Cheltenham to urge thousands of racegoers at November meeting to sign the petition against affordability checks

Thousands of racegoers will be urged to sign the petition against affordability checks at Cheltenham's three-day November meeting this week as Jockey Club managing director Ian Renton warned against the threat of punters being led to the black market by the proposed reforms.

Industry estimates suggest British racing could be set to lose around £250 million over the next five years due to affordability checks, which have been met by significant and widespread opposition.

On Monday evening, more than 83,000 had added their signature to the petition, which was launched at the start of November and is registered in the name of Jockey Club chief executive Nevin Truesdale.

"Enjoying a bet responsibly is a key part of the day for the tens of thousands of punters who will be joining us at Cheltenham this weekend, and we'll be using our on-course channels to urge them to sign the petition," said Renton.

"We're extremely supportive of targeted measures which directly address problem gambling and we welcome the reform of the gambling laws which will result from the white paper, but during Safer Gambling Week it's especially relevant to highlight that the proposed and ongoing affordability checks could place those they seek to protect in harm's way by pushing them to unregulated black markets.

"The petition aims in part to highlight the need for any checks to achieve what they set out to and protect vulnerable punters without wider unintended consequences, and we’ll be using the platform that the home of jump racing provides this weekend to get as many people as possible who have not signed the petition to do so."

Ian Renton: Jockey Club managing directorCredit: Edward Whitaker

On Monday, the second race at Fakenham was named Save Our Sport Sign The Petition Handicap Hurdle, while the words "Save Our Sport" featured on the front of its racecard alongside a QR code linking directly to the petition. If the petition reaches 100,000 signatures, the subject of affordability checks will be considered for debate in parliament.

A consultation run by the Gambling Commission into the proposals in the government's white paper closed last month. Among the proposals were the implementation of financial risk checks for punters losing £1,000 in 24 hours, or £2,000 over a rolling 90-day period, which could involve some punters being required to hand over sensitive financial information.

The progress of those proposals was under scrutiny on Monday after prime minister Rishi Sunak embarked on a cabinet reshuffle sparked by the sacking of Suella Braverman as home secretary.

A number of frontline positions were changed in the shake-up, with the racing and betting industries waiting to see whether there would be new appointments made in the role of culture secretary, or sports minister.

Lucy Frazer, whose South East Cambridgeshire constituency contains the National Stud and the July course in Newmarket, has been culture secretary since February, while Stuart Andrew has been sports minister since September 2022.

Andrew took over the gambling portfolio in February following a mini-reshuffle, in doing so becoming the sixth minister to have had oversight of the area since the government announced plans to revamp gambling legislation in December 2020.

MP Philip Davies has been a prominent opponent of affordability checks and his wife, MP Esther McVey, who shares his passion for racing, will see her influence grow after being appointed the new Minister of State for the Cabinet Office.

Punters and the racing industry are being called on to sign a petition calling on the government to stop the implementation of affordability checks. You can sign the petition here.

Read more:

'We must do our bit' - Fakenham's racecard message as it urges racegoers to sign petition to halt affordability checks 

Everyone involved in racing at any level urged to sign petition against affordability checks 

Punters must unite to ward off the Affordability Police 

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