Sir Mark Prescott on affordability proposals: 'It's very dangerous and they may well achieve everything they don't want'

Sir Mark Prescott, the longest-serving trainer in Newmarket, has warned that excessively intrusive affordability checks would not only be damaging to racing and betting, but could have unintended consequences by turning people to the black market.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport proposed two levels of checks in its April white paper on reform of the 2005 Gambling Act, details of which have since been fleshed out in the Gambling Commission's public consultation. 

'Frictionless' background checks into whether a betting account holder has any problematic financial issues such as bankruptcy would be triggered after net losses of £125 in any rolling 30-day period or £500 in 365 days. Such checks are estimated by the Gambling Commission to involve around 20 per cent of betting accounts.

Operators would be obliged to conduct more intrusive financial risk checks if a customer suffers losses of £1,000 in 24 hours, or £2,000 across 90 days.

"It's very dangerous and they may well achieve everything they don't want," said Prescott. "I think illegal betting would surge and that's not what they want, but it's what would be the probable result of the full implementation. 

"We don't know what they're going to do and how light-touch it is going to be. At its worst, it will achieve what they don't want."

Prescott also criticised the proposals on betting as part of a broader direction of travel within society. 

"Liberties are being attacked at every turn such as free speech, and the presumption of innocence has gone completely," said Prescott. "This is another small scratch for that but an enormous one for racing.

"It [betting] is an integral part of racing. The Australian model has worked very well and ours less so. More interference from well-meaning individuals with little knowledge is just what you don't want."

• How to respond to the Gambling Commission consultation: Views can be provided at this page. After completing the introductory questions, select 'Remote gambling: financial vulnerability and financial risk' from the 'Consultations contents page'. You may choose to answer as many or as few questions as you wish. Further Racing Post guidance on responding to the consultation can be found here.
• The Racing Post wants to hear from you: What has been your experience of affordability checks since the white paper was published at the end of April, and what do you think of the government's proposals? Have affordability checks affected your betting behaviour?
  It's a chance for your voice to be heard. Email the Racing Post at editor@racingpost.com with the subject 'Affordability checks' to share your experiences, your thoughts about the government's proposals, and your contact details.

Read more on affordability checks:

Racing Post readers on affordability checks: 'To my complete dismay, I find myself frozen out of my favourite pastime'  

Affordability checks explained and how to respond to the Gambling Commission consultation  

Punters could face affordability checks every six months under new proposals triggered by white paper  

The Gambling Commission is waging a war on punters, and this is our last chance to fight back 

The Front Runner is our unmissable email newsletter available exclusively to Members' Club Ultimate subscribers. Chris Cook, a four-time Racing Reporter of the Year award winner, provides his take on the day's biggest stories and tips for the upcoming racing every morning from Monday to Friday. Not a Members' Club Ultimate subscriber? Click here to join today and also receive our Ultimate Daily emails plus our full range of fantastic website and newspaper content.