Warning that gambling checks could put racing jobs in Newmarket at risk

Newmarket residents have been urged to sign a petition against government proposals which could put thousands of local jobs at risk.

Britain’s horseracing industry has launched the petition calling for a halt to plans that would see punters who lose as little as £1.37 a day subjected to what it calls intrusive affordability checks.

Racing industry experts have warned that enforcing the strict measures in the blanket way currently proposed would have a catastrophic impact on the industry, with more than half of the 14,000 racing bettors who completed a right to bet survey saying they would be prepared to walk away from the sport completely or reduce their involvement rather than provide personal financial information.

The potential lost revenue to the industry has been estimated at around £250 million over the next five years and substantial online betting revenue has already been lost since the checks were first introduced.

That has sparked fears that thousands of livelihoods could be put at risk in Newmarket alone, with around 8,000 jobs directly or indirectly dependent on horseracing in the Newmarket area around 40 per cent of the working adult population.

The aim of the checks is to identify, and hopefully help, individuals who have an addiction to gambling but experts have argued the checks do not differentiate between betting on horseracing and other sport and fixed margin gaming products like roulette and on-line slots.

The petition has been on behalf of the racing industry and registered in the name of Nevin Truesdale, chief executive of The Jockey Club.

“These proposed and ongoing affordability checks are a significant infringement on personal freedom and have the potential to impact unfairly on two groups of people,” he said, “the millions who gamble responsibly every year and the tens of thousands whose livelihoods depend directly and indirectly on horseracing, including a significant number of people in Newmarket and the surrounding area.”

He added: “It won't actually address the challenges faced by problem gamblers, given that it is a habit-forming activity.

“Those betting safely will give up or turn to the black market, creating further problems in an unregulated environment, while those who don’t have the means to fund their gambling will simply find another way to bet.

“We would like to see a much more targeted system of checks, which specifically respond to other markers of harm rather than just a blanket affordability check that will do nothing to address the underlying issue.”

To sign the petition go to petition.parliament.uk/petitions/ 649894

The Newmarket Journal asked sports minister and Newmarket MP Lucy Frazer for her comments but she did not respond.