Punters and racing's participants urged to encourage their local MPs to attend February's affordability debate

The man who gives punters a voice has called on bettors and the horseracing industry to ask their local MP to attend next month's debate on betting affordability checks in parliament, believing the more who hear of the damage to the sport and impingement on people's civil liberties, the better the chance of common sense prevailing.

The debate, set to take place on February 26, comes as a response to the petition started by Jockey Club chief executive Nevin Truesdale, with the aim of stopping the implementation of financial checks on punters, which passed 100,000 signatures on November 28.

This meant it would be considered for a debate in parliament by the petitions committee, a body made up of 11 backbench MPs from government and opposition parties, which on Friday announced that such a debate would indeed take place.

As is typically the case with petitions, this debate is likely to be conducted in Westminster Hall, rather than the House of Commons, with the government sending a minister to provide an official response.

Sean Trivass: chair of the Horseracing Bettors ForumCredit: Horseracing Bettors Forum

Given industry estimates put the potential cost of affordability checks to British racing in the region of £250 million in revenue over the next five years, the Horseracing Bettors Forum chair Sean Trivass said he believed it was important as many MPs as possible attended the debate.

On the petitions committee's decision to authorise the debate, he said: "It's a moral victory for punters and the sport to get the discussion in parliament, and a big step forward – no-one can argue that. However, it's what comes out of those discussions. The real victory will come if common sense prevails after the discussion in parliament.

"The more MPs that turn up to discuss it you'd hope common sense prevails, and the HBF will be asking people to contact their local MP to put across the voice of punters and the racing industry as the current checks as planned are damaging to both."

Trivass did not want to underplay the significance of the debate and added: "It's incredibly important and we want the best case put forward, and we want MPs – more of them and the ones who haven't been involved so far – to get a better idea of the racing industry and punters' views, and for them to listen and see if there are alternatives.

"We've long argued there are alternatives to the draconian idea of affordability checks that can be used. People don't ask what you spent on beer to define someone as an alcoholic, there are other measures, and we want them to consider whether there are alternatives that are feasible."

Read these next:

Crucial affordability checks debate to take place on February 26 

'We are listening' - Gambling Commission chief promises that consultations do lead to change 

Controversial affordability checks must be 'minimally intrusive' committee of MPs tells government 

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