The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has said that it welcomed the long-awaited publication of the government’s white paper on reforms to gambling regulation and that it would “work tirelessly to deliver a secure future for the sport”, amid concern that a predicted loss between £8.4m and £14.9m annually as a result of “affordability checks” on punters could be “an underestimate”.
Under the plans finally revealed on Thursday and due for implementation in summer 2024, “frictionless” background checks on online gamblers will be introduced at “moderate” levels of spend, which is defined as a net loss of £125 in a month or £500 in a year. These checks would look for county court judgments or similar signs that an individual may be struggling financially.
