British racing is under threat from a Treasury tax raid that would see betting on racing subject to the same level of taxation as gambling on online casino games.

We’re leading #AxeTheRacingTax, an industry campaign to scrap this proposal, and we need you to play your part in putting pressure on the Government by raising the issue with your local MP.

It’s easy to play your part. Follow these simple instructions to send a letter, asking them to back British racing and #AxeTheRacingTax.

1. First find out who your MP is. If you don’t know already, simply follow this link and enter your postcode. It will tell you who it is and list their email address.

2. Now create your letter. Use our template below, ensuring you fill in the blanks with your own information. We have highlighted these in bold.

3. Send it. Copy and paste your letter into a new email, add your MP’s email address and hit send. That’s it.

4. Finally, spread the word. We need as many people as possible to send the letter to their MP and keep up the pressure. Urge your contacts to support us.

— >> Copy and paste the following letter —>>

Dear [YOUR MP’S NAME],

Back British Racing and #AxeTheRacingTax

As a horseracing fan in your constituency, I am writing to you to express my deep concern around a proposal by the Treasury to harmonise gambling taxation that risks irreparably damaging British horseracing and the tens of thousands of livelihoods it supports nationwide.

British horseracing is cherished national institution with events such as Royal Ascot and the Cheltenham Festival key parts of the nation’s sporting and social calendar. It is a world leading industry worth £4.1bn to the UK economy and supports 85,000 jobs.

It is also a source of immense local pride for communities across Britain. Nearly five million spectators visit our 59 racecourses each year, making it the country’s second best-attended sport.

It has also been a source of great joy for me over time as a horseracing fan.

However, the sport now faces a triple whammy of public policy threats, and without considered intervention from the Government, it risks falling into critical decline.

These threats are:

1. A Treasury plan to raise taxes on horserace betting to the same level as online casinos.

2. Gambling Commission-mandated affordability checks and operator restrictions that have seen a £1.6bn drop in online betting turnover in just two years.

3. Failure to deliver long-overdue reform of the Levy, racing’s key centralised revenue stream.

The impact of the HM Treasury proposal

– The proposal to harmonise betting duties is the gravest threat racing has faced.

– Analysis commissioned by the British Horseracing Authority shows putting horserace betting in the same category as online games of chance will cost British racing at least £66m a year.

– That will see thousands of jobs lost across Britain.

– Betting operators will be encouraged to push bettors towards online games of chance – which have a significantly higher risk of problem gambling than horserace betting.

– More bettors will be driven to the black market where they are at even greater risk of harm.

– Less legal betting means a significant reduction in tax revenue to the Government and less money flowing into racing.

– The policy totally fails to recognise the difference between skills-based betting on horseracing and fast-paced, high-spend games of chance.

I am deeply concerned about the unintended consequences of this policy for the sport – a concern shared by many thousands across the country and in your constituency – and what this may mean for my own enjoyment of British racing.

I would be grateful for your support through raising these issues in Parliament and by writing to the Prime Minister and Treasury Ministers to urge them to back British racing and #AxeTheRacingTax.

Thank you, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]
[YOUR ADDRESS]