RACING punters have reacted with fury after Cheltenham confirmed a pint will cost £7.50 at the Festival – £1.50 MORE than snooker fans paid at the same venue.
A pint of Guinness at last week's World Grand Prix snooker event hosted by the racecourse cost £6.
But racing punters will have to cough up £7.50 for a drop of the black stuff during the four-day Festival in March.
That is a 50p increase on last year – but the same as what a pint cost at a race meeting last October.
Cheltenham chiefs said the difference in cost was down to the size of the event.
With the attendance at the Festival capped to a daily limit of 68,5000 this year, they said they had to charge more to cover larger catering costs.
A Jockey Club spokesperson is quoted in the Racing Post as saying: "There are a lot more set-up costs with a major UK sporting event compared to a smaller and more locally resourced event.
"These costs are reflective of that. At the Jockey Club, any profits are reinvested into all aspects of British horseracing."
Most read in Horse Racing
Moment greyhound handler is punched and kicked by racecourse ‘invader’
Iconic racehorse Altior in critical condition reveals devastated Nicky Henderson
My NAP is a great price under unstoppable jockey Billy Loughnane
My NAP in the 6.00 at Southwell can keep up red-hot form
OFFERS OF THE DAY
William Hill: Bet £10 Get £40 in free bets – CLAIM HERE
Betfair: Bet £10 Get £30 – CLAIM HERE
Paddy Power: £5 in Free Bets when you place a £10 bet on Horse Racing – CLAIM HERE
Sky Bet: Bet £10 on Racing and get £30 in free bets –CLAIM HERE
Ladbrokes: Bet £5 Get £20 – CLAIM HERE
Coral: Bet £5 Get £20 – CLAIM HERE
William Hill: 18+. Play Safe. When you sign-up via Mobile using promo code P40 and place a bet of £10/€10 or more we will give you 4x £10/€10 free bets credited after settlement of first qualifying bet, free bets will expire 30 days after the qualifying bet is placed, payment method/player/country restrictions apply. Virtual markets excluded. #ad begambleaware.org
Betfair – Place a min £10 bet on the Sportsbook on odds of min 1/2 (1.5), get £30 in Free Bets. Rewards valid for 30 days. SMS verification required. Only deposits via cards will qualify. T&Cs apply. Please Gamble Responsibly 18+ begambleaware.org
Paddy Power: Applies to £10+ singles placed on any Horse racing market, min odds 1/2 (1.5). £5 Free bet will be awarded after qualifying bet settlement, valid for 30 days. Opt-In Required. T&Cs apply. Please Gamble Responsibly. 18+ Begambleaware.org
Sky Bet: New customers only. First single & e/w bet only odds of 1/1 or greater. 3 x £10 bet tokens. Free bet stakes not included in returns. Free bets only redeemable on horse racing. Free bets are non withdrawable. No free bet expiry. Eligibility restrictions and further t&cs apply.
Ladbrokes: 18+ New UK+IRE Customers only. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Min first £/€5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 to get 4x £/€5 free bets. Free bets available to use on selected sportsbook markets only. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. Restrictions + T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org
Coral: Eligible UK+IRE players. Paypal & some deposit & bet types excl. Min first £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 = 4x £5 free bets. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. No cash-out, restrictions & T&Cs apply. 18+ T&Cs Apply. Begambleaware.org
At last year's Festival, a pint of Carling cost £6.90 while a pint of Aspalls Suffold Cyder was £7.
One punter posted a photo of a sorry-looking Irish coffee they said had cost them £14.10.
Another snap that went viral on social media showed a punter holding a £14 double gin and tonic.
Some 260,000 pints of Guinness were sunk during last year's Festival, the jewel in the crown of the National Hunt season.
Describing the difference in cost for the same pint, one punter said racing fans were being 'blatantly being ripped off'.
Another said: "It's a joke, been going years for the week, (they're) pricing proper racegoers out of it for the young day-trippers."
Meanwhile, a Cheltenham councillor has called for paint that repels wee to be used on roads leading to the racecourse during the week.
Chemicals in the paint mean wee will 'splash back' on those who urinate in public.
Max Wilkinson said: "Public urination at any time is disgusting.
"Last year, I saw a line of men brazenly weeing against a wall near the town centre, while hundreds of people sat in traffic queues just yards away – they were totally shameless.
"We shouldn't have to put up with this anymore.
Read More on The Sun
Millions of iPhones became ‘dangerous’ this week – but you can fix it easily
Woman who tried henna freckles ended up the spit of Princess Fiona in Shrek
"I'm sure the prospect of wet trousers will make people think twice, even if they think they won't get caught and fined."
Cheltenham Festival will run from Tuesday, March 14 to Friday, March 17.
FREE BETS GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. 18+. T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chases their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
- Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org
Source: Read Full Article