Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the financial effect on the horse racing industry of one betting shop closing on (a) media and (b) levy payments.

Media payments are a commercial matter for racing and betting and we do not hold specific figures relating to individual Licensed Betting Offices (LBOs). Payment of the Horserace Betting Levy is based on gross profits and not directly linked to the number of LBOs.

On 7 March we laid a Statutory Instrument to reform the current Levy. This includes extending its scope to betting operators based offshore that are selling to consumers in Britain. This will ensure a level playing field for betting operators that are based in Britain and offshore operators, and increase funding for racing.