“Dragon’s Den-style summit” to seek innovative solutions for British horseracing
Flutter and the BHA will hold a summit to explore how to attract a “new generation of racegoers”
UK.- The horseracing and betting sectors are making up after differences of opinion in how to confront the government’s tax plans for British gambling. Flutter Entertainment, the owner of Paddy Power and Sky Bet, is to collaborate with the British Horse Racing Authority to host the Future of Racing Summit.
The event, to be held at York Racecourse on February 12 2026, will explore ideas for strategies and initiatives to boost interest in racing. Flutter described the event as a “Dragon’s Den’-style horse racing summit, with the ambition to unearth solutions that attracts a new generation of racegoers”.
Applications are open for a startup scouting programme in advance of the summit. Based on these applications, a shortlist of innovative tech startups will be offered the chance to pitch their ideas in front of a panel of industry leaders and experts from Flutter, the BHA, racecourses and equine welfare, to discuss and probe their concepts in greater detail.
The agenda will focus on four topics identified through a survey of over 7,500 racegoers called Project Beacon: horse welfare, education and simplification of the sport for new audiences, how the social and entertainment value of the racing experience can be amplified, and ideas for how to give fans more immersive behind-the-scenes access.
The summit will take place in front of an audience of stakeholders and representatives from across the sport, with a range of venture capitalists also expected. Those interested in attending are invited to register their interest via Alpha Hub’s ‘Future of Racing’ website.
Innovative ideas needed to reverse falling attendance at races
The aim is to pool ideas on how to reverse the declines in attendance in racecourses, which hasn’t truly recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic. Since 2022, annual attendance at British horse races has been below 5 million. A reduction in fixtures last year saw average attendance rise marginally to 3,404, but overall attendance in 2024 was just 4.79 million.
Some ideas to counter the trend have included concerts at racetracks, but initiatives within the sports itself, such as the football-inspired Racing League launched in 2018 have had relatively little impact.
Brant Dunshea, acting CEO of the BHA, said: “There are so many great ideas out there and the aim of the Future of Racing summit is to ensure that racing has the opportunity to hear them and, where appropriate, tap into what they could bring to the sport.
“I’d encourage everyone in the sport to engage with this process and come to York in February with an open mind, for what I’m sure will be an exciting and intriguing event.
We’re looking for bold ideas that can engage younger audiences and ensure the sport’s fan base remains strong for the generations to come. We’re eager to hear from as many startups as we can and very much hope as many as possible take up the chance to apply and make their mark on our sport.”
Sebastian Butterworth, racing strategy director at Flutter UKI, said: “Flutter embodies the energy of startups — innovative, fast-growing businesses driven by entrepreneurs to create scalable products and services that disrupt markets.
“Just a few months ago we launched Timeform’s simplified QuickCard for newcomers to horseracing at York Racecourse, so we’re really proud to partner with the BHA and return for this potentially pivotal Future of Racing Summit in February. Project Beacon puts the customer at the heart of racing, and it’s vital that we come together to seek out solutions that directly address their concerns.”
