Punters urged to step forward and push petition against affordability checks past crucial 100,000 mark

Punters have the chance for their voices to be heard on affordability checks by pushing the petition against them past 100,000 signatures, according to the Horseracing Bettors Forum (HBF).

HBF chair Sean Trivass said the petition launched a week ago should be viewed as being a de facto vote on affordability checks, and pushing the number of signatures beyond the 100,000 mark would send a strong message to the government and Gambling Commission.

Launched last week by the Jockey Club, the petition calls for the government “to abandon the planned implementation of affordability checks”, with more than 75,000 people signed up from across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in support of the motion.

The government is already obliged to provide a response to the petition after it reached 10,000 signatures – a figure surpassed within hours of it being published last Wednesday. However, should 100,000 people or more sign, the issue will be considered for debate in parliament.

In September, the HBF, which represents the interests of punters in British racing, expressed its concerns to Stuart Andrew, the minister responsible for gambling, in a meeting, and Trivass said it was now the time for punters to hammer home the issues they are routinely facing.

He said: “The HBF wholeheartedly supports the petition and is extremely aware and concerned regarding future affordability checks, but they are ongoing for punters already.

“At the moment we have accounts being closed on an hourly basis, or we have people turning away from betting on the sport altogether because of this.

Sean Trivass (left) with minister for gambling Stuart Andrew

“We hope the petition reaches 100,000 signatures and more as soon as possible as we want the voice of punters to be heard on this – and this is a brilliant opportunity to do that. The bigger the numbers the better, especially from punters.

“Racing people have already done a great job, but this is the chance for the person in the street who wants to have a bet – be it on horseracing or anything else – to have their voice heard in something that is like a vote on a policy. That can be only a good thing.”

He added: “The more people who bet that sign this means they can show those in parliament, and at the Gambling Commission, they are not happy with this and won’t accept it.”

A consultation run by the Gambling Commission into the proposals in the government’s white paper closed last month. Among the proposals were the implementation of financial risk checks for punters losing £1,000 in 24 hours, or £2,000 over a rolling 90-day period. The checks are promised to be largely ‘frictionless’, but some punters would potentially be required to hand over sensitive financial information, such as bank statements and P60s, to continue betting if the proposals were adopted.

Racing has estimated it could lose up to £250 million in income over the next five years if the measures contained in the white paper came into force, with resulting knock-ons to the people working in the industry. Furthermore, a punter survey of more than 14,000 people conducted by the BHA found that more than half of the respondents would reduce their betting on racing, or stop altogether, if affordability checks are imposed.

In light of such estimates, alongside the experiences punters have had already with affordability checks and account restrictions, Trivass said the HBF was surprised the petition had not already reached 100,000 signatures. Nevertheless, he urged people to take the time to add their signature.

“At the minute it’s a disappointing number when you think how many millions bet on racing every day,” he said. “Perhaps there's more apathy than we thought there would be among punters, and maybe it’s not something they're engaging with until it happens to them. But it will happen to them.”

Punters and the racing industry are being called on to sign a petition calling on the government to stop the implementation of affordability checks. You can sign the petition here.

Read more: 

'This is a pivotal moment for the long-term future of racing in this country' - affordability checks petition passes 70,000 names 

Stable staff union adds weight to campaign as affordability checks petition passes 70,000 signatures 

Five reasons you should sign the affordability checks petition 

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