British Racing On Strike - What's The Background?

British equine racing will shape a one-day onslaught connected Wednesday successful protestation against nan government's projected taxation emergence connected betting connected nan sport.

No fixtures will return spot aft 4 meetings were rescheduled by nan British Horseracing Authority (BHA), which says a taxation hike would costs millions successful gross and lead to thousands of occupation losses.

It is an unprecedented move - but what does it mean, what will hap connected nan time and really person we sewage here?

The pursuing meetings person been switched to time off a blank time connected Wednesday.

There will beryllium nary racing successful Britain, pinch starring jockeys, trainers and owners alternatively attending an arena astatine Westminster wherever they will lobby MPs.

It is nan eve of nan four-day St Leger gathering astatine Doncaster, which Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer attended past year, and is nan first clip nan athletics has voluntarily refused to title successful its modern history.

Racing will beryllium held successful nan Republic of Ireland, wherever nan sole fixture takes spot astatine Cork.

Usually nan only blank days connected nan British racing almanac are astatine Christmas.

The Treasury is looking to bring existing online betting duties into 1 azygous rate.

This could summation nan 15% taxation complaint paid by bookmakers connected racing and align it pinch online gaming, specified arsenic casino and slot games, which is presently taxed astatine 21%.

Chancellor of nan exchequer Rachel Reeves' fund connected 26 November is expected to bring taxation rises.

But Exchequer Secretary to nan Treasury, Dan Tomlinson, said: "The chancellor has been clear that speculation connected taxation rises, which is what this is, is not only inaccurate, but besides irresponsible.

"We person not announced an summation successful nan taxation connected equine title betting, and racecourse betting presently gets a 100% taxation break which we person nary plans to change.

"We cognize equine racing is portion of nan taste cloth of nan country, that's why it's nan only assemblage that benefits from a government-mandated levy. Our wider gambling consultation is only astir leveling nan playing section and simplifying nan system, and we are moving intimately pinch nan manufacture to understand immoderate imaginable impacts."

Horse racing is nan second-biggest spectator athletics successful Britain, down football, pinch much than 1,400 fixtures a year.

Racing's leaders fearfulness accrued costs for betting operators would lead to little promotion and sponsorship of nan sport, worse likelihood and reduced bonuses for customers - making betting connected racing little charismatic and perchance turning group towards nan achromatic market.

Betting turnover has already been deed by affordability checks for punters aimed astatine limiting problem gambling.

Reduced turnover has a knock-on effect arsenic awesome bookmakers must springiness 10% of racing profits via a levy, which raises much than £100m a year, and is utilized towards title prize money and helping nan athletics successful different ways.

Activists and immoderate MPs judge accrued taxes could thief money use spending and tackle harmful gambling.

Economic study commissioned by nan BHA has shown that aligning nan existent taxation complaint paid by bookmakers connected racing pinch online games of chance could consequence successful a £330m gross deed to nan manufacture successful nan first 5 years.

It suggests 2,752 jobs will beryllium put astatine consequence successful nan first twelvemonth alone.

Jockey Tom Marquand said he and woman Hollie Doyle, besides a starring rider, could beryllium forced to move overseas if nan backing of British racing is hit.

"It seems beautiful sad we mightiness person to deliberation astir emigrating location other to make a surviving retired of nan athletics that we truthful enjoy," he told BBC Sport.

"It's an important time for racing and hopefully a measurement successful nan correct direction. It's a immense manufacture employing 85,000 people. The effect would beryllium enormous."

When nan BBC filmed astatine Windsor races connected Monday, galore punters were supportive of nan action.

"It's a awesome time retired and we person a small flutter," said racegoer Alan Mills.

"Bookmakers request nan money to travel successful to support nan business going. The athletics should beryllium promoted, alternatively than taking people's livelihoods away."

But nan Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) - which represents betting shops, online betting and gaming operators and casinos - says it was not consulted.

"Racing's determination to reschedule fixtures was taken without consultation pinch betting operators, whose support for nan backing of nan athletics is ngo critical," it said successful a statement.

"We are concerned that futile governmental gestures will only antagonise nan authorities and frustrate punters alternatively of delivering a solution to a shared situation facing some racing and betting."

The effect will beryllium offset by nan fixtures being rearranged, but location will beryllium an estimated costs of astir £200,000 successful mislaid gross connected nan day.

BHA main executive Brant Dunshea said: "Betting connected British equine racing must beryllium treated differently.

"In racing, location is simply a accomplishment to it, it is why it is specified a cherished portion of our nationalist heritage. We opportunity our merchandise is different to different betting products, it's different successful a affirmative way. It brings communities together."

He said higher taxes could push punters seeking nan champion likelihood towards bookmakers connected nan achromatic market.

"We request to guarantee immoderate argumentation decisions that are taken are mindful of nan imaginable unintended consequences," said Dunshea.

"One of those mightiness beryllium - and we've seen important grounds of it globally - a migration of bettors distant to illegal, unregulated betting markets who don't supply user protections, who don't lend to nan exchequer and who don't lend backmost to nan sport."

No much strikes are planned arsenic things stand, though further action astatine higher-profile title meetings has not been wholly ruled out.

Wednesday's onslaught is "part of an wide campaign", said Dunshea.

Marquand added: "We're successful a spot of a predicament.

"It's an important taxable that is going to impact a batch of people's lives. Ultimately, I don't deliberation there's a measurement that's excessively acold for racing to return to make judge it's heard connected this, because it is truthful damaging."

The action is designed to publicise nan BHA's 'Axe nan Racing Tax' campaign. Its petition against nan taxation proposals had astir 12,000 signatures going into Wednesday's action.

This article is from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team.

Ask Me Anything is simply a work dedicated to answering your questions.

We want to reward your clip by telling you things you do not cognize and reminding you of things you do.

The squad will find retired everything you request to cognize and beryllium capable to telephone upon a web of contacts including our experts and pundits.

We will beryllium answering your questions from nan bosom of nan BBC Sport newsroom, and going down nan scenes astatine immoderate of nan world's biggest sporting events.

Our sum will span nan BBC Sport website, app, societal media and YouTube accounts, positive BBC TV and radio.