There’s a lot of talk at the moment about the negative impact that “affordability checks” are having on the horse racing industry. Since being introduced last year, these checks have caused uproar across British horseracing, leading to furious punters voicing their anger across social media. It’s been incredibly controversial and looks set to get even worse in 2025.

New £150 Affordability Checks Coming February 2025

• The new threshold for horse racing affordability checks will be reduced from £500 to £150 in February 2025

• Punters who make deposits above this amount will have to undergo checks with credit reference agencies

• 4 in 10 bettors are prepared to use the black market in response to affordability checks being implemented

The UK Gambling Commision is set to introduce a new affordability check threshold of £150 this month. What this means is that any horse racing punter who makes a net monthly deposit of £150 or higher will be subject to an affordability check. Similarly, checks will be triggered by anyone who loses over £1000 within 24 hours (‘binge gambling’) or £2000 over a 90-day period (‘unaffordable losses’). The checks will be conducted by credit reference agencies, with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion all known to have been used so far.

The purpose of these affordability checks is to figure out whether punters can actually afford to bet the money they’re depositing. Specifically, the checks are looking at factors such as high gambling losses, inconsistent income, and more. If red flags are there, action will usually be taken.

Let’s say there’s a horse racing punter who has a monthly income of £2,500 from his job but is losing anywhere from £3,000 to £5,000 a month through betting on horses. Once the credit reference agency identifies this, the sportsbook (e.g. bet365) can request data from them about the punter. From this data, the sportsbook can implement betting limits, provide responsible gambling help resources, and even outright suspend the punter’s account.

The clear benefit here is that these checks are going to better protect those in danger of becoming problem gamblers. It’s estimated there are 1.3 million UK adults with a gambling problem, so this is a country-wide problem that needs to be fixed and affordability checks will definitely be able to help. However, the obvious trade-off is that it massively invades the financial privacy of punters. Not to mention, it puts serious limitations on how much bettors can and can’t wager, which in their eyes is a case of the state controlling their lives.

What’s interesting about all of this is that the previous affordability check threshold of £500 has already led to a reported £3billion fall in online betting turnover in just two years. And now that the threshold is going to be lowered even further to £150, there’s no telling what further damage it might do to the British horse racing industry. From loss of high-value punters to a decline in race betting sponsorships, the list of potential problems this could cause are endless. Sure, the affordability checks will help to protect a small number of problem gamblers — but the fact they could cause serious long-term damage to British horse racing is a major cause for concern.

Do Affordability Checks Apply Across All Major Sportsbooks?

Yes – as part of the UK Gambling Commision’s wider initiative, affordability checks will now apply across all major sportsbooks. This includes bet365, Sky Bet, and all of the other big names. The concern here is that this will lead to an exodus of punters deciding to join the black market instead. However, the black market is a dangerous place and has ruined countless people’s lives over the years due to its lack of regulation. Naturally, nobody wants punters to start using the black market in bigger numbers, so this is something that the UK Gambling Commision will have to think carefully about.

How Affordability Checks Will Impact Horse Betting Punters

So, whether you’re an experienced horse bettor yourself or someone who just likes to bet on the Grand National once a year, you might be wondering how these new affordability checks are going to impact you. To give you peace of mind, we’ve spoke to betting analyst Alex Windsor from minimumdepositbettingsites.com:

“In a nutshell, you should be fine as long as you have no outstanding credit problems and aren’t losing money month after month through betting. And if you’re a small bettor anyway — such as someone who only bets £10 a month – you won’t be subject to any checks at all, so there’s no need to stress about them. Really, these checks are only going to impact the big bettors and high rollers whose monthly deposits range from hundreds to thousands of pounds.”

It’s also worth mentioning that even if you are subject to an affordability check after betting on some horse races, it doesn’t automatically mean you’re going to have spending limits imposed on you. In most cases, checks will be complete and no underlying issues will be found, allowing you to carry on betting as usual. As mentioned a little earlier, the only time the credit checks will impact you is if any red flags are discovered, such as hidden debt.

British Horse Racing Stakeholder Groups Are Not Happy

It’s not just punters who are unhappy with affordability checks. British horse racing’s stakeholder groups, including the likes of the Racecourse Association (RCA) and National Trainers Federation (NTF), have provided support to a statement made by Martin Cruddace, the CEO of Arena Racing Company (ARC). The statement accused the UK Gambling Commission of being “unaccountable and out of control” while contributing to the “unnecessary decline of our great sport and industry at home”. It was a harsh statement but one that almost everyone, from punters to stakeholders, seems to agree with.

Summary: The Outrage Continues to Grow on Social Media

Over the past couple of years, countless horse racing punters and bettors in general have been complaining about affordability checks. Some claim to have had their privacy invaded, while others have posted screenshots of themselves deleting their accounts. The situation is perhaps best summed up by a recent tweet from @bluebellychoppy, who said:

“People who bet on horse racing are now sick and tired of bookmakers forcing affordability checks on them. Nobody is going to see my bank account details let alone an online bookmaker. Racing is slowly dying because of it. This could be the last Cheltenham Festival that I bet on.”

One thing for certain is that the new affordability checks will lead to these voices becoming even louder moving forward. And if a large enough number of bettors start to boycott sportsbooks and other betting establishments, there’s the potential that it could force existing affordability check thresholds to be lessened in order to keep punters happy. For now it will remain a sticky situation — and there’s no clear end in sight.