Since being introduced back in 2024, affordability checks have caused major controversy in the sports betting industry.
To sum it up, what’s happened is the government and UK Gambling Commission have become concerned by the rise in “problem gambling” across the country.
They believe bettors need greater protection, so they’ve decided to introduce mandatory affordability checks — and British horse racing has suffered hugely.
When the scheme first started, any customer who deposited over £500 a month into their sportsbook account would be checked by a credit reference agency.
The purpose of these checks was to understand whether the individual could actually afford the bets they were placing. Can this person afford their bets or are they putting themselves at financial risk? You get the idea.
The controversy then got even worse in February 2025 when the UK Gambling Commission confirmed the threshold was being lowered to £150. To nobody's surprise, that didn’t go down too well.
What it now means is that anyone — no matter their age, experience or betting profile — is automatically subject to a credit check if they deposit more than £150 on a 30-day rolling period.
The consequence of this is that betting revenue has taken a huge hit due to players now depositing (and betting) less money than they used to before 2024.
And of all the sectors within the gambling industry, horse betting has arguably suffered the most. This has led to:
- A “£3 billion blackhole” in the horse betting market
- More horse racing fans using the black market to place bets
- Angry punters on social media
So, should you be concerned about this? Yes. It could have a devastating impact on British horseracing in both the short and long-term, too, which is why we’re going to take a closer look at exactly what’s going on.
British Horseracing Authority: “Betting Turnover on British Racing Has Fallen by 6.8% Compared with Last Year.”
According to the British Horseracing Authority, punters are betting a lot less on horse racing since 2024. They blame several factors for this but have the introduction of affordability checks at the top of the to-blame list:
“There are several factors impacting that decline, many of which have nothing to do with the fixture list trial. I’ve no doubt that these are headed by the impact of affordability checks and the extent to which they have resulted in people either stopping betting or placing their bets with unlicensed operators where such checks don’t take place.”
This has led to a huge £3bn blackhole in the horseracing industry. Essentially, sportsbooks have been receiving less bets, so they’ve been hit big time.
Not to mention, racecourses, owners and trainers are also suffering, particularly now there’s less prize money. In the space of just a couple of years, billions of pounds in revenue has been lost.
Is this a bad thing? Not necessarily, although it’s up for debate. If affordability checks help to protect punters with gambling problems then it’s great for everyone involved.
This way, individuals are less likely to get addicted to gambling, send themselves into debt or harm others around them.
However, the overriding problem is that by protecting the small number of problem gamblers, it’s having a devastating impact on the wider horse racing industry.
Effectively, the UK Gambling Commission has switched one problem out and replaced it with (arguably) an even bigger one, especially now that many punters are switching to the “black market”.
Horse Racing Punters Are Not Happy and the Black Market is Booming
Most horse racing punters have been furious about affordability checks ever since they were introduced. This has led to a concerning rise in the number of them using the black market, which is another term for underground bookies and illegal betting websites that aren’t licensed.
These types of sites are dangerous but it’s easy to see why frustrated punters have started turning to them, as they feel like “affordability checks” are infringing their privacy and making betting less fun.
Just before this year’s Grand National — won by Nick Rockett — almost £10 million was illegally staked on the iconic Aintree horse race via black-market betting sites.
According to the Betting and Gaming Council, this trend is only going to keep getting worse, too. Between now and 2030, they predict that more people than ever will be using black market betting sites as a result of affordability checks, costing the treasury £335 million over the next five years.
Ironically, even the government itself will suffer from the introduction of affordability checks.
And if you check in on the punters themselves, they’re still not happy. A recent Right to Bet survey found that a staggering 96% of them believe they — not the government — should decide how much they can and can’t afford to bet. In their eyes, it’s nobody else’s business.
This is something they’ve been extremely vocal about on social media, too, with thousands of horse racing punters (and sports fans in general) voicing their displeasure at the fact they can no longer avoid these mandatory credit checks.
Is Problem Gambling Really That Big of an Issue?
According to the Government itself, problem gambling is a much wider problem than people think, with 0.5% of the adult population having a betting problem and 3.8% of them currently gambling at “at-risk levels”.
This is despite the fact there’s been a rise in the number of safe gambling tools out there, such as a spreadsheet to track your winnings and the ability to self-exclude yourself from sportsbooks when you feel like your gambling has gotten out of control.
With this in-mind, it’s clear that the UK does need to tackle its ongoing issue with gambling in a time where the economy is struggling and people are plunging themselves into debt. Whether affordability checks are the right answer, though, remains to be seen.
Summary: What’s Next for British Horse Racing?
Nobody can deny that affordability checks have been a disaster for British horse racing. The punters, bookmakers, owners, trainers, and most other stakeholders are not happy about what’s going on, so there’s a huge level of concern about what might happen to the horse racing industry going forward.
What’s clear to see is that changes have to be made. Whether it’s relaxing the affordability check thresholds, implementing stronger regulation of black market sites, or a combination of both, something has to give. Otherwise, irreversible damage is a real possibility here.
Over the coming months and years, it will certainly be interesting to see what happens.
One thing for sure is that both punters and stakeholders within the industry will continue with their pushback, so don’t be surprised to see the government and UK Gambling Commission come up with some kind of solution that will help to keep “problem gamblers” safer but without inflicting huge financial damage on the much-loved British horseracing industry.
