From a historical perspective, there’s really no sport that’s more closely aligned to the gaming industry than horse racing. That unique relationship is front and center in a recently released code of conduct from the British Horse Racing Authority (BHA) and The Racecourse Association (RCA) that’s aimed at governing sponsorship agreements between racing stakeholders and gambling operators.
The Code of Conduct covering Sponsorship Agreements with Betting Companies British Horseracing gets everything out in the open with an opening statement reading, “The relationship between British Horseracing and gambling is a unique one, as recognised by the Government in its Gambling White Paper. Millions of horse racing fans enjoy having a bet on the sport, whether at a local betting shop, at a racecourse or online.”
With that business out of the way, the code then outlines four principles on which BHA members should build their sponsorships on including:
– Reinvestment into sport
– Maintaining sporting integrity
– Protecting children and young people
– Ensuring the promotion of betting is undertaken in a socially responsible way.
The concepts behind the new code of conduct are pretty straightforward and fall very much into line with the concepts laid out in Government’s 2023 Gambling White Paper. First and foremost, BHA members are bound to do business only with licensed operators. These agreements must also adhere to the British Gambling Commission’s LCCP; and must also refrain from marketing their products to children.
The BHA summed up the whole affair saying, “British Horseracing commits to including safer betting messaging across all sponsorship inventories, including via social media posts, website advertising and on-course. Support our partners in participation in industry wide national campaigns, such as those promoted by the Betting and Gaming Council, Gamble Aware and others.”