MPs to debate affordability checks on back of Jockey Club CEO petition
Parliamentary debate granted by the Petitions Committee following more than 100,000 signatures on proposal to scrap much-maligned financial risk checks
MPs will debate the potential scrapping of affordability checks on 26 February after a petition reached over 100,000 signatures in November.
The Petitions Committee confirmed Parliament will debate the issue next month after Jockey Club CEO Nevin Truesdale’s petition broke the required threshold late last year.
The committee is made up of 11 cross-party MPs and is chaired by Labour member Cat Smith – a former Shadow Cabinet minister who served under party leader Jeremy Corbyn.
The debate will likely be held in Westminster Hall as opposed to the House of Commons, in line with most petition-led debates.
The petition, which argues for the abandonment of affordability checks, currently sits on more than 103,000 signatures after more than two months of being live.
Reacting to the confirmation of the debate, Truesdale said: “We are pleased that the Petitions Committee has recognised the strength of feeling on this matter and that the parliamentary debate we are seeking has been granted.
“This is another great example of what the industry and its supporters can achieve when everyone works together.
“We are sure that solutions can be found to address instances of problem gambling while not allowing blanket affordability checks inadvertently to harm racing’s financial ecosystem,” he added.
Julie Harrington, British Horseracing Authority (BHA) CEO, remarked that it was correct that MPs should debate the topic following the groundswell of opinion.
She said: “No other form of leisure activity is subjected to the kinds of restrictions being proposed by the government and so it is right that MPs have the chance to forensically debate this issue.
“The BHA and other racing stakeholders will work with MPs on both sides of the House to ensure the views of British racing and those who bet on the sport are properly represented within the debate.
“While we support the need to protect individuals from the risk of gambling-related harm, it remains the case that millions of people enjoy betting on horseracing without suffering any ill effects.
“The BHA will therefore continue to push for changes to the Gambling Commission’s proposals on affordability checks to protect the sport’s financial future and limit the impact on racing bettors.”
Affordability checks have drawn the ire of the industry and bettors since the release of the white paper into the Gambling Act 2005 review in April last year.
The measures include two levels of checks, beginning with light-touch checks for a net loss of £125 within a rolling 30-day period or £500 within a rolling 365 days.
The second level involves an enhanced check that would be triggered when a bettor has a net loss of more than £1,000 in a rolling 24 hours or £2,000 in a rolling 90 days.