Major survey reveals one in six punters have been subject to affordability checks
Spotlight Sports Group study shows the scale of “incredibly unpopular” source-of-wealth enquiries, with 55% refusing to hand over financial info
A major survey of British and Irish horseracing punters by Racing Post’s parent company has revealed one in six has been subject to affordability checks.
The Big Punting Survey, conducted by Spotlight Sports Group, received responses from more than 10,400 respondents, making it one of the largest studies of sports bettors to be carried out.
The data revealed that 16.6% of punters had been targeted with affordability check by an operator, with 7.7% having been asked by multiple bookmakers.
Of those that had been asked to provide financial information, 55% refused to hand over documents such as wage slips and P60s.
Of those who did agree, 17.1% reported that they were allowed to continue betting subject to what the operators deemed to be a “satisfactory” deposit limit.
Source: Racing Post
However, 12.5% of those surveyed revealed they were allowed to continue betting without a satisfactory deposit limit while 5.1% who complied were not allowed to continue betting.
The survey also laid out the threat posed by the black market, with 3.6% of punters confirming they had used a unlicensed bookmaker in the last 12 months.
A further 11% said that while they had not used a black-market operator, they knew of others who had.
As the furore around affordability checks continues to rumble on without clear guidance from the government or the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), operators are erring on the side of caution, according to British Horseracing Authority CEO Julie Harrington.
Harrington also argued the checks posed a “serious threat” to the industry.
The survey further showed that 66.5% of respondents would outright refuse to provide financial information moving forward, with just 12.2% stating they would disclose these personal details.
More than fifth of respondents said they were unsure as to whether or not they would provide data.
While the white paper into the Gambling Act 2005 review awaits publication, it is clear punters do not view affordability as a metric by which government or operators should have oversight over.
Source: Racing Post
An overwhelming 96.6% of those quizzed said the individual was best-placed to assess affordability.
Just 1.8% said the decision should lie at the feet of the UKGC, with 1% trusting their bookmaker and a nominal 0.8% agreeing the government should decide.
Racing Post editor Tom Kerr said: “Under current Gambling Commission guidelines betting operators have no choice but to continue subjecting their customers to these incredibly unpopular affordability checks.
“It’s critical that the government steps in to provide common sense clarity on what is and isn’t expected by bookmakers before we end up driving yet more customers into the hands of black-market operators, doing catastrophic damage to horseracing in the process,” he added.