BHA chief welcomes minister's racing pledge on gambling review

BHA chief executive Julie Harrington has welcomed gambling minister Chris Philp's pledge that the government wants to ensure its review of gambling legislation will not "undermine the financial condition" of British racing.

Philp was speaking during questions to ministers from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in the House of Commons at which he said the sport was "a significant source of national pride and prestige".

The government launched its review of the Gambling Act 2005 in December 2020 promising to make legislation "fit for the digital age".

However, there are concerns proposals surrounding stringent affordability checks for punters and restrictions around gambling advertising could cost British racing tens of millions of pounds in revenues.

Philp was speaking in response to a question from fellow Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen, who asked him to confirm that when the draft proposals of the review were announced there would be an impact assessment on the horseracing industry.

The minister said he had had "extensive conversations" with racing and MPs representing constituencies with racing interests about the Gambling Act review.

Gambling minister Chris Philp: says proper impact assessments will be done as part of the gambling review and potential measures

Philp went on: "I assure him that proper impact assessments will be done.

"We know that horseracing is a vital sport for the people who work in the industry. It supports many jobs, it provides leisure activities for many people, and it is a significant source of national pride and prestige.

"Nothing in the Gambling Act review, I hope, will do anything to undermine the financial condition of that great sport or its place at the heart of our national life."

In answer to a further comment from his colleague Laurence Robertson, Philp reiterated: "We want to ensure that nothing in the review undermines the status of horseracing."

Philp's comments on the gambling review, and the importance of the sport, have been taken as a promising sign among British racing's leadership.

BHA chief executive Julie Harrington: welcomed Chris Philp's comments in the House of CommonsCredit: Steve Davies

In response, Harrington said: "I very much welcome the minister’s comments in the House of Commons this morning, both on the importance of horseracing to the British economy and national life, and that the Gambling Act review should not undermine the finances of British racing.

"In my discussions with the minister, I have emphasised that British racing fully supports the review’s objectives but it must be evidence based in reducing gambling-related harm and avoid damaging, unintended consequences.

"I am grateful to the many Parliamentarians who have supported this call in recent weeks, and we look forward to working with the minister and officials on providing detailed evidence to the next stages of the review.”

The white paper containing the government's proposals for reform has yet to appear and there has been speculation it may not be published until around Easter or even as late as May.

Shadow minister Alex Davies-Jones accused the government of continuing "to drag their feet when the need for reform is crystal clear".

She added: "What is the minister doing in advance of the long-awaited white paper, because we need to address the issue now."

Philp said a number of measures had already been taken such as the ban on the use of credit cards in gambling and the work on the "Single Customer View", the project designed to reduce gambling harm by sharing data on potentially vulnerable customers.

He added: "A number of things have been done. We are working, and have been working, on the Gambling Act review at pace and it will be published in the very near future."

The minister was also asked by Labour MP John Spellar to ensure any measures taken following the review would not fuel the black market and organised crime.

Philp said: "We are, of course, concerned about the possibility of black market gambling. I hope there will be proposals in our review to give the Gambling Commission additional powers to tackle and combat black market betting."

Read more:

Racegoers urged to contact MPs over 'unintended consequences' of gambling review

Punters' group 'hopeful' gambling-reform message heard by government

Former minister warns affordability checks could drive punters to black market

Ministers warned YouGov poll is 'wake-up call' over potential gambling measures

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