Affordability checks would result in an “exodus” of bettors from horseracing

More than half of bettors will stop or significantly reduce their betting on horseracing should proposed affordability checks be introduced, according to a new survey.

The Right To Bet survey, which was organised by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), in conjunction with Racing TV, At The Races and the Racing Post, was answered by more than 14,000 people.

The survey results paint a stark picture of the current state of the market, with punters confirming their spend would drastically drop should measures be officially ushered in.

As detailed in the white paper into the Gambling Act 2005 review, affordability checks will take place at two points.

The first will see checks implemented when a bettor reaches a £125 net loss within a rolling 30-day period, or £500 within a rolling 365-day period.

The second assessment at an enhanced level will see checks deployed when a bettor loses more than £1,000 in 24 hours of £2,000 in 90 days.

Trigger levels for those aged 18 to 24-years-old will be lower.

The 26-question-long survey revealed 52% of respondents would either bet significantly less on horseracing or stop betting on the sport altogether.

The BHA said this would have a “significant negative impact” on the sport.

Additionally, the survey showed one in 10 bettors are already betting with black-market operators, while four in 10 would consider swapping to an unlicensed bookmaker should affordability checks be implemented.

Specifically on affordability checks, some 63% of respondents said they disagreed or strongly disagreed with the enhanced checks threshold.

In terms of the lower-end affordability checks, 56% said they either disagreed or strongly disagreed with the threshold.

The survey also showed that more than a quarter of respondents have already been subject to an affordability check by an operator.

Of those who responded to the follow-up question of ‘How did you respond to the request of an affordability check?’, 56% said they refused to complete the check and placed a bet with an alternative operator.

However, 31% said they complied with the check and were able to bet once it was completed.

Less than 5% complied but failed the check while 7% failed to comply and stopped betting completely.

The BHA confirmed it would submit a detailed response to the Gambling Commission, which would be inclusive of data from the survey as part of the consultation into affordability checks.

The consultation window closes on 18 October.

Greg Swift, BHA director of communications and corporate affairs, said: “The results of the survey demonstrate a clear rejection by British racing bettors of the measures that are being consulted on by the Gambling Commission.

“It also demonstrates that for a significant proportion of bettors, affordability checks are already here and impacting on their wholly legitimate hobby. We thank everyone that took the time to complete the survey,” he added.

Tom Kerr, Racing Post editor, commented: “The Right To Bet survey results align with what racing fans and punters have been telling us for years. 

“Illiberal and invasive affordability checks are not only deeply unpopular, they are driving bettors towards the black market and away from regulated operators, which will cause untold damage to British racing and fail to achieve the stated aim of increasing protections for punters.”