First Signs of Impact in UK Crackdown on Illegal Horse Racing Betting

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) said Gambling Commission enforcement has shown a “first impact” on illegal betting traffic. In a statement to NEXT.io, a spokesperson for the authority said visits to illegal horse racing betting sites need to fall more permanently, and that figures remain well above pre-White Paper levels.

The BHA had previously raised concerns about illegal traffic figures following a report published by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) in early November. The organisation's chief executive, Brant Dunshea, had warned during the Gambling Act Review that well-intentioned policy changes could have unintended consequences for British horse racing and could steer customers towards the black market.

According to IFHA research, one in six visits to a betting site featuring horse racing in Britain is redirected to an unlicensed operator. In the first six months of 2026, illegal platforms received an average of 11 million visits per month, while licensed sites recorded around 57 million unique visits.

Total visitors to illegal horse racing sites had risen every year for five years. The 2026 figure broke this upward trend, falling 56 percent from the 2025 monthly average of 25 million. Monthly visits to licensed platforms also declined in 2026, but the drop was smaller, at 40 percent.

The BHA spokesperson said the Gambling Commission has taken on more staff in this area and increased its enforcement activity. The authority also welcomed the Treasury's decision in the 2025 Autumn Budget to allocate £26 million to tackling the illegal market, and partly linked the decline in illegal traffic to this financial support.