The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has written an open letter to the government demanding a rethink over the introduction of affordability checks for UK operators.
Addressed to Lisa Nandy, Secretary of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the BHA claimed the policy – which requires some customers to prove they have the financial means to place bets – will cause “lasting damage to British horseracing”.
The letter read: “We are writing to express our deep concern over plans to introduce affordability checks for betting, due to be signed off by the Gambling Commission’s board next month and urge the government to rethink a policy which will cause lasting damage to British horseracing.
“For more than 350 years, our sport has enjoyed a uniquely interdependent relationship with betting. A day at the races and a flutter on the horses is something that is deeply embedded in the British way of life. But this cultural, social and economic institution is now at risk if the decision to impose affordability checks for even low levels of betting goes ahead.
“It was the last Conservative government that proposed affordability checks as part of its gambling policy to make betting fit for the digital age. While the intention was sensible, the delivery has failed. Instead of making it easier and safer for people to have that flutter, regulatory changes have only made it harder.
“Little wonder then that growing numbers of people are now betting illegally rather than be subjected to intrusive checks more appropriate for securing a mortgage than engaging in a legal pastime enjoyed by millions of Britons.”
Dubbed by the Gambling Commission (GC) as financial ‘vulnerability’ checks, the measure, according to the regulator, will “identify significant financial vulnerability at an early stage of the customer journey in order to be able to support customers who are significantly or particularly financially vulnerable”.
The GC ran a pilot programme last year to test out the checks, at the time claiming 97% of the assessments carried out during the trial were “frictionless”.
A “gift to the criminal underworld”
But the BHA’s letter argued the government has ignored its warnings regarding introducing affordability checks, and that their implementation would be a “grave misjudgement”.
The letter continued: “This unprecedented state intrusion into people’s private lives has dismayed the millions of people who love horseracing. Over 100,000 signed a petition against the checks in 2024, triggering a Westminster Hall debate at which then minister Stuart Andrew MP said the checks would only be introduced if they were ‘truly frictionless’.
“The subsequent Gambling Commission pilot of affordability checks involving Credit Ratings Agencies has proved a 100% success rate is not possible. Despite our repeated warnings, the Commission seems intent on pursuing this highly controversial policy regardless of the consequences for Britain’s second most-popular sport.
“Adding a further layer of regulation right now would be at best a grave misjudgement, and at worst, a gift to the criminal underworld that benefits from these illegal betting operations.
“The landscape has changed since your government took office and it is time for us all to work together to find a better solution. It is not too late for you to reconsider the unintended consequences of your predecessor’s policies and ‘Save Our Bets’ to secure British horseracing’s future.”
The GC has regularly stated that affordability checks will not be a mandatory requirement for UK operators. This was reiterated by GC director of major policy projects and evaluation Helen Rhodes during a panel at iGB L!VE in July last year.
“We don’t have specific regulatory requirements relating to affordability checks and are not proposing any,” she told delegates.
“We don’t have any regulatory requirements in place for affordability checks, and it’s important that we do continue to state that because customers are often told that there is a specific threshold or a specific point at which affordability checks are required.”
Last month, the DCMS confirmed there would be no changes to the rate of the horseracing betting levy paid by UK operators.
The BHA also announced the departure of Lord Charles Allen as chair in March, with no replacement lined up in the immediate future.
The post BHA: Implementing affordability checks would be a “grave misjudgement” first appeared on EGR Intel.
Horseracing governing body urges DCMS to rethink an “unprecedented state intrusion into people’s private lives” ahead of planned introduction in May
The post BHA: Implementing affordability checks would be a “grave misjudgement” first appeared on EGR Intel.