Four British tracks call off race meetings in coordinated action.
British horse racing is to stage a one-day strike to protest against government plans to raise taxes on online and remote gambling.
Four scheduled fixtures, at Carlisle, Lingfield, Uttoxeter and Kempton, on Wednesday September 10 have been cancelled after agreements between the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and the owners of the four venues.
Racing people will use the “empty” day to stage public events to highlight their argument that the planned taxes will badly damage the industry.
They fear new regulations will bring racing into line with the 21% tax rate levied on games of chance such as slots and casino games. Economic modelling shows a 21% tax rate could see a £66-million annual loss in income for racing.
Bigger increases, the BHA said, would be “devastating”, with a projected £97-million loss at a rate of 25%, and so on.
Act of self-harm
Racing people around the world try to avoid getting involved in politics, but the Brits clearly feel this issue is big enough to make a principled stand and a political gesture – even if it is an act of self-harm.
The Sunday Times newspaper saw the strike as significant enough to place the story on its front page at the weekend, quoting Jim Mullen, CEO of the Jockey Club, which owns Carlisle and Kempton: “The sport has come together today, and by cancelling racing fixtures, we hope the government will take a moment to reflect on the harm this tax will cause to a sport in which our country leads in so many ways.”
Deep thought and reflection is not what politicians do, though, usually only acting when bribed or threatened.
So, a threatened mass loss of votes has been mentioned – with more than five million people going racing in the country every year. And a threatened loss of jobs in a diminished industry could also apply political pressure. British racing supports 85,000 jobs – and many thousands more dependents.
Online casino gambling employs a miniscule fraction of that.
Another argument put forward is about the excellence and leadership position of British racing in a world in which the country has faded from just about all other preeminence. The sport gives the UK “soft power” internationally, it is said.
Messaging is a critical factor in political matters and the racing press has dragged up a quote to bolster the argument, from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer as he enjoyed the action at Doncaster racecourse last year, “There aren’t many better days out than the races in the sunshine.”
