Racing levy reform gets delayed in the UK

Levy reforms were delayed past April in the UK last Friday and the Levy Board will receive another stay of execution.

UK.- April 2019 would have marked the beginning of the redistribution of the new horse racing betting levy, and the structure of British Racing governance was set to be rearranged to meet the industry’s needs. However, the reforms reached a halt last Friday and are set to be delayed past the original date, which is why the Levy Board will receive another stay of execution.

The Board is likely to stay in operation beyond April, even as British racing had already set up a shadow Racing Authority that would take over levy funds distribution once the reform is enforced. As the government’s plans have been delayed, so have the racing segment’s and might even be permanently frustrated.

The government sought to pass secondary legislation to set the abolition of the Levy Board, in order to transfer its duties to the Gambling Commission and the new authority. Nonetheless, the House of Lords Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee (DPRRC) and the House of Commons Regulatory Reform Committee consider that the authorities need to bring about reform through primary legislation as its first approach didn’t cover consultation with the racing industry.

“Horseracing means a lot to many in this country. We were told by the minister that it provided 17k jobs and that over six million people enjoyed a day out at the races every year,” DPRRC chair Lord Blencathra was quoted by the Racing Post.

“It is therefore vitally important that changes to the way in which the horseracing levy is collected and applied are considered carefully and in detail. In finding this legislative reform order inappropriate, we are not saying that the underlying policy is wrong but that it requires the level of scrutiny and debate afforded to primary legislation,” he added.