UK sports betting and gambling operators are pleading for the government to help offset the cancellation of all UK racing fixtures and the postponement of the Euro 2020 football tournament.

Betting operators suffered a double-whammy on Tuesday with the news that UEFA had decided to postpone the Euro 2020 football tournament until mid-2021 following a meeting with all 55 individual football federations.

The decision was made in order to prevent further spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus and to ensure the completion of individual countries’ football league seasons, most of which had already been suspended due to coronavirus concerns.

Tuesday also saw the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) announce that all racing in Britain was officially suspended until the end of April. BHA boss Nick Rust said the current crisis was “a national emergency the like of which most of us have never seen” and the BHA’s “first duty is to the health of the public, our customers and to racing industry participants and staff.”