S&NUK's great pints and punts give-away

Pubs will get to give away £10,000 of free bets each during the World Cup in a £50m promotion from brewer Scottish & Newcastle UK.

Billed as S&NUK's biggest ever single promotion, the scheme will see 62m scratch cards sent to 16,000 venues across the UK.

Two out of three cards will offer a free £5 bet with bookmakers Ladbrokes.

Customers can place the bet by phone via a number on the back of the card. Some bets will be linked to different scenarios, such as match result or the first goal scorer.

The promotion does not mention the World Cup because S&NUK is not a sponsor. Bets will be valid for any football match for the duration of the tournament, which last from 9 June to 9 July.

Hosts can give them away when customers order a Foster's, Kronenbourg 1664, John Smith's Extra Smooth, Strongbow or Strongbow Sirrus.

Punters can win a free £1,000 bet by texting the number on promotional beer mats, part

of the PoS material.

Hosts can choose when they use the promotion. S&NUK's customer marketing director David Goadby suggested pubs may want to give away bets before the tournament or outside England games to create interest before the major trading period.

"This isn't just about England games. It's about giving on-trade retailers a

significant amount of activ-ity and investment to really drive footfall across the board," said Goadby.

S&NUK reckons the promotion will be popular because 72% of people place some sort of "flutter" each year - and five times as many people watch the World Cup compared to the Premiership. The brewer also says it will attract a variety of drinkers because it is not linked to

one brand.

Goadby added: "Millions will watch the World Cup tournament in bars across

the UK. We're determined

to help licensees make the most of this unprecedented opportunity."