Why Is British Horse Racing Striking On Wednesday?

Blank days in the British horse racing calendar are normally confined to the period before Christmas – however, this Wednesday (10th September), there is a British horse racing strike – with ALL UK fixtures called off. 

But why is this British horse racing strike happening?

British Horse Racing Strike – Wednesday Blackout With NO Domestic Meetings In The UK 

On Wednesday 10th September there will be NO BRITISH horse racing – with leading industry figures instead going on strike.

This means the day’s planned fixtures from Lingfield, Carlisle, Uttoxeter and Kempton Park – WON’T take place.

These four cards will be rescheduled by the British Horse Racing Authority as follows –

Why Is There A British Horse Racing Strike On Wednesday?

So, why is this British horse racing strike happening?

In short, the industry is not happy with the government’s proposed tax hike on betting on the sport.

With horse racing officials saying any increase in betting tax would naturally impact the amount of money betting sites put into the sport.

Which will then filter down to job losses in all areas of the industry.

Horse racing is reported to be the second-biggest spectator sport in Britain – with only football ahead of it – having over 1,400 fixtures each year.

But any betting tax rises are leading racing leaders to fearing horse racing betting sites won’t be able to support the sport as much – leading to less sponsorship, poor odds and no free bet bonuses that can often be linked with popular bets like super yankees.

This comes on top of the industry having already been hit with the unpopular affordability checks that are driving bettors away from the sport, or turning them to the unlicensed black market operators that come with many risks.

What Are The Government Betting Tax Increase Proposals?

The UK Treasury department are proposing to bring the current online betting duties all under one umbrella.

Meaning they would be looking to lump in horse racing turnover with other forms of online betting. Like casino and slots activity.

This move would hike the tax of 15% paid by the bookmakers on horse racing to 21%, which is the same as other online gaming products pay.

“We are consulting on bringing the treatment of online betting in line with other forms of online gambling to cut down bureaucracy.

“It is not about increasing or decreasing rates, and we welcome views from all stakeholders including businesses, trade bodies, the third sector and individuals.” Said the Treasury.

However, the horse racing industry believes that with punters studying form lines and using more knowledge to place bets.

Saying the sport should be set aside as different from online betting, that has fixed profit margin parameters in place for the operators.

British Horse Racing Strike To Cost Industry £200k

With no horse racing on a normal midweek Wednesday, this is believed to cost the industry upwards of £200,000.

But with these Wednesday cards being moved to other days, these losses should be offset.

BHA chief executive Brant Dunshea said “It’s certainly not a decision we have taken lightly.

“The industry is united in saying that cost is a small price to pay for ensuring we send a clear and loud message to government.”

“Racing is more than just a sport, it’s a cherished part of our culture and we are a major employer. We are different to online casinos,”

Are More British Horse Racing Strikes Planned?

At present there are no more British horse racing strikes planed after the Wednesday 10th September.

This strike has an aim to highlight the BHA’s ‘Axe The Racing Tax’ campaign. This has already had a petition of up to 10,000 signatures when this strike was revealed back in August 16th.