‘Deeply frustrating and very worrying’ - MPs express huge concern at lack of control over affordability checks policy

Click here to add us to your Google preferred sources or find out more here

Ministers have been criticised for abdicating control over policy following this week's news that the Gambling Commission has decided to press ahead with the implementation of affordability checks.

MPs on both sides of the House of Commons have also raised concerns that the industry regulator has yet to publish in full the evidence on which it based its decision.

The BHA has discussed its frustration at the lack of transparency from the Gambling Commission, and revealed it has resubmitted a freedom of information (FOI) request to address that, having had a previous attempt dismissed by the commission as "vexatious".

On Tuesday it was announced that the Gambling Commission had decided to go ahead with the controversial checks, also known as financial risk assessments, despite major concerns raised by operators that a pilot of the measures had shown they were not 'frictionless' as promised.

British racing's leadership fears the checks could result in the sport losing £250 million in revenue over five years if bettors are still asked for personal financial documents as a result of the checks.

BHA chief executive Brant Dunshea said that to allow the Gambling Commission to take the decision unilaterally was a "clear abdication of duty" by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

John Gosden: "I think this is a dereliction of duty"Credit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Leading trainer John Gosden was of the same mind on Wednesday, when he said: "I've said it all before but I think this is a dereliction of duty. All it will do is send people to the black market." 

Shadow culture minister Louie French agreed with those views. 

He said: "The fact that DCMS have allowed an unelected arms-length body to go ahead with a policy which I believe goes clearly against the mandate given by parliament, I find deeply frustrating and also very worrying.

"The mandate which was given, rightly or wrongly, by the previous government, supported by ministers in this government, was that these checks could go ahead only if they were truly frictionless.

"The words of the minister on the floor of the house yesterday and the Gambling Commission's own analysis show that that can't be delivered. So as far as I'm concerned, they should be stopping this completely, they shouldn't be going down this road to an outcome where we know there will be significant issues for horseracing, there will be significant issues with more job losses and, crucially, the fuelling of the black market which should be at the front of everyone's minds."

Dunshea also raised concerns the commission had signed off the decision without stakeholders being able to see "vital evidence" such as the independent review of the pilot by researchers NatCen.

French said: "We're in a very opaque position where, even as a shadow minister, I've not seen the evidence. I don't know what government ministers have seen or not seen. 

"I have my doubts whether there's been much engagement, I think they're not so keen to get involved with this."

Dan Carden MP: "This seems to be a quango that is running government policy"

French's opinions were echoed by Labour MP Dan Carden, whose Liverpool Walton constituency includes Aintree racecourse.

He said: "My focus is that this seems to be a quango that's running government policy, and it seems like ministers aren't in control of it. It's also a concern that the Gambling Commission has given the go-ahead for implementation without racing and other stakeholders seeing all the evidence.

"We do need stronger leadership from within the industry and also stronger leadership within government and the two working together, because we know the industry needs turning around and needs support.

"We lost Charles Allen [former BHA chair] when he started his reforms and I think the need for a reorganisation and a proper review of the funding model hasn't gone away. That requires leadership from the industry and for ministers to be in control of what's going on."

Greg Swift, the BHA's director of communications and corporate affairs, told the governing body's podcast on Wednesday there had been growing frustration about a perceived lack of transparency, communication and acknowledgement of the concerns raised.

An FOI request was sent to the Gambling Commission at the end of April asking to see correspondence between the regulator, DCMS and NatCen.

However, Swift said: "The Gambling Commission replied to us within the allotted timeframe dismissing the application as vexatious, but while also saying that part of the reason why they couldn't address the concerns we raised in our FOI is that it's a live issue and it's an issue of national significance.

"Those two things can't be true at the same time. If it's an issue of national significance, it cannot therefore be a vexatious request to see what has underpinned this decision.

"So we've now gone back to the Gambling Commission, as we're allowed to do, to refine what we've asked them and to make our case around what we would like to see happen next."

Read these next:

Worse odds, black market risk and inconsistency - why affordability checks will be a nightmare for punters 

'A clear abdication of duty' - BHA CEO slams government over affordability checks and says decision is 'self-harm on an immense scale' 

Controversial affordability checks on punters given green light by Gambling Commission despite opposition from racing and bookmakers  

Sign up to receive On The Nose, our essential daily newsletter, from the Racing Post. Your unmissable morning feed, direct to your email inbox every morning.