Labour peer: Greyhound racing faces huge threat from affordability checks
Lord David Lipsey says sport is in the same boat as horseracing as he warns against decrease in voluntary greyhound levy to support welfare programmes
Labour peer Lord David Lipsey has warned affordability checks could lead to significant damage to the greyhound racing industry.
Lord Lipsey, who is the chair of Premier Greyhound Racing, has suggested the current voluntary levy handed to the industry from operators could be under threat should bettors head to the black market.
The greyhound levy, which is voluntary, unlike the horseracing levy, resulted in £7.6m being donated by operators in 2022-23.
However, Lord Lipsey noted the levy has been in decline since 2019-20 when a one-off hike in the levy to £8.8m was secured following an extension of the levy to include overseas bets.
Lord Lipsey said that while Premier Greyhound Racing has “has no independent evidence on the impact of the proposed crackdown on affordability”, he believed the sport would face similar consequences to horseracing in terms of bettors turning away from regulated operators.
The chair said: “Big punters are a mix of those with gambling problems and those who just enjoy a good bet. Greyhound racing, like horseracing, has done everything it can to encourage safer betting.
“But if the Gambling Commission insists on probing big punters, they will simply disappear. Some will go to the black market. Some will seek their kicks elsewhere.
“The loss of greyhound punters will directly impact the yield of the voluntary levy. But equally important, if the bookmakers are hard hit by the new affordability rules – and they all think they will be – that will be a huge blow to their willingness to contribute to the voluntary levy,” he added.
Lord Lipsey went on to say that should the “financial pressure” put on operators as a result of affordability checks come to fruition, they would “not likely to be in a mood to up their contributions in line with the sport’s needs”.
The former journalist suggested potential consequences arising from the checks could include the degradation of racetracks, lower welfare standards and greyhound rehoming.
Lord Lipsey concluded: “If the money to pay for welfare is not forthcoming due to the impact on bookmakers of the new affordability requirements, all these are possible. The Greyhound Board of Great Britain would resist but it might be powerless to insist.”