of the runners.
- As no more bets can be placed at this point, we will have complied with the regulations.
- We show the film on the large screen.
- Repeat the same again for each of the 8 races.
"Race nights" are events in which participants stake money on the outcome of recorded or virtual races, where the selection is totally dependent on chance, and where no "odds" or "form" are available to assist the selection. As a general principle, "race nights" may only take place at non-commercial events where none of the proceeds from the event itself are used for private gain. For these purposes, the proceeds of an event constitute the sums raised by its organisers (including sums raised by way of participation fees, sponsorship, commission from traders, or otherwise) minus the costs reasonably incurred in organising the event. However, sums raised by other persons will not form part of the proceeds of the event and so may be appropriated for private gain. An example would be refreshments provided at the event by an independent third party. All participants must be told what "good cause" is to benefit from the profits from the gaming, but no licence, permit or other form of permission is required to operate a race night provided that the statutory conditions are complied with.
Depending on how an event is structured, a "race night" may be operated under either the non-commercial gaming provisions in Part 14 of the Act, or as an incidental non-commercial lottery under Part 1 of Schedule 11. In all cases the prizes may be paid out in cash or in kind.