Accountability statement from the British Horseracing Authority

The Chief Executive of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), Julie Harrington, has issued the following statement regarding the announcement of the new Government-backed voluntary industry code on customer checks:

 

We are reassured that the Government has listened to Racing’s long campaign against the affordability checks it first set out in its White Paper more than a year ago.

It is also to the credit of racing fans, and the wider racing industry, that their lobbying of Government, whether through taking part in our ‘Right to Bet’ survey or signing the petition to trigger February’s Westminster Hall debate, has so clearly been heard.

While today’s announcement on increased thresholds for affordability checks is a move in the right direction, it does not yet secure a more sustainable future for racing’s finances.

We remain concerned that there is no update on the Government’s review of the Levy, promised more than a year ago, and the threat that represents to Racing’s financial well-being.

It is also vital that new rules on Anti-Money Laundering checks are set out as soon as possible to avoid racing bettors being caught up in separate requests for financial documents.

We will continue to work collaboratively with the Secretary of State Lucy Frazer and Sports Minister Stuart Andrew to secure a review of the Levy that delivers a sustainable funding model for Britain’s second most-watched sport, safeguarding thousands of jobs and an economic lifeline in Britain’s rural communities.

It remains our belief that the simplest way to do this is to increase the basic rate of Levy and include bets taken on overseas racing to put our sport on a level playing field with other jurisdictions.

The full code can be found here.