Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of the Gambling Commission's proposed affordability checks for bets of more than £1,000 on the horse racing industry.

The Government recognises the significant contribution that racing makes to British sporting culture and its importance to the British economy. Horseracing is the only sport in receipt of a direct government-mandated levy which helps to drive improvements in the sport.

On 7 July the Gambling Commission announced that its Board has decided to implement Financial Risk Assessments (FRAs) in a careful, phased way. The Government has been supportive of the policy intent behind these assessments, and welcomes their decision to do this in a careful phased way.

The vast majority of consumers will not face any change to their customer experience. A consumer who undergoes an FRA as a result of a net deposit of £1000 or more in a 24 hour period will not automatically be subject to operator action, such as account restrictions. It will instead be for the operator to determine whether or not action is needed, based on both FRA data and the data they already have on the consumer. It is therefore right that the Commission is taking a phased approach to implementation, to ensure that operators are given as clear guidance as possible on options for responding to an FRA.

We recognise the horseracing sector has concerns about FRAs. Both the Minister for Gambling and the Gambling Commission have met the British Horseracing Authority and wider racing stakeholders to discuss these concerns. We would now encourage the sector to engage constructively with the Commission during the upcoming implementation phase.