Gambling tax rise prompts bookmaker warning over horse racing and black market
A rise in machine games duty from 20% to 25% prompts an online bookmaker to warn that horse racing funding is at risk and black market betting could grow.
How it was covered
- GB News was the only channel found covering it, concentrating on horse racing funding, black market risk and criticism of the Gambling Commission.
- Channel 5, BBC News, BBC One, BBC Two, Channel 4, ITV and Sky News: not found in tracked broadcasts.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
GB News reported that the Chancellor is raising machine games duty from 20% to 25%, a five percentage point increase, for higher-stakes machines while protecting pubs and seaside arcades. The programme put the change in the context of the horse racing industry, which it said receives a levy directly from gambling. GB News reported that five million people attended a horse race meet last year, up considerably from the previous few years.
Jeff Banks, an online bookmaker, told GB News that the impact on racing cannot be quantified. He said horse racing has a "direct synergy" with gambling and is "literally going to struggle to survive" without levy funding. GB News also heard him say that checks on regulated customers, including requests for bank statements, are pushing people towards the black market.
GB News reported that black market turnover is estimated at 16 billion. The programme's presenter said that driving people from regulated betting to the black market would be even more dangerous. Banks told GB News that the rules he has to follow treat customers like criminals and direct them to the black market.
GB News also aired criticism of the Gambling Commission. A contributor, Kevin, said it had not tackled black market betting and that its chief executive is paid more than £250,000 a year. The programme also discussed horse racing as part of the UK's cultural fabric and international image.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| Black market betting turnover was estimated at 16 billion. | |
| Online bookmaker Jeff Banks said horse racing would struggle significantly without money from a gambling levy. | |
| The Chancellor is set to raise machine games duty on higher-stakes machines from 20% to 25%, while protecting pubs and seaside arcades. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
GB News gave the story a strongly sympathetic hearing for the bookmaker and racing industries. It focused on the levy funding that horse racing receives, the risk of a growing black market and criticism of the Gambling Commission. The tone was critical of the tax rise and of regulators, with repeated warnings that extra regulation pushes punters underground.
- “if you drive people away from regulated betting to black market betting, I think it will be even more dangerous.”
- “The impact on racing cannot be quantified. It's a sport with a direct synergy with gambling that is literally going to struggle to survive.”
- “The gambling commission is a disgrace.”
Who was on air
People and organisations each channel put on air while covering this story. Channels' own presenters and reporters are not listed. Names as transcribed, and the list can miss people.
- 19:37 GMT
Jeff Banks, online bookmaker
Farage · Thu 29 Oct
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.