Roger Devlin named chair of UK Horserace Betting Levy Board
The former chair of bookmaker William Hill has been appointed for a four-year term.
UK.- Secretary of state for the Home Department Yvette Cooper MP has confirmed the appointment of Roger Devlin as the new chair of the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB). The former Chair of bookmaker William Hill will take up the position from July 1, for a four-year term until June 30 2029, with the possibility of renewal.
Anne Lambert has been serving as interim chair since the death of Paul Darling in August 2024.
Devlin chaired William Hill until its acquisition by US casino giant Caesars in 2021. He also chaired online gambling business Gamesys. He is currently chair of the London-listed housing developer Persimmon and the mobility charity Sutton Trust.
Devlin has held several previous roles in sports. He served a six-and-a-half-year stint as a senior independent director at the English Football Association and was chairman of the Sunningdale Golf Club and a board member of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A).
He owns training horses and co-owned Pyledrive, the horse that won the 2021 Coronation Cup and the 2022 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Challenges for the horseracing sector
Devlin will be expected to lead the HBLB through its negotiations with the betting industry and government to seek a new agreement on the UK betting levy, which bookmakers pay as a contribution to the horseracing sector.
He is also likely to express the horseracing sector’s opposition to the government’s proposed reforms of British gambling tax, which the industry fears could harm smaller sport betting and horse racing betting operators and drive customers to the black market.
He will also liaise with the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS), the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), the Gambling Commission (UKGC), and other stakeholders on the impact of the British gambling regulator’s proposed affordability checks.
Devlin said: “My focus will be consistent with the Levy’s key objectives – to promote investment and employment in racing; to enhance racehorse welfare wherever possible; to improve the reputation of the sport and thereby generate increased interest.
“I look forward to working with my fellow board members and the wider team, as well as racing and betting organisations, in pursuit of these goals. I am very mindful of building on Paul Darling’s considerable legacy to the Levy Board and would also like to thank Anne Lambert for her good work as Interim Chair.”
