Following the publication this morning of a Written Ministerial Statement on the conclusion of the 2024 Horserace Betting Levy Review, British Horseracing Authority Chief Executive Brant Dunshea has issued the following statement
“It is disappointing that it has taken almost three years to determine there should be no change in the Levy rate.
“Throughout protracted negotiations British horseracing engaged with the Government in good faith, including providing clear evidence of a substantial – and growing – gap between our costs of providing the sport and the return we receive from betting.
“Following the BHA’s lobbying campaign, the Government in its last Budget recognised the vital cultural, social and economic importance of horseracing by not imposing an increase in betting duties on the sport.
“In its pre-Budget advice to the Treasury, the DCMS also warned that ‘unless a carve-out for racing was accompanied by an increase in the Horserace Betting Levy…racing would be unlikely to feel any benefit.’
“Today’s WMS leaves unexplained why, only a few months after the Budget, the DCMS now believes there is no need to change the Levy rate.
“British horseracing already gets a significantly lower return from the gambling industry compared to our nearest rival jurisdictions. While French and Irish horseracing gets 7.7% and 8.4% respectively, we receive less than 3%.
“This is compounded by the failure to recognise that in refusing to extend the Levy to bets placed on overseas racing, the sport in Britain is funding our international rivals which diminishes our global standing
“It was the last Conservative Government that introduced the concept of affordability checks on gambling, despite our repeated warnings of their impact on horseracing and the growth of illegal betting with all its associated risks for consumers.
“The current Chancellor recognised these dangers in her last Budget by awarding the Gambling Commission £26m to tackle the illegal sector.
“We agree that this Labour Government should not consider itself bound by the policies of its predecessor.
“In which case it is surely time for the DCMS and HMT to recognise that adding more red tape to an already highly regulated sector will only fuel a significant rise in illegal betting, deprive horseracing of funding and prevent the Government collecting millions of pounds in much-needed taxation.
“The Government would be genuinely congratulated if it took this moment to recognise the impact that no increase in the Levy will have on horseracing’s finances and stopped the introduction of affordability checks which threaten the sport’s future.”
