UK bookmaker William Hill will donate £200,000 to a charity supporting Ukraine to help war-displaced Ukrainians in their country. The funds were raised as a result of benefits received by William Hill after the final of the Eurovision festival.
The bookmaker had previously promised to donate 100% of the income received through betting on the famous music festival, which crowned Swedish singer Lorraine, who won Eurovision with her song “Tattoo”. The show had a record number of viewers of 9.9 million.
The fund will help Ukrainians who have been forced to flee to the UK, as well as their families who are unable to leave the country in search of safety. This assistance will take the form of essential food supplies as well as toys and humanitarian aid.
We're hugely excited for the Eurovision final in Liverpool this weekend, but let's not forget that Ukraine were last year's winners and would normally be hosting the event.
So, to mark the occasion, all profits from our Eurovision markets will be donated to the Support Ukraine… pic.twitter.com/rIRGVJr7XS
— William Hill (@WilliamHill) May 12, 2023
William Hill spokesman Lee Phelps said: “We are proud to be able to make a £200,000 donation to the Ukrainian Appeal, which will provide food, toys and humanitarian aid to thousands of Ukrainians living in the UK, as well as their families in Ukraine – Anyone who bet on Eurovision this weekend has helped the cause, regardless of whether their ticket was a winner or not.
A spokesperson for Support Ukraine said, “We are extremely grateful for all the support Ukraine has received from the UK and British people and their wonderful offer to host Eurovision on behalf of Ukraine. We would like to thank William Hill in particular for his wonderful gesture Thank you for donating all the betting proceeds of the event to our cause. We are very touched by this donation of £200,000.”
