The British Horseracing Authority has blamed the Gambling Commission's financial risk checks for falling betting revenue in 2024, as it says punters have moved to unlicensed operators.
In its BHA racing report 2024 published on 19 February, the authority stated that total betting turnover fell by 6.8% in comparison to the previous year. This is a 16.5% downturn when compared to 2022.
While the BHA would not disclose the betting turnover value, it told iGB that the rate consists of both retail and digital betting.
In its report, the BHA found that the decline in total betting turnover slowed to under 1% in the second half of the year. However, it stated that it had run more races in that period when compared to 2023, adding that the “average race turnover” was down by 4% in 2024.
BHA director of racing Richard Wayman wrote in the report that he has “no doubt” that the drop in betting revenue was “headed by the impact of affordability checks”.
Wayman said these have resulted i..
