THE KING’S racehorse trainer last night warned against unprecedented new checks which could force tens of thousands of punters into the gambling black market.
Royal equine supremo William Haggas demanded Ministers make the Gambling Commission ‘think again’ on draconian mortgage-style affordability checks.
The hapless regulator is poised to sign-off the intrusive checks in May despite warnings they will cause chaos.
They could also cost the Treasury as much as £200m in lost tax from the hit to bookies’ revenue, as punters are driven to illegal sites instead.
Racing punters, football fans and online bingo players all face being dragged into the new regime.
Haggas, who was also trainer for the late Queen, said: “Horseracing and betting have a historic and symbiotic relationship.
“Having a flutter on the horses has been part of our way of life for centuries.
“Anything that interferes with that will only damage horseracing, cost jobs and deprive the Government of much-needed tax revenue.
“There is surely no harm in the Government taking the time to look at this again and make sure it gets it right.”
The former Tory Government proposed the checks in 2023 – saying they would take effect when a punter loses £2,000 over three months – the equivalent of £22 a day.
Labour has promised they can only be introduced when truly ‘frictionless’ to avoid punters being caught up unnecessarily.
But bookies warn tests show the system isn’t ready – with wildly inconsistent data from credit rating agencies making it likely that TWICE as many customers would have to send in bank statements and payslips to carry on spending.
Some could be blocked for missing a phone payment or being late with the gas bill.
Bookies insist tighter regulation and existing checks are working to tackle harm.
Government officials admitted in 2023 that the new affordability checks could wipe £700 million from bookies revenue – costing the Treasury over £200 million in lost tax revenue from April.
Brant Dunshea, chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority, said: “Horserace betting is one of the safest forms of gambling, but it can only be safe when it is done in the legal, regulated industry.
“Given the recent regulatory and tax changes, I urge the Commission and Government to carefully consider whether the timing is right for this additional layer of regulation.
“Without a better solution the illegal market will only grow, causing more harm, depriving the Government of tens of millions of pounds in lost tax revenue, and sparking widespread job losses across Britain.”
The BGC estimate that as many as 300,000 racing fans could be caught by the checks with 120,000 being called on to provide documents.
Insiders fear around 80% of those asked for documents would refuse – and two-thirds could head to illegal sites.
Grainne Hurst, boss of the Betting and Gaming Council spokesperson said: “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.”
A Gambling Commission spokesperson said the checks – formally dubbed Financial Risk Assessments – will be targeted at identifying and supporting customers who are in current financial difficulties.
“A key focus of our work is on removing friction for consumers such as document checks.
“If introduced, these assessments would come into effect in a careful and managed manner and we can confirm it would not be as soon as May 2026.”
