Racing must devise self-help policies

The need for self-help in racing is clear – the sport is facing significant funding challenges even if the proposals for a levy replace­ment of ten per cent of bookmakers’ gross profits are enacted.

Richard Hoiles commented (Racing Post, October 15) on the alteration to the levy calculation that was made a few years ago.

The change from a levy based on turnover to one based on gross profits appears to have assisted bookmakers at the expense of racing. For example, while the results at the Cheltenham Festival, Royal Ascot and other major meetings over the last few years have been poor for the layers they presumably have been less painful due to the change in the levy calculation. How much more levy would have been generated for racing under the previous arrangement?