Review must not gamble with racing's future

It was great to see the crowds and atmosphere return to the

Cheltenham Festival following last year’s scenes of deserted and desolate stands. This year saw record numbers through the turnstiles, with 375,000 spectators welcomed over the four days. It has been estimated that somewhere in the region of £500 million was wagered in the UK alone over the four days of racing.

Hopefully the Festival served as a timely reminder to those sitting 100 miles away in Westminster to avoid jeopardising our much-loved sport through careful consideration of what will be included in the forthcoming Gambling Act Review. There are so many positives to be derived from horseracing and on a most basic level it is an opportunity for people from all walks of life to come together for a great day out, allowing a small interest in the action through a wager if desired.

It is thought that the Gambling Act Review plans to respect individuals’ right to gambling as a leisure activity while also better protecting those at risk of gambling harm by introducing affordability checks. The big question here is what stringent checks regarding how much customers can afford to gamble will look like – and how in practical terms will this be implemented. It is predicted that advertising and sponsorship will also be reviewed to further protect vulnerable customers.

The Gambling Act Review could have a hefty impact on the racing industry and Treasury alike. The implementation of blanket affordability checks could result in annual revenue

losses of £100m or more. Overnight the racing industry could be catastrophically damaged, translating into job losses and threatening the fabric of the rural economy. The impact to the Treasury’s coffers is even more significant, as this could

endanger the gambling industry’s current contribution of close to £3 billion each fiscal year.

It is also worth considering whether adopting these measures will achieve its aim of protecting the financially vulnerable – or simply drive gambling into unregulated black markets. This

is a real issue that must be taken seriously. A scan of recently commissioned pan-European research into black market gambling shows that countries such as Norway and Italy – where stricter regulation is in place – have seen an increase in illegal online wagering, a trend which we cannot ignore.

Back to Cheltenham and it was a welcome sight to see plenty of British-trained runners in the winner’s enclosure, preventing a repeat of the Irish rout of 2021. It was particularly enjoyable to see winners trained in Scotland, Wales and England, roared home with success for sole owners, syndicates and owner-breeders. Truly diverse, and a much-needed boost for British racing. This year’s meeting will be remembered as a year for record breakers. Willie Mullins, with ten winners in total,took home a haul of more than a third of all the trophies on offer; no trainer had ever won more than eight races at a single meeting in the history of Cheltenham. Mullins’ five winners on the final day took his total tally of winners to 88 and put him top of the leading trainer standings for the ninth time.

 

Rachael Blackmore continued to break records and garner some well-deserved national headlines, with British-bred Honeysuckle defending her Champion Hurdle title, becoming the first mare to win successive renewals. The jockey then made more history by partnering A Plus Tard to success in the Gold Cup, the first ever triumph for a female rider, a story that was picked up by all the major media outlets.

Earlier this month, Annamarie Phelps revealed she would not be seeking a second term as Chair of the BHA. Her successor

is Joe Saumarez Smith, currently an independent Non- Executive Director at the BHA, who will take on the position of Chair from June until September next year. His pedigree and form speak for themselves. He has been Chair of British racing’s Cross Industry Gambling Strategy Group, which has been concentrating on levy development and of course the aforementioned Gambling Act Review. Joe joined the BHA

board in 2014 and is CEO of Sports Gaming Limited, a London- based management consultancy to the gaming industry, and Chairman of technology supplier Bede Gaming.

Our sport faces many headwinds and we will all need to help Joe and the BHA in coordinating racing’s efforts, particularly on the imminent white paper and the levy structure as a whole.