Minister Crouch looks for 10% bookmaker charge of UK Racing Levy

More Levy debate as Crouch targets online and retail wagers

Bookmaker News

The highly controversial and much debated UK Racing Levy Scheme was back in the national headlines this week as UK Sports Minister Tracey Crouch announced that her department (Department of Culture, Media and Sports) intends to place a 10% gross profit charge on all racing wagers whether placed via a retail bookmaker or online.

The Racing Levy was actually supposed to have come into play back in April 2016, but the new plans for it won’t have gone down too well after delays, as it now targets both retail and digital wagers which should aim to raise £90-100 million for UK racing.

UK ‘Big Four’ retail operators Ladbrokes, William Hill, Coral and Betfred have yet to commit to levy terms for their online betting operations. Those bookmakers who have not committed to the Levy have been banned from advertising and sponsoring racing events, a punishment for not being in the ‘Authorised Betting Partner’ scheme.

The overhaul of levy scheme has put racing and the betting industry at loggerheads since it was first published in 2014.

In November 2015, The Levy Board which represents the British Horseracing Authority, the Racecourse Association and the Horsemen’s Group stated that it had referred the scheme to the UK government as negotiations with bookmaking industry had broken down. Representatives of the betting and racing world will have until November 4th to make their final representations to Crouch, over the proposed Levy adjustments.