BHA demands affordability checks “strike a balance” between player freedom and protection
Horseracing regulatory authority warns current proposals risk increasing illegal market as it promises to “mobilise MPs” ahead of parliamentary debate
The British Horseracing Association (BHA) has called on affordability checks to strike a balance between protecting players and their maintaining their freedoms.
Affordability checks have been a cause for concern among the industry and bettors following the release of the white paper into the Gambling Act 2005 review last April.
Under the proposed measures there will be two levels of checks, the first beginning with light-touch checks for a net loss of £125 within a 30-day period or £500 within a one-year period.
The second is an enhanced check that comes into force when a player has a net loss of more than £1,000 in a rolling 24-hour period or £2,000 in a rolling 90 days.
In a blog post, the BHA’s policy and advocacy manager, Jack Barton, pointed out that DCMS Secretary Lucy Frazer agreed that “state intervention must be targeted to prevent addictive and harmful gambling”.
The BHA added that the current proposals are not fit for purpose and would damage racing’s betting turnover as well as potentially increase the illegal betting market.
Barton wrote: “We are clear that sweeping blanket checks on affordability are not appropriate, with any measures needing to be proportionate and targeted at individuals and their specific circumstances, given the risk of emboldening an already growing illegal market.
“Legitimate questions have also been asked as to why gambling alone is being singled out as a legal leisure activity which needs prescribed spending limits.
“While we do not question the intentions of those within government and the GC [Gambling Commission] who have worked on these proposals, organisations across racing are united in their view that current proposals around affordability are not compatible with this ambition.
“Most significantly for racing, these proposals will further damage betting turnover owing to the demographics of racing bettors when compared to other sports, meaning that they are more likely to be caught in the proposed more onerous ‘financial risk assessments’ proposed.”
The BHA also confirmed it will mobilise MPs alongside other racing stakeholders to prepare for the parliamentary debate on affordability checks which is due to take place on 26 February.
The debate was triggered following Jockey Club CEO Nevin Truesdale’s petition to abandon the controversial checks broke the required threshold of 100,000 signatures late last year.
The BHA said that the popularity of the petition showed a “clear message ha[d] been delivered around the unpopularity of these proposals by racing bettors”.