Report claims gambling white paper will include plans to 'ensure proper funding' for racing

Levy reform is set to be among the proposals set out in the government's long-awaited gambling review white paper, according to a newspaper report.

The Sun claimed it had seen details of the government's plans for gambling reform in leaked cabinet documents.

Ministers have pledged to review the levy, which is based on a percentage of bookmaker profits on British racing and yielded £97.6 million in 2021-22, by 2024.

However, the sport's leadership has been calling for that review to be brought forward and the levy system reformed to extend its reach to betting on all global racing as well as adjusting it to be based on turnover rather than profits to boost income. Levy reform had been expected to figure in the white paper last summer, but its publication was delayed by the resignation of prime minister Boris Johnson and subsequent events in Westminster.   

The Sun report said betting on horseracing "faces higher taxes under a new review to ensure proper funding for the sport".

Ministers launched the gambling review in December 2020 but the resulting white paper is finally expected to be published after parliament returns from the Easter recess on April 17.

Among other proposals The Sun reported were a reference which appeared to be about affordability checks, with operators set to carry out what were described as "credit checks" alongside duties to look for signs of unaffordable losses.

The newspaper also claimed that people under 25 would be unable to gamble more than £2 per spin on online slots, although older punters would be allowed to stake up to £15, a higher figure than expected.

Other measures which have been flagged up previously included a statutory levy on operators to pay for problem gambling research, education and treatment, and the creation of a gambling ombudsman to deal with customer complaints.

The newspaper quoted culture secretary Lucy Frazer as having told colleagues: "Our proposals are targeted to protect people who are at risk of addiction, catastrophic loss and harm, with minimal disruption to the majority."

Asked about the report, a spokesperson for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport told the Racing Post they did not comment on speculation.

They added: "We are determined to protect those most at risk of gambling-related harm and are working to finalise details of our review. The white paper will strengthen our regulatory framework to ensure it is fit for the digital age."

Conservative MP Scott Benton has had the party whip withdrawn following a sting by The Times newspaper in which he was filmed offering to lobby ministers on behalf of fake gambling industry investors who had offered him a fee of up to £4,000. 

The Times reported Benton told undercover reporters he could leak a copy of the gambling white paper before it was published.

He was subsequently quoted as saying he was "concerned that what was being asked of me was not within parliamentary rules", had contacted the Commons registrar and the parliamentary standards commissioner, and "had no further contact with the company". 

Benton is chair of the Parliamentary All-Party Betting and Gaming Group, although such groups are informal and have no official status in parliament.

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