Betting checks ‘wrong for racing’
A JOCKEY-TURNED-MP has warned proposals to force punters to prove they can afford to bet will damage the horse racing industry.
Hexham MP Guy Opperman, an amateur jockey who rode his first winner in 1985, has joined a growing chorus of criticism of the Gambling Commission proposals under consultation.
Leading bookmakers and MPS have warned that plans to force people to prove they can afford bets of £100 or more – aimed at online casino gambling – would be disastrous for the horse racing industry.
Mr Opperman insisted:
“The Commission needs to change its mind. I speak as the constituency MP for Hexham racecourse, which provides more than 50 local jobs in Northumberland. “As someone who has worked in horse racing – a key employer in Northumberland – and as an amateur jockey who rode a steeplechase winner at Sedgefield in May 2019, I have no doubt the Commission has this wrong.” He said that the ideas were “fraught with difficulty and ill-thought through”. He said: “There is a way forward, that introduces safeguards but without these heavy-handed proposals.
“The impact on racing, and the jobs connected to it, will be significant if these proposals go through unamended.
“I am particularly concerned that it appears Parliament will not be able to influence or change the proposals.
“The Gambling Commission says it is in listening mode. I hope it listens to suggestions that this proposal is not appropriate for racecourse betting.”
The proposed regulations are designed to stop gamblers spending beyond their means. In practice that could mean that if a punter makes a net loss of £100 as they gamble over a monthly period they could be required to provide information to prove they can afford to lose more.
One in five people has said they bet more than they can afford, and it is estimated that two million people in the UK have, or are at risk of developing, an addiction to betting.
The Commission also found that half the population had a discretionary income of £250 a month – that is defined as cash available after tax, social security and basic living costs have been deducted.
In 2019 the gambling sector was worth £14.4billion – its value having almost doubled in eight years.