Stricter gambling laws could lead to the loss of 1,000 horse racing jobs

Stricter gambling rules risk a jobs massacre in rural communities, ministers have been warned.

Planned affordability checks on better businesses could leave as many as 1,000 stable workers unemployed due to the impact on the horse racing market.

Industry bosses sounded the alarm ahead of a debate in Westminster next one Monday about the controversial proposals.

Under the government crackdown, anyone losing just £125 in a month or £500 in a year would trigger a financial alert.

But MPs have been forced to scrutinize the plans further after more than 100,000 people spoke out against the proposal in a petition.

A debate will take place in Westminster on Monday.

New analysis from Regulus Partners shows that between 600 and 1,000 stable jobs could be lost as a result of lost horse racing profits – estimated at as much as £50 million a year.

Julie Harrington, chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority, said: “The latest data, which highlights the terrible scale of job losses that could result from these betting controls, as currently proposed, once again demonstrates the importance of this issue and the need for the government to understand this. right.”

A spokesperson for DCMS said: “Horse racing is an integral part of British sporting culture and heritage, and we are committed to sustainable future for sports.

“This is why we agreed to assess the horse race betting tax.

“But it is important that we also take that into account steps to minimize the risk of gambling-related harm. That’s why we’re introducing lightweight, frictionless controls to protect people from potentially life-changing losses.

“Industry financial risk controls are currently inconsistent, burdensome and ad hoc, and our proposed controls are intended to streamline the process for the vast majority of accounts.”