Over 400 figures in British racing have signed an open letter to oppose affordability checks proposed by Labour’s culture secretary Lisa Nandy.
Open Letter Sent To Lisa Nandy AGAINST Affordability Checks
408 people connected to British horse racing have called on the Labour Government to scrap affordability check plans.
Aintree Grand National winners such Lucinda Russell (trained Corach Rambler) and Robert Waley-Cohen (owned Noble Yeats) are amongst those to sign the letter.
Classic-winning trainers such as John Gosden and William Haggas have also signed the letter.
The calls for affordability checks to be scrapped come as the industry would be put under serious pressure if they were implemented.
These checks could be signed off in less than a month by the Gambling Commission with fears that more than £250 million would be lost in the horse racing industry.
Illegal betting sites and the harmful black market would only benefit from this, and as a result, not one penny would go back into the industry.
You can find the full letter to Lisa Nandy via The Sun for their “Save Our Bets Campaign” which is a plea against the government and the Gambling Commission.
The statment ends with a strong line: “It is not too late for you to reconsider the unintended consequences of your predecessor’s policies and “Save Our Bets” to secure British horse racing’s future.”
Horse Racing Trainers Who Signed Open Letter
There were a number of trainers, jockeys and owners who signed the petition.
- Dan Skelton – trainer
- Hugo Palmer – trainer
- Iain Jardine – trainer
- Jedd O’Keefe – trainer
- John Gosden – trainer
- Karl Burke – trainer
- Lucinda Russell – trainer
- Melanie Rowley – trainer
- Michael Scudamore – trainer
- Paul Nicholls – trainer
- Peter Scudamore – assistant trainer
- Ralph Beckett – trainer
- Richard Hannon – trainer
- William Haggas – trainer
Betting & Gaming Council Boss Speaks Out
Grainne Hurst, who is boss of the Betting and Gaming Council has had his say on the matter.
“Ministers promised punters frictionless checks, but the Gambling Commission risks pushing ahead with the exact opposite.
“Forcing punters to hand over bank statements isn’t ‘frictionless’ – it’s intrusive and will drive many straight to the illegal market, where there are no safeguards at all.
“Trials using Credit Reference Agencies have already shown these checks don’t work, with inconsistewnt and contradictory results that will force more customers to hand over sensitive financial documents.
“This will hit punters, fuel the growing harmful black market, and undermine the safeguards that exist in the regulated system to keep customers safe.“
