The excitement of the Cheltenham Festival has clearly landed in Ireland, with 15% of sports fans admitting they would bunk off work to attend.
A survey of more than 500 Irish sports fans composed by Betway asked participants which events they would consider bunking off work for.
Betway offered respondents the following options to choose from; A partner’s birthday, A football match, A concert, Watch the Cheltenham Festival, A rugby match. Below, we can see the results, with 15% opting to vote for Cheltenham.
Interestingly, the survey revealed that men were more likely to bunk off to see the festival than women were. It revealed that 17% of men were willing to bunk for Cheltenham, as opposed to just 13% of female participants.
Women were most likely to bunk off work for their partner’s birthday as opposed to a sporting event or a concert, whilst a football game was the most likely reason for men to not come into work.
When breaking down the results even further, it is clear to see there is a discrepancy amongst residents of certain Irish cities, with some more keen on Cheltenham than others.
A total of 16% of the respondents from Dublin said they would bunk off work for the Cheltenham Festival, compared to 12% of those from Cork and then just 10% from Galway and Waterford.
A spokesperson from Betway said: “While we would never explicitly condone punters skiving off work, it is amazing to see the fervour and the excitement that fans in Ireland have for the Festival.
“While football matches and concerts may take priority as sporting events, there is no surprise to also see spending time with a loved one on their birthday featuring so highly.
“The Festival is a celebration of the best jump racing in the UK and Ireland, with the 15% of participants clearly extremely confident of retaining the Prestbury Cup once again, and desperate to see the 100th edition of the prestigious Gold Cup.”
Latest Cheltenham ante-post odds via Betway
Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase odds
El Fabiolo - 2/5
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Cheltenham Gold Cup odds
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Fastorslow - 9/2
Gerri Colombe - 8/1
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Champions Hurdle odds
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