Racing industry bosses have launched a petition against “intrusive” affordability checks on punters who lose just £1.37 a day.
Proposals were set out in the Government’s Gambling White Paper published in April. The first tier of “frictionless” background checks will be for those who lose as little as £125 in 30 days, or £500 a year.
Second-tier checks will mean more detailed scrutiny for gamblers with losses of £1,000 within 24 hours, or £2,000 in 90 days. Checks will use “publicly available data” and involve credit reference agencies. Bookies will also be required to ask customers for personal documents such as bank statements and payslips.
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The Jockey Club, which operates 15 of the UK’s biggest racecourses, fears the move could have a “catastrophic” impact on the industry. Jockey Club chief executive Nevin Truesdale said the proposed affordability checks were “a significant infringement on personal freedom”.
He added: “It is deeply disturbing that racing fans may have to prove they can afford to lose what amounts to less than £10 a week having a flutter on the sport they love.”
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The petition registered in the name of Jockey Club chief executive Nevin Truesdale launched on behalf of the racing industry and its customers read: “We want the government to abandon the planned implementation of affordability checks for some people who want to place a bet.
“Such checks – including assessing whether people are 'at risk of harm' based on their postcode or job title – are inappropriate and discriminatory. The proposed checks could see bettors having to prove they can afford their hobby if they sustain losses as low as £1.37 per day.
"We accept the need to help those with problem gambling but more intrusive checks triggered at a higher threshold risks bettors moving to the black market where there are no consumer protections or safer gambling tools. There will also be a negative impact on British horseracing's finances due to a reduction in betting turnover and resulting fall in levy yield."
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